Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome. I know of his passion for apprenticeships and training. It is very evident in the work he does. It is something the Government wants to ensure is working right. I have a few questions about one or two of the things the Minister of State referenced in his speech. He talked about quarterly reviews. If something is found to not be working, will he be willing to look at alternatives, suggestions or input from employers?

Senator Boyhan referred to house building and how the lack of apprenticeships and skills in that area is a problem for Rebuilding Ireland. I attended a meeting with the Minister of State and some hairdressers from Limerick and Dublin prior to Christmas. There is a shortage of people who are skilled in that area but there are also a number of issues facing the employers. We raised them with the Minister of State on the day. One such issue is that when employers take on an apprentice it is for a three-year apprenticeship. As Senator Davitt mentioned, the apprentices go to college one day a week. The employers receive no incentive in that regard. They have to cover the full cost of their employees going to college. The employers are being left with the costs of everything. While they are training the apprentices and giving them very good apprenticeships, the employers are now beginning to feel that everything is being landed on them.

A new wage agreement is coming in on 4 March. It is not very clear whether apprentices are covered by that minimum wage legislation. It was signed into law before Christmas but only brought to the attention of some employers who take on apprentices this week. It is not clear from the document whether they are now to pay the full minimum wage or whether there is still an apprenticeship wage. That is another question I have for the Minister of State. These are things that affect the employers who give the apprentices these very necessary skills.

I am a big fan of apprenticeships because I do not believe that third level college is for everybody. If people are good with their hands, there are skills out there for them to learn. Apprenticeships have helped in taking many people out of unemployment. Lifelong learning is something about which we have always heard. We learn as we go along. No matter what age one is, whether young of not so long, it is never too late to learn. Academia may not be for some people and apprenticeships deserve full support. As Senator Davitt said, we cannot allow employers to be responsible for everything. It is an area which I would like to see the Minister of State looking at.

A number of people are being trained. Some people are operating out of mobile units or out of their own front rooms. That leads to the black market, which is in competition with people who pay their rates and who are on the high street. These people are taking in apprentices while the people on the other side are not being regulated. There are a number of issues. Those issues affect all skill sets. It is an area at which the Minister of State might be able to take a look. I welcome the increased funding and the emphasis on this area.

The education and training boards, ETBs, are definitely the way to go. The fact that the ETBs are responsible for different areas of apprenticeships is very important. Instead of all ETBs trying to be very good at teaching everything, it would be good if there was one leader in each area. The same rules should apply across all ETBs and the same guidelines should be set down in respect of all the different skill sets. That is very important to prevent people trying to put their own interpretations on things. Overall, it is very positive but there are a few issues which need to be looked at. I look forward to hearing from the Minister of State.