Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the witnesses for joining us. Mr. Scattergood hit the nail on the head when speaking about the routes through education and to a career. We do not live in a society – if we are honest with ourselves, we have not done so for quite some time – where someone’s route through school and college looks like a motorway. In the majority of cases, it looks like a country bóithrín. It takes twists and turns before people eventually find themselves at a place in their lives where they have fulfilling careers. This relates to what Mr. Scattergood said about options at secondary level in terms of subject availability or the leaving certificate applied versus the traditional leaving certificate.

Mr. Scattergood said he came from an academic school. Mr. Bermingham did not mention what his school was like. What was the reaction from their peers, families and teachers when they said they wanted to pursue a trade? Within these four walls, we speak a great deal about third level, but we need to know from people in the trades what they believe would happen if people were encouraged to opt to pursue trades as opposed to going to third level. Clearly, both witnesses are successful in the careers they have chosen for themselves. Looking back on the academic and on-site elements of their apprenticeships, what needs to change? If there were people who dropped out of apprenticeships along the way, what engagement did the witnesses have with them and what reasons did they have for leaving?