Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I do not think I have had the opportunity to welcome the Minister for Further Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Simon Harris, since he was given the additional responsibility of being Minister for Justice. The Minister is welcome and I congratulate him on his additional appointment.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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I am delighted my Commencement matter is being taken. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. It is nice to have the Minister here. I compliment him on the work he is doing in this area, as well as in the Department of Justice.

Construction is in a little bit of a crisis because very few entrants to third level are going into construction machinery careers. Potential new entrants have nowhere to go if they want training. The Minister knows that if people want to be blocklayers, electricians, carpenters or plumbers there are apprenticeships. That is very good, and I know the Minister is interested in apprenticeships and has done a lot of work on the area. However, it appears that when it comes to construction machinery we have a void.I know SOLAS will launch a new scheme, although I do not know what will be in it. Perhaps the Minister has more information in that regard. People are moving to Australia because, according to them, it is very difficult to get trained in this type of work in Ireland. The Quality and Qualifications Ireland, QQI, construction programme must be run nationwide through education and training boards and local training centres. The course is provided in one location, Mount Lucas. I am sure it is great and I compliment the staff there. However, we need to bring this programme nationwide and adjust to keep up with demand. How will local training companies that have the ability to upskill workers fall into this category?

The SOLAS construction skills certification scheme, CSCS, and quarries skills certification scheme, QSCS, are nearly out of date at this stage. When will they change to the licensing model as submitted to the Seanad by SOLAS? How will that work and when will it come into effect? Will SOLAS add new construction courses to this licensing model to keep up to date with legislative and industry best practice? Currently, this is not the case as the CSCS and QSCS seem to be somewhat out of date. SOLAS needs to tie in with the industry stakeholders to find out what new courses need to be developed in line with their requirements. It needs to train new instructors in line with course requirements. There is a huge shortage of instructors, with massive entry barriers for existing instructors.

The Minister knows, as does the Acting Chair, that we face a massive challenge in the building industry and we need to get this right. I do not expect him to have all the answers today but I ask him to revert to me on some of them. I am concerned about this matter, as are people in the industry. Perhaps the Minister will have some good news today. I know a Bill pertaining to this issue is due before the Seanad. We will see what it brings. We need to up our game and make progress in this area as quickly as possible.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased to have the opportunity to attend Seanad Éireann at the request of my colleague, Senator Murphy, to address the important issue he has brought to our attention.

Under Housing for All, there are many initiatives under way to promote and encourage people to take up careers in construction and retrofitting. The Senator is correct that we need an awful lot more people working in this area. I have a report that suggests we need about 50,000 more people working in construction and green skills by 2030 to ensure we reach our climate targets as well as our housing targets under Housing for All. There are several initiative under way to help with that. These include changes to the CAO website to highlight and promote apprenticeships and traineeships so that students do not see university as the only path after school and see instead that there are other pathways. Retrofit training centres are being opened across the country. There is a major focus on apprenticeships, including providing a financial incentive to any employer who takes on an apprentice to make it easier for businesses, particularly small and medium businesses, to get involved.

The Senator made the point that there is a gap and, more important, that he has heard from the industry and people on the ground that there is a gap. It is important, therefore, that the education and training sector responds proactively. The Senator highlighted the issue of construction machinery as a particular area. I could not agree more that the tie-in with industry is very important. As a result of this debate, I will be happy to facilitate a meeting between any stakeholders the Senator has come across in his work and SOLAS to tease out these issues and see what can be rolled out.

By way of some detail, the establishment of courses designed to recruit and activate those out of work is hugely important in achieving our overall housing and climate targets. The QQI level 3 construction skills programme referred to by the Senator is currently running in St. Andrew's Resource Centre in Dublin Port in partnership with SOLAS and the National Construction Training Campus in Mount Lucas, which operates under Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board. I recently visited the centre. The course is three weeks long and covers a comprehensive range of skills for those taking part. It is free to all participants and requires no entry qualifications at all. Specifically, the course is a local outreach project aimed at those who may be unemployed and vulnerable persons. The programme includes practical skills in a range of areas - these are the core skills sought by employers - and acts as the first step on a pathway to a successful career in construction and retrofitting for participants. There are, on average, ten participants per course. The first two intakes were in November last year and a further 30 intakes are planned for this year.

Once participants complete the course, the centre links in with employers and engages approximately 60 to 65% of the participants with employers who have suitable jobs. As of December last year, the completion rate for the course was 90% and around 60% of participants have gained employment in the construction sector. Clearly, we know these programmes work. The Senator is asking if they can be spread out around the country in order that local industry and local people can access them and work better.I am very sympathetic to that argument.

I should tell the Senator because I think it is important that, following the success of the programme, all education and training boards, ETBs, in all parts of Ireland are currently validated to deliver the programme. That is good news and the programme is currently scheduled for delivery in some further ETBs at the end of this quarter and in the quarter between now and the summer. The programme is fully funded by SOLAS as a specific skills training programme. Perhaps the best thing we can do as a result of this discussion is arrange for individuals from the Senator's locality to meet SOLAS and the ETB. I am happy for my office to facilitate such a meeting to tease through how his community and region can benefit from this. I could not agree more that tying in with local industry is key, as is making sure that courses are available for local people in their communities so that they do not have to travel or trek around the place to access them. I thank the Senator for raising this matter.

Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
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I am encouraged by the Minister's reply in relation to ETBs throughout the country rolling this programme out. I also acknowledge that he is prepared to meet representatives from the Irish Plant Contractors Association in his office. I am lucky to have someone in the business, unrelated to me, who was able to educate me on all of this. I am told we need to start opening courses for new machines in the industry that are not covered in construction regulations. These include 360 slew telehandlers, mini spider cranes, mobile elevated work platforms, MEWPs, and quad bikes. On the topic of quad bikes, the HSA has made it compulsory, from November onwards, for farmers to be trained to operate quad bikes. There have been too many sad accidents with quad bikes and that training will be very welcome. With all the modernisation of equipment, we need to bring all of those types of machines within the scope of training. That is what the industry is calling for. This is not Government coming down on the industry; it is industry saying it wants and needs this training. It is asking to meet people and saying it will be very willing to do these courses and put them in place.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Murphy again for highlighting this issue. I could not agree more that this partnership approach is very important, both in terms of meeting the skills and societal challenges we face in the country. It is good to have industry, education and government working together to see how we can all play our part in making sure there are enough people with the appropriate qualifications and skills to meet the requirements of our country. I will be happy to take up the Senator's invitation to meet the Irish Plant Contractors Association with him and also to facilitate a meeting between it, SOLAS and the relevant ETBs.

As the Senator also correctly stated, legislation due before this House, the construction safety licensing Bill, may provide an opportunity to tease out some more issues about safety in the workplace.