Ms Andrea Feeney:

I echo the comments made by my colleagues, in particular the reference by the NCCA to pathways and apprenticeships. In our context, the leaving certificate applied was mentioned in terms of the changes recently made to STEM subjects in it. The leaving certificate applied as a programme is dear to the hearts of the State Examinations Commission and we have said this at the committee previously. In looking at STEM and how we support it, we should not lose sight of those applied learners who are taking the leaving certificate applied programme. I note the committee has another conversation and another session with other stakeholders. Pathways to transition from second level into third level, further education and the world of work are particularly important.

I will go back slightly to some statistics on the numbers and the progression on the gender side. We can share these with the committee subsequently. We had a look at 20 years ago. The SEC is 20 years old this year. We celebrated our birthday on 6 March and we had a look at the statistics from 2023 with regard to participation. In 2003, 6% of the students taking technical drawing were female and in 2022, the figure had increased to 18%. Technical drawing was subsequently rechristened as design and communication graphics. The numbers taking DCG are at 18% of the overall cohort. Some 24% of students taking agricultural science were female in 2003 and that increased to 42% by 2022, which is quite significant. Even a more mainstream subject such as chemistry was at 54% in 2003 and that increased to 60% in 2022. That is not saying anything about the numbers taking those subjects. It is just a proportion of the overall cohort. There has been a shift. We have discussed many of the issues relating to opportunity in schools, and there are bigger contextual issues with regard to gender in schools, which feed into subject choice, selection and availability within the particular school. I thank the Deputy and the committee for their interest in this area.