Mr. Jamie Bermingham:

The big issue is being away from home. That is a big challenge. When many people think of an apprenticeship, they know they will be going away and that is a big factor that comes into their heads. I loved it. I enjoy travelling, going to new places and meeting new and different people, so I got on very well with it.

Another big issue is that when you come out of school, you are going straight into college or you are getting job. From experience and from listening to other people, what throws people off apprenticeships is the starting wage, because it is so below the minimum wage. That is a big factor. I have friends who have only recently gone into apprenticeships. They are a little bit older and they struggle because they might have house, a family and stuff like that. They are really struggling. It is not as though it is a couple of cent under the minimum wage. Some of them are a good couple of euro under. That is a big factor that deters people from choosing apprenticeships, in my opinion.