Professor Diarmuid Hegarty:

I completely agree with the points Dr. Ryan made about apprenticeships. He was far more eloquent in making the point I made earlier that there must be other pathways. We need more apprenticeships and opportunities. The Germans have really lived this way. Their whole education system is built around this and it has been very effective for them. Ireland can do the same.

If we are to embrace apprenticeships, we need to have a policy of fluidity in progression. I will ask a simple question. Why can a nurse not transition to become a doctor? If we ask this question in relation to a whole range of professions, we then start looking at obstacles to progression within apprenticeships. Apprenticeships should be accepted as a completely equal and respectable route. They should not be regarded in the way Dr. Ryan described earlier, as traditional apprenticeships. If apprenticeship is to be regarded as an equal route, there must be equal opportunities for progression. We must eliminate those obstacles that exist, which reflect the rights of the professional elite. We have to remove those obstacles and have progression for apprentices. If we do that, we will have a definite opportunity to create an alternative route that would capitalise on the abilities I spoke about in answer to an earlier question, namely, the abilities to integrate analytical reasoning, to communicate and to work in teams. These are all abilities people will develop in the workplace. The apprenticeships will develop those, capitalise on them and make leaders out of those people.