'Shocking' imbalance as just 4% of apprentices are female

Due to the Covid-19 crisis, there has been a 60% fall in the number of apprenticeships offered this year compared to 2019. Picture: Pexels

Just 4% of apprentices are female, a statistic branded as a disgraceful indictment of the career guidance system by the junior minister responsible for the area.

Niall Collins, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education has said his priority is to work on this 'shocking' imbalance and to blow away a lot of old myths that cling to apprenticeships.