Student Experiences of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme

LABOUR MARKET OUTCOMES 121Figure 7.12: Percentage of Males Employed Within the Construction Industry(2001-2005 Leavers 1-2 Years After Leaving School)302520%151050Low Medium-Low Medium-High HighNo Quals Junior Cert LCA LCE/LCVP LCE/LCVP LCE/LCVP LCE/LCVPSource: School Leavers' Surveys 2002-2007.However, Gary works for a large construction company as a fitter anddespite changes in the economic climate, he feels secure in his position:The fella I’m working for, I kind of like, I get on very well with him and he’s alot of contacts so I don’t think he’d ever be out of work like.Right, okay, yeah.You know, he gets all the Tesco stores and there’s about twelve more of them to dolike.So it’s like big jobs really?Big jobs, about two years work like. (Garry, 22, dropped out of LCA,employed)When asked about the future, some males working in construction feltthat they would go travelling and find work abroad:Where do you see, kind of, going, what would you envision infive years time?I’ll go, if this country quietens down I’ll go to America or something to work.Do you think so?Yeah, Australia or something, if I had to.Why, would you notice the difference even now over the pastfew months in what you do?Yeah, there’s no big work going on now at all. It’s all like private work. It’s likeone-off houses now. No work in towns now and that won’t last forever. (Justin,22, completed LCA, employed)