‘Academia isn’t for everyone’: Leitrim councillor pushes for early trade training

With many people in trades leaving Ireland to work abroad, and more students entering university for academic studies, there are growing concerns about the future of trades in Ireland. It has been suggested that those interested in trades should be able to begin training from a young age.

This issue was raised at a meeting of Leitrim County Council by Cllr Justin Warnock, who urged the Council to write to the Minister for Education and the Minister of State for Further Education and Skills to develop an alternative pathway for students completing their Junior Certificate. He proposed that, through the ETB and Solas, students could receive skill-based career training in various trades.

These trades would include sectors such as construction, business, IT, tourism, cosmetology, and agriculture, offering students a practical route to employment rather than requiring them to complete the Leaving Certificate.

Cllr Warnock remarked that there was “a better system” 50 years ago, when students attended technical schools and left at 15 to train in trades, noting that they were “nearly trained in their profession by the time everyone else was sitting their leaving cert.”

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“Academia isn’t for everyone. Some children are gifted but not at books. We need an opportunity to train our young people,” said Cllr Warnock.

He added that there are “so many opportunities,” but that many children are pressured by parents to complete the Leaving Cert and go to university. “We haven’t got people to open garages and fix cars,” he said.

His motion was seconded by several councillors, including Cllr Maeve Reynolds, who highlighted that trade jobs are not likely to be replaced by AI and remain in high demand.

While the motion received broad support, Cllr Eddie Mitchell expressed concerns about maintaining educational standards. 

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He explained that he had trained many carpenters and believed the ideal age to begin learning was 14, but stressed that children should not miss out on academic education. 

“It’s important that these kids have access to the trades but that they don’t leave school behind. They need to get to a Leaving Cert standard as well as getting started with trades,” he added.