Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Deputy Calleary. One of the results that came out of the national tour we did with the Action Plan for Jobs was that there is insufficient knowledge out there.

On foot of that we have produced a simple and easy-to-use brochure which we have online. We have been promoting it through the Company Registration Office, chambers of commerce and county enterprise boards. We are promoting it everywhere we can and it includes micro-finance and loan guarantees. We will seek to take further initiatives.

As the Minister of State, Deputy Perry said, the one-stop-shop in the local enterprise office is the aim, so that there will be one place to go and access revenue, seed capital or micro-finance. One will be able to use that as a single source of information.

The Deputy is correct in that apprenticeships need to be re-examined. One of the tasks of SOLAS, which has now gone to the Department of Education and Skills, is to look at the weaknesses or strengths and changes that are needed as a result. As part of the manufacturing forum, my own Department is looking specifically at manufacturing skills and the changes required. It is clear that we do not have enough traineeships embedded within the various sectors. We need therefore to build a much closer alliance between training and industry to get an embedded training culture.

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