SIMON HARRIS HAS denied that the Leaving Certificate exams are “cruel” but said that they are in need of reform.

Ahead of students receiving their Leaving Certificate results on Friday, the Minister for Further and Higher Education has said there has been a “national obsession” in Ireland with the “points race” and that we put “far too much pressure on young people”. 

He highlighted other routes to careers that are available to students outside of the CAO process.

The Minister was speaking to reporters at Coláiste Cois Life in Lucan this morning where he was unveiling a new mobile training unit that will travel around the country and aims to increase accessibility to construction-related and retrofitting courses.

The mobile Nearly Zero-Emission Building (NZEB) unit will be used to visit schools and construction sites.

The NZEB and Retrofit Mobile Training Unit The Journal The Journal

Harris told reporters that “we have been hiding career opportunities from young people for too long”. 

“It’s so important that we bring green skills and we bring construction skills to the gates of the school yard. So students can see them so it’s not something that’s far away or something in the distance.

“I think we have been, quite frankly hiding far too many career opportunities from young people for far too long,” Harris said.

I think the national obsession with the points race has led to that. We have to show people that there are lots of different opportunities out there,” he added.

The Minister also said that the country needs more people working in trades and in construction. 

He said getting a trade education is a good way of getting a “decent job” and helping to tackle the “biggest societal challenge we face in terms of housing and climate”.

In relation to the Leaving Certificate, he said that the conversation needs to be broadened and noted that this will be the first September where students can start degrees in further education with “no linkage whatsoever” between that application and the CAO points “race”. 

“I’m absolutely determined that that continues to be the direction of travel. The CAO will continue to do its thing and that’s fine. But in addition to the CAO, there will be alternative routes to university degrees,” he said.

He added: “You can now actually start a course of further education and be guaranteed that you can then conclude the university degree. That is a major reform we brought in.

“We expect over 500 students across Ireland to start those degree places this year outside the CAO course, and subject to it going well, it’s something I want to build on.”

Minister Harris also announced the publication of a Careers in Construction Action Plan today. 

The plan highlighted that employers in the sector are facing issues attracting and retaining staff. 

Employers said they view the key barriers to attracting new workers to be a lack of promotion in schools, disinterest, job insecurity and an “unwillingness to work hard”.