Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)

I will start by wishing the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, and the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, the best of luck for the years ahead.

I am of the view that apprentices have been treated like second-class citizens in comparison with their counterparts in the university system. I spoke to a builder the other day who told me he could hire 20 lads tomorrow morning if he could find them. That is a major issue. We will never build enough houses or infrastructure unless we can address the manpower issue in the country.

There is no doubt that there has been an attitude of snobbery towards the trades, particularly the wet trades, in recent years. That has come from the Government as well. I know young people who have gone on their apprenticeship journey, and the delays in the system have resulted in it taking them years to get their qualifications. We would not treat those studying to be teachers, doctors or members of the legal profession with such little regard. I plead with the Minister to address the issues relating to the apprenticeship system. It is only right and proper that people who go into trades know that if they satisfy the criteria relating to work experience and examinations, they should qualify within a timeframe of four years or whatever. Currently, that is not happening. It is no wonder that people are not going into the trades that we so desperately need in the country.

There is a major issue with the dropout rate relating to third level. We need to nurture students, not only those in the university system but also those at second level. The Minister for Education is not listening to teachers. Members of the ASTI and the TUI are set to ballot. The reason for this is because the lessons and the mistakes that were made in the context of junior cycle reform are set to be repeated in the reform of the leaving certificate. There are major concerns in the teaching sector. On the idea that we dumbed down junior cycle, it must be stated that we failed to listen to teachers when it came to reforming that cycle.

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