Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Consultation is all very well but action is required. A serious number of young people are unemployed and that needs to be addressed. I quoted from the final progress report on the 2012 action plan for jobs and I am not making this up. During the past week, I visited a factory in Mullingar where 90 people are employed. The owners said they are finding it difficult to find people with the appropriate skills. They want to employ more people but they cannot find young people with the appropriate skills. The Minister needs to ensure this issue gets the priority it deserves and appropriate funding is put in place to ensure the development of the skills match required by enterprises that are seeking to create employment. Less consultation and more action in this regard is necessary.

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