Me too.

Sentiment score: 0.00

I move amendment No. 2: In page 3, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following: “(2C) A payment for a purpose specified in subsection (1) in respect of works referred to in subsection (2B)(b) shall, where practicable, be made subject to the condition that tenders for the procurement of those works shall include as a condition that apprenticeships or training opportunities, of such nature and number as are specified by An tSeirbhís, are provided by the contractor during the period of execution of those works.”.”. The Minister will be well aware of why I am placing this amendment before the Dáil. It is essential that priority is given to young people across this country who wish to seek an apprenticeship. I think of the many young people I taught and the number of them who wished to seek a career as an apprentice. It is fantastic to see. However, they face constant barriers when it comes to apprenticeships. One of those main barriers, of course, is the financial aspect to being an apprentice and the significant issue apprentices face in terms of their income. The point of the amendment in its entirety is that if companies across this country wish to build public buildings, a part and a condition of that would be that they have to give young people the opportunity for an apprenticeship or training courses. From an outsider's perspective, what it would look like is quite simple and straightforward. I appreciate the conversations we have had on this and I understand legislation from Europe is involved in how we would implement such an amendment, but it is important the Department of further and higher education realise that amendments like this being tabled show it is clearly and utterly necessary to recognise the role of apprenticeships in every facet of building that goes on in this country. It is not just building; a significant amount of people want to do mechanics or hairdressing. There are loads of apprenticeship courses that can be offered now but it is about promoting them. It is not so long since I was in school and I always felt there was a slight stigma about the role of apprenticeships. I do not know where that comes from. I spent a lot of time as a teacher encouraging students to do an apprenticeship because third level education and college life are not for everybody. People across the country appreciate that, as do most people in this Chamber. The point we try to get across is that when we try to encourage apprenticeships, we must also encourage employers to take on new apprentices. That is what this amendment speaks to. From the conversations the Minister and I have had, I understand EU legislation has to be looked at in relation to how we would implement this amendment. I would appreciate if the Minister's Department would work with me on this. It is essential and it speaks to the core values of the young people we represent, or say we represent, across the country.

Sentiment score: 0.31

I thank the Minister for his engagement on this. Going slightly off the amendment for a moment, he touched on an important aspect of apprenticeships more broadly. As I said and he referenced, there is still a slight mantra in Ireland that an apprentice is second best to a child or young person who goes on to UCC, UCD, Trinity or somewhere like that. There is still that perception out there. As a former teacher, I find that difficult to accept. I call on every teacher across the country to take on my fundamental belief that encouragement must be given to students to go into apprenticeships. We will always need plumbers, carpenters and hairdressers. The essential thing is that we prioritise those. It is often the case that those who seek an apprenticeship are from a socioeconomically disadvantaged area. That was always the norm in this country but now we are seeing a different spectrum where people from all areas are going into an apprenticeship because they are figuring out the role they want to do. There has to be a significant culture change and, slowly but surely, we are moving towards it. That change has to involve accepting that apprenticeships are on the same level as third level degrees. I know the Minister will say it is but I must say again it has to be a priority for the Government. There are so many young people out there. As the Minister said, there are 78 apprenticeship courses. It has to be an absolute essential for this Government.

Sentiment score: 0.18

I thank colleagues for their contributions on the amendment. As the Minister stated, everyone is in agreement. We need apprentices. My constituency colleague Deputy Gould is right, however, in that we actually cannot get apprentices. There are people who have contacted my office and said that something broke at home, that it has been two weeks and that they cannot get somebody out to fix it. They need a joiner, for example, but they cannot seem to get one. The evidence is there that there have been systemic issues either in the Department or in government for many years whereby people did not appreciate the role of apprenticeships. I hope a change is happening in that regard. I welcome the fact that there has been a historic allocation for apprenticeships in budget 2026, but we need to continue to progress that. We cannot allow it just to be an historic amount of money that is being given. In the context of each budget, every year the Department must look at how apprenticeships can be promoted even more. Third level education and apprenticeships must be on the same level. That is a fact. We must not stigmatise apprenticeship. We must make that very clear to people. The way we will have to do this is make it clear to people who want to pursue apprenticeships that they will be paid well. That is the bottom line. What we do not want is big employers and companies that are making billions in profits taking on apprentices and paying them a pittance. What we want to see is a good day's pay for a good day's work. Anyone taking up any of the 78 apprenticeships currently in place wants that also. We need a clear focus on apprenticeships. I understand the reasoning behind the amendment and how the Minister cannot support it, but we need a clear understanding that this Parliament must support all young people who wish to seek a future by means of pursing apprenticeships.

Sentiment score: 0.21