Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 30 April 2024
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills
European Year of Skills 2023: Discussion (Resumed)
Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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Perhaps I will refocus that question. The question asked whether we are researching the profile of the courses being offered in some of those leading countries and if they match what Ireland is doing. I will come back to a personal example. I am unlikely to take an apprenticeship as an electrician at this point in my life. I am entirely likely to go back and study something else. I might go back and do a German course or a French course. Are we doing any sort of analysis whereby we look at the likes of the Scandinavian model? Reference was made to trying to build up that attitude to lifelong learning within society. There is not much point offering me an apprenticeship as an electrician because that will not be for me. It will be for somebody else and for sure we should be building those skills but are we comparing what those successful economies or societies are doing versus our offering or are we just doing a compare and contrast on it?