Sorry Ill include the full article here
"Bob the Builder new model for a healthier, wealthier lifestyle
White-collar workers desert their desks to take up apprenticeships
BOB the Builder is proving a more popular role model for many young professionals than traditional figures in banking, teaching or the civil service.
Growing numbers of white-collar workers are leaving their desks for the healthy and less stressful life on a building site.
Building workers can earn as much as marketing managers in a medium-sized company, a conference has heard.
But if Bob's the job, the message doesn't seem to be reaching parents, career guidance counsellors and the media who are still focusing on expensive third-level education, when traditional apprenticeships would lead to well-paid employment from the very beginning of school leaving, the Irish Home Builders Association heard in Killarney.
Bank clerks were among those switching careers and opting for the less stressful job of a builder. Most were taking up the option to start an apprenticeship while working, a career path that would enable them to start their own business.
There was also a growing number of girls taking up apprenticeships in areas such as specialised painting and the construction industry needed to promote apprenticeships in girls' schools.
Parents were "pushing" their children into college and third-level education "whereas they should be looking at things in a more sensible way" when good-quality practical employment was available, said Kevin Gilna, public affairs executive with the Construction Industry Federation. "An apprentice starts earning from the beginning and the rates increase each year during the training period," he said.
Weekly rates for the final year apprentice were almost €580, and travelling allowance could bring weekly earnings to more than €600, he said. Working conditions had improved dramatically in the sector and there was now "a very strong emphasis" on health and safety.
"Career guidance counsellors at second level would be well advised to highlight the advantages of apprenticeships. And the media should moderate their fixation with points and college places and give fairer coverage to the full range of careers available to school leavers," Mr Gilna said.
An estimated 8pc of the 227,000 workers on building sites were foreign, said Hubert Fitzpatrick, director of the IHBA.
For the first four months of 2005 the final number of those employed in construction was expected to rise further, in response to stronger than expected demand. Unlike the hotel and catering industry, there was no shortage of young Irish people willing to take up employment in construction, Liam Kelleher, director general of CIF, said.
"The construction industry is continuing to hold young Irish people - the money is good," Mr Kelleher said. "
