When we speak about ensuring our skills, training and innovation systems keep pace with the changing world, we often focus on technology, artificial intelligence - which will be revolutionary - automation and digital transformation, but for constituencies like Roscommon-Galway, the real question is much simpler: will people have the opportunity to build a future where they are from? Change is already happening. Employers are struggling to recruit. Our health services need skilled professionals. Construction needs apprenticeships and tradespeople. Agriculture is becoming more technologically advanced and more specialised. Small businesses are expected to digitise and compete globally. The risk is not simply falling behind technologically; the risk is that rural communities fall behind economically. We need a skills system that recognises learning does not end at 21 years of age. People should be able to engage in lifelong learning when they are returning to work or changing careers. Many people will be changing careers with the advent of artificial intelligence - farming, running a business or adapting to new industries. We also need to elevate apprenticeships, practical training and further education to the same status as traditional academic routes. Success should not depend on leaving your county. Innovation must not stop at the gates of our cities. If Government is serious about balanced regional development, investment in skills, enterprise supports and training opportunities, it must reach towns across Roscommon-Galway and the wider west. I welcome the commitment to the veterinary college in Mountbellew, east Galway, as a demonstration of the Government's commitment to decentralise higher education. Talent, ambition and potential are not scarce in rural Ireland; what is scarce, too often, is access. Our responsibility is to ensure that, in a rapidly changing world, a person's place of birth never determines whether they can adapt, succeed or contribute. The pace of change is not slowing down and rural Ireland cannot be expected to simply catch up afterwards. We need to anticipate where jobs are going, where shortages are emerging and where opportunities will come from, and we need to prepare people before those gaps appear. If training and innovation systems move too slowly, communities like ours risk losing people, investment and opportunity. Getting this right is not only about economic growth; it is about keeping towns viable and services functioning, and giving people a genuine reason to build their futures at home.

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