Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

One of the issues that we need to be conscious of is the perception of apprenticeships. They are not yet seen as an alternative to third level for people who might want to do them. Clearly, the new insurance practitioner apprenticeship is an alternative, given that it is a level 8 qualification - a degree, but one done in a different way.

I hope that the Minister of State will support a suggestion of mine. I do not see why he would not and I have referred the suggestion to the Ceann Comhairle. The House of Commons in London has a scheme under which it has developed new apprenticeship programmes, for example, in office administration or even political communications.

I have suggested in a letter to the Ceann Comhairle that the Oireachtas would look at that, and I am grateful to the Ceann Comhairle for referring it to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission. Not only would that help us here in the Oireachtas but it would also change the perception of apprenticeships as it shows it is the sort of education that we in the House would want to have available. It would also send out a wider message to employers. I hope the Minister of State will support this and add his weight to it. I believe it is a good idea. There is already a precedent for this in London and I believe it would definitely open doors for the whole programme, apart from opening doors for people into the Oireachtas.

See this speech in context