Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We had a very interesting session with the Minister for Social Protection yesterday. She put her heart and soul into the afternoon. I drew attention to the issue of apprenticeships in Ireland during that debate. Angela Merkel and David Cameron are working together to help Britain to emulate the outstanding apprenticeship system in Germany. Most parents in Ireland traditionally want their children to be doctors, lawyers or barristers. Trade and commerce are not looked down at in Germany, whereas the conventional wisdom here is that the professions are the way to go. Germany has a very successful economy with very little unemployment and very little youth unemployment