First off, I just-----

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Yes.

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Perfect. I welcome Ms Clodagh Hanna, chair of the politics society in Trinity. It is good to have someone who is beginning the journey from a schools perspective. Over the past 25 or 30 years, or indeed since I have been observing, we have been very good at sending children to university and then into the workforce. Ireland’s having a highly educated workforce has worked very well for it internationally, but that is beginning to change. We know of the impact of AI and that we need to consistently renew critical skills, not only in university, but also after university. The days of going to university and then getting a job had already changed, but we now have a situation where the skill sets required will probably change considerably. As somebody who has worked in businesses, especially where electricians and plumbers were required, I have seen where there have been deficits. As a country, we probably pushed everybody to university. That has worked for us, but we have lost the skills that would be required for the building of the likes of Intel, which I was thinking about when thinking about this topic. Intel is a huge multinational based in my constituency, and I can walk to it, but it should be remembered that the people required to build it are the electricians and plumbers. We need to ensure we have the skill sets for those apprenticeships while also having critical skills in the likes of AI, which will really change how we do things. As a country, we need to have a two-pronged approach. It is not just about going one way. Last year, the Minister said that we had €79 million secured for apprenticeships. I would like this increased significantly if it can be. We have to keep a focus on this and not have everything going one way, having regard to how the workforce is changing. Sitting behind a desk is not for everyone and, as a country, we need both skill sets. I thank the Chair for the opportunity to speak on this today.

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