Two-thirds disappointed after cap on PLC courses

AROUND two-thirds of people applying to study in some further education colleges have been unsuccessful because of a cap on places imposed by the Government, a union has claimed.

The Teachers Union of Ireland estimates that about 30,000 people who applied for just 31,688 places in Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses have been left disappointed. It said that applicant numbers have risen sharply this year to more than 60,000 people, most of whom have lost their jobs or have just finished school, and called for additional places to be sanctioned.

The union has collated figures from a dozen of the biggest PLC colleges, showing they had more than 35,600 applications for courses this autumn but they could only accommodate 12,118 students, leaving more than 23,000 disappointed.