Dr. Mary-Liz Trant:

We have a commitment to update apprenticeships all the time and we are currently looking at how we embed core green and sustainability skills in apprenticeships that are up and running and training key occupations such as electricians, carpenters, joiners and plumbers. We are working with Limerick Institute of Technology, which has carried out analysis in these areas, and with a number of employers who are really driving it, such as Tipperary Energy. Some employers are not as up to date but if they take on apprentices and the programme has green skills as a core part of what is required, it will help move it along.

There has been a conversation about stand-alone retrofitting apprenticeships and we are looking at short courses and traineeships in this area, as well as NZEB skills, to mainstream the programmes. The apprenticeship council is very open to looking at a dedicated apprenticeship in this whole area and any assistance or guidance would be welcome as to how we can build on the core skills in the mainstream apprenticeship programmes. Working with Ms Dooley and guidance counsellors, we have a competition at second level with a sustainability theme and 130 toolboxes are going out at the end of this week with landfill materials. Schools and teams are going to be working with Youthreach and community training centres to build a letter "A" out of landfill materials, which have been given to us by ten big construction companies. The 15 and 16 year olds have really tuned into the climate sustainability message. We see it as a great basis for getting the conversation going about sustainability and green skills in apprenticeships and further and higher education and it enables us to discuss how education and training contribute to this really important agenda.