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

That is nonsense. We are planning to increase apprenticeships by approximately 5,000 and the first one we have put in place has seen an increase in participation by women of 40%. We will make sure that women will get a fair crack of the whip and we will promote it. We will grant aid women in traditional apprenticeships and we will deliver improvement. The Deputy suggests that there will be no progress but we have committed to 40 new apprenticeships and 13 new traineeships by 2021, in new areas where women can participate outside the higher education institutions. It will be an alternative to those young people who drop out and are not suited to higher education in the first place. The apprenticeships will be across a range of qualifications and some will be as high as level 8. We are trying to make apprenticeship a much more broad-based offering. It is simply wrong to suggest the Government is ignoring this opportunity.

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