Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

All of those measures are extremely welcome. We should do anything we can to bring people's attention to the central nature of skills in the development we need in our economy. It was said at the education committee that there is a cultural handbrake at play here that means parents are less likely to support their children going towards a life of apprenticeships, for example. We need to address that. The more we talk about skills and the more we raise the profile of things like apprenticeships within this Dáil the better because this is an issue all across our economy. The solution to the housing crisis, for example, is to build more housing. To do that, we need more people with the correct skills. Similarly, to fulfil the retrofitting agenda, we need people to retrain in that area. On changing land uses, there will be massive opportunities for people around forestry and nature restoration. The Minister mentioned early years education. That is critical, particularly for allowing women to participate within the economy. The renewable sector is going to be a huge employment area. All of these require people with apprenticeships and skills. There are great jobs to be had, not just this year or next year but over the coming decades.

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