Mr. Paul O'Toole:

With regard to apprenticeships specifically, the Minister for Education and Skills has indicated she will launch the new national apprenticeship council next week. SOLAS will provide secretarial support to the group, which will be a national group. We will also work in conjunction with the Higher Education Authority and all the players in the system. One of the first acts of the group will be a call to enterprise to put forward its suggestions on where it can usefully provide apprenticeship-type opportunities.

To get to the heart of the Senator's question, people learn in different ways. In the broadest sense, further education and training recognises that people start from different places and can best develop their potential if supported to do so in the right way. The system works when a person can learn required skills on the job in the work environment, supported by State investment in the formal aspects of the training or education. In the broadest sense, that is what the new apprenticeship council will seek to do. There is an existing range of 25 apprenticeships, which have been very successful down the years. There will be a call to expand that.

Apprenticeship in Ireland represents a statutorily based function and is defined as such. It is interpreted differently in different countries around Europe, and we know that. We have developed a range of traineeships that have the feature of on-the-job learning, supported by State off-the-job learning. There is a range of other disciplines, including secretaryships. To get the core of the point, there is an opportunity associated with, and a value attached to, increasing the range of combined dual-approach learning programmes on and off the job. We expect that the new call to action in this regard will yield benefits.