Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 22 October 2025
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy
Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Discussion (Resumed)
2:00 am
Mr. Andrew Brownlee:
There are a couple of things. We have made a good start. My previous job was CEO of SOLAS, which is over apprenticeship, further education and upskilling. We set up a network of six retrofitting and zero emission building, ZEB, centres of excellence across the country. There is a great one at Mount Lucas as part of a wider modern methods of construction campus and there are other ones dotted around the country. Upskilling those smaller businesses to take on that workload is a really important part of that. I think Senator Noonan was involved in an initiative to try to improve our traditional building skills. We recognise the fact that modern methods of construction, MMC, is really important and new techniques are really important, but we have this brilliant heritage and buildings that are completely ready and available for renovation and being brought back to life. That is part of it as well. We need to look at new apprenticeships and new skills programmes that can deliver those skills as well.
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