Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I know the ETB in Cork does great work but there are serious constraints with the MTU campus, which is a great campus. Deputy Ó Laoghaire and I met the university's representatives last year. Capacity is an issue. We need additional capacity in order that we can deliver the apprenticeships that are needed. There is an opportunity.

We have derelict and vacant buildings around Cork city, particularly on the north side. I have advocated for an apprentice hub or campus from MTU to be located on the north side to specifically concentrate on apprenticeships. I also want to mention that there is a great opportunity for young people now to progress in education who might not want to go to third level. I recently spoke to a student from Switzerland who was in Ireland for the year and was going back home. They have a completely different structure to their education when it comes to apprenticeships. We also see that in Germany where apprenticeships are virtually on a level playing field with different types of third level education. That is a model I would like to see. I would like to see more opportunity.

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