A call for greater attention to be paid to the value of apprenticeships for young people has been made by the Construction Industry Federation.
It called on the media to moderate their "fixation" with points and college places and to give "fairer coverage" to the full range of careers available to school-leavers.
The federation claimed there was a bias in favour of third-level education in discussions about opportunities for post-Leaving Cert students.
"This bias must be addressed by giving greater coverage to other equally valuable career options, such as traditional apprenticeships, particularly in construction," it said in a statement. The apprenticeship route provided real opportunities for young men and women, it added.
Construction employment levels had never been higher, having increased year-on-year over the past decade to the current record level of more than 220,000 employees.
The federation said apprentices began earning from the beginning, and rates increased with each year of training.