Mr. Dominic Doheny:

I was asked three questions by Senators Buttimer and Freeman which were related to education, what we could do to attract more people into our industry and what could be done about the issue of mental health in the context of boom and bust cycles.

On education, Mr. Walsh alluded to it and I fully agree with him. We have had a substantial discussion in the construction industry on the stage at which we should try to attract people into the industry. I will speak specifically about construction, but the Senator is correct that leaving it until secondary school is too late. It needs to happen at primary school. There is a significant ongoing debate about apprentices and how we can attract people into apprenticeship schemes and so on. The stereotype career paths are promoted all the time in secondary school. I have three daughters and, when we did the milk run to secondary schools in Tipperary, an apprenticeship career path was never discussed. It was all about third level attainment and which school had the largest proportion going on to third level. Some of the best engineers I have come across such as electrical and mechanical engineers took the apprenticeship route first. We need to get into primary schools and it could be done in a fun way. The Minister of State is right that it starts around the table, but for that to happen the parents must be brought on side. For us in the construction industry, owing to the recession and the number of people who left the country to seek employment abroad, parents need to be brought back on side. As I said in my presentation, we will embark on a serious promotional campaign for the construction industry early next year, in which one can have a worthwhile career.

We were asked what we could do to attract more people to our industry, through innovation and so on. We have discussed the matter. Our SME colleagues have also discussed it in the context of research and design and so forth. Teagasc which I mentioned is one of the best innovators in the agriculture industry. That industry, much like the construction industry, is primarily made up of SMEs, but most of the innovation happens within Teagasc. It develops it to a commercial level and then sells it to the industry through SME farmers and so on. We need a similar approach in the construction industry. Project Ireland 2040 outlined a construction centre of excellence, which we are trying to promote to be akin to what the agriculture industry has in the form of Teagasc.

On mental health, an issue raised by Senator Freeman, there were major issues during the downturn. Ours was probably the most seriously hit industry in that regard. It has partnered with Pieta House to seek professional help and assistance for its members. We also strongly promote health and safety. A few weeks ago we had a health and safety week. There is, however, a legacy and, unfortunately, we must deal with it. It is a difficult issue and, regrettably, many of our members are no longer around because of it. How do we resolve it for the new people and companies, many of which survived the downturn? The Senator asked about future-proofing the industry to take us out of the boom and bust cycle. As I said, one of the best opportunities is offered by education, not least apprenticeships. Once someone has an apprenticeship card, it is tradeable anywhere in the world. We are not promoting the export of our people, but at least they have something on which to rely if they move abroad. It is then up to us to try to attract them back when some sustainability returns.

Under the national development plan, the announcement of €116 billion in capital investment over ten years represents significant expenditure which will reach every corner of the country. All of our SMEs will be able to take advantage of it, but we cannot afford for it to be back-ended. It must be spread evenly over the ten year period in order that our SMEs will have the opportunity to tender for the work. There is a practice in our industry called "bundling of contracts", which means that if there is a bundle of schools or courthouses, for example, it is taken out of the scope of our SMEs. That must change. Procurement which my colleagues and I mentioned needs to be seriously looked at.