Mayo secondary schools should be encouraging students to enter apprenticeships - councillor

Mayo secondary schools which celebrate the high level progression of students to third level education should be called out instead of praised according to a local councillor.

A number of secondary schools in Mayo have traditionally performed well in the feeder school tables which are published annually but a Castlebar councillor says it's time to stop celebrating schools with high levels of progression to secondary school.

Speaking at the monthly meeting of Castlebar Municipal District, Fine Gael councillor Donna Sheridan said that it is time that schools started to encourage students to take up an apprenticeship instead of going to university.

“What drives me crazy is we have the league tables coming out which show the schools which send 100 percent of their students to university. We need to have young people considering apprenticeships,” she told the meeting.

Cllr Donna Sheridan

Cllr Sheridan who is a school teacher and board member of the Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board said that students don't need to go to third level education to get local well-paid jobs.

“It is so hard to get a plumber or electrician or tradesperson. The opportunities they get for work when they get training in the local community and in well paid jobs...we need to encourage this. We need more people considering this as a good viable employment opportunity and stop celebrating schools and actually start calling schools out who have a 100 percent going to university.

“As a teacher I know when you have 100 people in a class they have all different skills and qualities and if 100 percent go to university where are the hairdressers, electricians and plumbers ... that should be the question.”

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She was supported in her comments by Fianna Fáil councillor Blackie Gavin who called for senior officials in the ETB to address the council and outline what programmes they have available for young people in the county.

Cllr Sheridan said that Michael Murphy, Principal of Mayo College of Further Education and Training does go around to schools showing what they have on offer but felt some schools concentrate on third level progression as it is celebrated in the national media.

She added that there are a number of opportunities for young people to train in Mayo and felt there would be more when the Mayo College of Further Education and Training moves to the old military barracks in Castlebar.