Third Level Education
Dail Éireann — 2025-12-11
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James Lawless (FF), Kildare North

As I have said previously, the Deputy and I share those aspirations in every sense. The Deputy mentioned the mechanics of how we develop the working patterns between Dundalk IT and Queen's University, and referred more broadly to apprenticeships on the island.
On apprenticeships more broadly, I launched the first-ever all-island apprenticeship, namely, the accounting technician programme, along with the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin. We recently worked with the Minister for the Economy, Caoimhe Archibald MLA, in the Northern Ireland Executive, and I was very pleased to be able to do so. We have had a number of very positive engagements at the North-South Ministerial Council. Not so long ago, I also attended the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly in Surrey, which I think the Deputy attended as well. We have had some really constructive conversations with stakeholders in the North and the UK on things like UCAS and the CAO, in respect of which there is some alignment, and in terms of A levels versus the leaving certificate and so on. There are a number of differences but I think differences can be overcome, and these are details that we can work through. I would not want that to stop and I know the Deputy is of the same mind. It is very important that we just work out how to make it work, and that we go on to make it work. That will be a good day's work when that happens.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-12-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-11