(Image source: strath.ac.uk)Students, particularly women, are being encouraged to consider an apprenticeship, as state exams get underway this week.
€7.5 million is being made available to support apprenticeship programmes across the country.
The investment being announced by the government today will focus on new technologies and modernising traditional craft.
But already there are calls to make schemes more attractive to women, as uptake by women stands at only 2%.
That's according to a new report by the Oireachtas committee on business and enterprise, which recommends an overhaul of legislation for apprenticeships.
The document also finds very few disabled people and Travellers are undertaking apprenticeships.
Committee chairperson, Deputy Mary Butler, says the findings on women were of most concern;
"Of the 14,953 apprentices currently in Ireland, only 2% of them are women, which equates to 332 apprenticeships, so it's a very low percentage.
That was one of the concerns we raised as a committee, the fact that we have a lot of work to do to try to encourage more females into apprenticeships...
We heard from a very interesting young lady who decided to become apprentice with the ESB four years ago, and she is now, at 23 years of age, a qualified electrician.
But I was shocked to hear that out of a class of 500, only 5 young girls put their name forward."
The Waterford Fianna Fáil TD feels the government should do more to support employers who haven't the financial means to take on apprentices;
"We would like to see the government examining avenues to reduce the financial burden on employers taking on apprentices, especially small and medium enterprises...
Sometimes, when you take on an apprentice, it can be costly and some small companies that are not able to afford that...
We're at a stage now in the country where we're approaching full employment and it's absolutely important to ensure that we have the systems in place to meet our future skills needs."
