Males linked to growing dropout rate at third level

Young men who avoid apprenticeships in construction trades but struggle with college courses could be a factor in rising third-level dropout rates.

The possibility is raised in a report showing 7,000, or around one-in-six, first-year students a year fail to make it to second year. It reveals that 84% of students who started in higher education in 2010 progressed, down from 85% among those who began third-level three years earlier.

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) found that, while university non-progression rates remain consistent at 9%, they increased from 16% to 17% among institute of technology students. There are wide variations between colleges and course categories, but teaching and healthcare courses under all headings had highest retention rates.