Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

As I said in response to an earlier question, not only were the phones ringing off the hook from the customer side but I have been informed by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science that the new centres of excellence have had a similar experience. One of the attractive aspects of this, as the Deputy pointed out, is that it does not necessarily require a protracted training scheme. Many people might be able to come into the industry for a relatively short number of weeks, go into the likes of the work I mentioned earlier, such as attic and cavity wall installation, start there and learn by doing. Those companies will be busy on other projects, so having mastered that, people can then extend their capabilities. This will be a lifelong process of learning and skills development. It will take us 30 years. This is a three-decade project, with 1.5 million homes having to be retrofitted. It makes sense for many people, who could get a well-paid, secure job and will be able to go to different places and apply the same skills. The Deputy is correct. This is a matter of lifelong learning, and small steps will bring many people into the industry.

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