Thousands of Irish studying in Britain

MORE than 2,500 Irish students are beginning courses at colleges in Britain and the North each year, official figures have revealed.

The numbers include hundreds of students from Border counties who take up courses in Northern Ireland colleges each year. But around two-thirds are students who have qualified after completing courses in Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) colleges or non-degree courses in the institutes of technology.

While there are opportunities to progress to hundreds of third-level courses with PLC qualifications and other further education awards through the Higher Education Links Scheme, some experts believe the number of such places should be significantly expanded.