Mr. Brian Nolan:

There has always been a process of monitoring the apprenticeship based on the needs of industry and it has evolved over time. There have always been mechanisms in place and there is no doubt that they will need to continue. If we get stale, we will be left behind the curve in the standard and delivery, craft by craft or profession by profession, depending on what it might be. There has always been good infrastructure around that and that needs to be retained. I am not as confident in the consortium-led stuff because it is really in its first version. It is quite new in its establishment. It is unclear what it intends or how it intends to manage quality assurance going forward. That is not to say it would not have a plan to do it, but we have an established process for quality assurance. It can always be modernised and updated. We are entirely behind that change. Sometimes we have an argument about something from a union perspective that can be seen as negative but we are not. We are absolutely supportive of what the State and stakeholders have done for apprenticeships and want to see that grow even further. We are trying to herald the good work that has been done to see it continue rather than diminished for some cheaper alternative.