Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the motion. Apprenticeships offer great opportunities for young people to develop a long-term career and to earn at a young age.

We have great examples from other countries that encourage vocational training and apprenticeships for young people but the sector has been neglected here. We have been limiting young people's opportunities as a result. Apprenticeships should not be seen as a second option to college. They should be seen as a legitimate and proper long-term career option for school-leavers. Let us consider the position in Germany. Vocational training and apprenticeships there offer an alternative to higher education. The sector caters for almost 60% of the country's young people. In Germany there are 348 apprenticeships, while there are only 41 on offer in Ireland, covering 2% of school leavers. The number is low. This area needs to be developed. Apprenticeships offer an alternative to college for young people who may not be academically inclined and may prefer to work and thrive in a more vocational setting. For families who cannot afford third level education apprenticeships give an opportunity for employment for young people. Currently a young person does not have these options. With an apprenticeship such a young person could go straight into a job but at the moment he or she might go into a dead-end job with little opportunity for progression.

The unemployment rate in Germany in 2016 for 15 to 24 year olds was a little over 6.7% compared to 17.3% across the European Union. Currently in this State 12% of people in that category are unemployed.

Apprenticeships give young people an opportunity to begin work, contribute as well as earn and learn at the same time. I know the Minister and the two Ministers of State have an interest in this. They are from coastal counties but I wish to speak about the midlands. The midlands is in danger of becoming a rust belt because of what is happening with Bord na Móna. Significant job losses have been announced in Bord na Móna. In the past Bord na Móna – I am a former employee of the company – and ESB were the great providers of employment. They were also great providers of apprenticeships for many different trades, including electricians, welders, fitters and so on.

The transition from fossil fuels to clean and green energy from indigenous renewable sources gives us opportunities. There is an opportunity now for Bord na Móna, ESB and Coillte to play a new role in developing those industries and creating long-term sustainable jobs. There is an opportunity for apprenticeships.

We are looking for part of the climate action fund to replace declining industries. I am saying this in a constructive way. I appeal to the Minister and the Ministers of State. This is an opportunity to flag the matter with them at an early stage.

I know people who have gone through apprenticeships. I was an apprentice at one time. I know other people who went through the process. I did not finish mine because I went off in a completely different direction. People who come through apprenticeships turn out to be good workers. They are skilful and turn out to be good businesspeople and good members of society because they are learning, earning and developing at an early age.

We have to develop the biogas and biomass industries as well as horticulture, manufacturing and waste recycling. Bord na Móna is moving into all of these areas. Apprenticeships will be needed in these areas. Laois and Offaly could and should be hubs for future employment and apprenticeship opportunities. I am pushing this idea hard. I want the Government and Bord na Móna to take this up. My colleagues beside me brought forward the document I have before me earlier this year. It contains Sinn Féin's realistic proposals to expand the apprenticeships population to 60,000 by 2023. I commend Deputy Quinlivan and Deputy Funchion on bringing that forward. The plan is realistic.

We want to stop limiting young people's options and give them long-term opportunities in long-term careers. We want the Government to expand the range of opportunities. We need to look to what is happening in more successful societies. They have developed more successful economies.

The building trade has been mentioned. The Minister probably knows this from Donegal and the Ministers of State probably know it from Waterford and south Dublin. Building sites throughout the country have terrible examples of scandalous workmanship because the people who built them were not tradesmen. We are going to wind up with the same thing again. I realise we are in a catch-up phase, but we urgently need to train up people as bricklayers, plasterers, carpenters, electricians and plumbers. Otherwise we will wind up with disastrous housing estates in ten years' time.

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