Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

No, it is not. It is about pathways, actually. It is about recognising that different students will want to do different things. I think the Deputy and I agree that it is about broadening the conversation beyond just higher education to further education apprenticeships. It is about ending the snobby and elitist view that when someone goes to a school, the student believes that the only conversation to have is about the CAO and points. It is complete nonsense. It is a system that we have developed here without any policy debate. It is one of the reasons we have had a shortage of tradespeople in this country. It is because of that pressurised view that we have created that success is about taking one particular path. That is why, this year, the CAO website has been changed. That is why, this year, we have seen a record number of people - 8,607 - apply to be apprentices, which is more than ever before in history of our State. Most of them applied for craft apprenticeships. It is why the CAO.ie/options web page has seen 15,646 direct users – students, one would presume – go and check out apprenticeships from that link. It is absolutely about pathways. It is about recognising that different students will want to do different things.

On the pre-nursing issue, and I want to agree with Deputy on this, we need to see more places ring-fenced in higher education for pre-nursing students, and not just a general increase in the overall nursing numbers. That is something I am actively working on with the institutions.

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