Mr. Jamie Bermingham:

I had a meeting with SOLAS recently to review the curriculum for my trade, plumbing, and there was also a group of others in attendance. They discussed the modules. There are phased modules in college, and we discussed what they were teaching and whether it is and will be relevant in the future. Some are and others are not. Phase 2 is the step in.

My major focus is renewable energy, and I feel there should be more focus on renewable energy in phase 2. People study certain subjects in phases 4 and 6 and cannot go forward unless they do a separate course with a different body afterwards. Mixing and matching and adding in the extra stuff that will be relevant for the future, in particular renewable energy which is very important, should be introduced, especially at the early stage of apprenticeships.