Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Waterford has been a leading example in this. I do not want to be just talking about Waterford but it is a perfect example. In the data provided by the Higher Education Authority, HEA, it can be seen that Waterford has done far more research with the money it gets because it has engaged with industry, achieved research capacity and has evolved into a functional and efficient research base. Due to that aspiration, it has a higher percentage of lecturers with PhDs.

Some institutes do not have that capacity, however. Senator Norris is correct that they have a better place in the education structure where they should concentrate on what they are best at, whether it is bringing through apprenticeships, engineering graduates and so forth. There is a need for this right across the country. As a former apprentice myself, I know there has been too much emphasis on academia lately.