Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I thank all the witnesses for their statements. They will have an opportunity to respond to questions in a moment. I will not delay proceedings much further. However, having heard the figures on what is needed in hospitality and tourism and construction, it appears we are facing a bottleneck in terms of having adequately trained and prepared staff to service these industries. A major problem lies ahead, one which should have been dealt with yesterday, as it were. It is time to address it. The witnesses have given us much food for thought.

Parity of esteem is needed for apprenticeships in second level education and among parents. There is a major issue with career guidance. It seems information on career paths that are readily available through apprenticeships is not being provided for young persons.

I compliment Education and Training Boards Ireland. A great deal of work is being done on training and apprenticeships in Kildare and west County Wicklow, particularly in Athy and Crookstown. I am seeking to have schemes provided in north west County Kildare. I am concerned by the comment about raising minimum entry standards for apprenticeships. If entry standards are to be raised, will it give rise to the introduction of another Central Applications Office, CAO, process? Cork Institute of Technology also suggested controlling numbers and keeping them on an even base, rather than increasing or decreasing them. The evidence suggests many more apprentices are needed.

Deputy Catherine Martin referred to collaboration between businesses and employers and those providing the trades, whether through the education and training boards, SOLAS or another body. This is very important. Will the witnesses outline how we can attract greater numbers to the apprenticeship scheme? A fair point was made on fears among smaller industries about taking on new apprentices. More supports are clearly required in this area.

It is great that the Construction Industry Federation has commissioned research. The committee will be interested in receiving the results, which will be directed towards SOLAS. I commend SOLAS on the work it is doing. I met some of those involved in the sector and I am very impressed with their work.

Witnesses will have an opportunity to send written responses to some of the questions members raise. The WorldSkills competition is held every year and it is great to see our apprenticeships do very well in it.

On innovation and trying to find new areas, I visited Espoo in Finland many years ago. The city has an innovation centre and the Finnish department of education supports think tanks to develop apprenticeships in new and innovative areas. Perhaps we are not doing enough of this type of work in this country.