Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is a problem for fishermen in particular in availing of work in this industry. Many fishermen from Donegal work in Germany and Britain on offshore wind energy developments. They are highly experienced and are used to dealing with inclement weather conditions and manoeuvring smaller boats in those conditions. They are highly regarded, and many of them are doing such work. However, their qualifications in Ireland are not transferable abroad. The Marine Survey Office of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport could develop a course to provide that equivalency as an add-on rather than a standalone course. It would also allow Irish workers to avail of work in the proposed large offshore wind energy developments in the Irish Sea, which will have significant requirements for staff in construction and maintenance in the future. We need to ensure that Irish people are in a position to avail of those.

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