College is not the only option - It’s now time to consider alternatives

THE expectation that a large and ever-growing proportion of second-level students would more or less automatically continue their education at a third-level institution is a relatively new phenomenon.

Ambitions once possible for only a small section of society are now far more general, empowering, and democratic.

Less than a lifetime ago, this option existed only for those who could pay for it or for the exceptionally talented.

A place at a third-level institution was a privilege rather than something perceived as a right. A great many intelligent, ambitious people were, for financial reasons, denied the opportunity, a denial that occasionally — and maybe justifiably — led to a lifelong bitterness and regret.

This situation sustained an unacceptable degree of hereditary, unearned privilege too, a situation that ran counter to ever-strengthening social democratic values.

That limiting reality is still the case in far more countries than it is not.

Any time a prohibitive, limiting social construct is lifted, it is predictable that the pendulum will swing too far to the opposite side for a time; that services once beyond reach of many will be extremely popular and sought after.

This shift manifests itself in many ways; in our education system it is seen at its worst in the how the points required for any particular course in college are manipulated to serve the needs of the institutions rather than the students.

This cherry-picking may be a pragmatic response from an under-funded sector, but it certainly skews the pitch and hardly serves the educational or developmental needs of aspiring college students in an equitable way.

It is also at the root of the great melodrama that unfolds at this time every year when the deadline for CAO applications looms. Just like our health system, our third-level sector is in danger of being divided into a two-tier entity.

Social and cultural expectations influence this process too. Changing work practices and globalisation also play a part in funnelling ever more students towards third-level institutions.

Jobs, decent jobs that made it possible to live with dignity and a moderate degree of comfort, are not as readily available as they once were, so alternatives are sought.

Property prices once dominated conversation but now, for parents of children leaving second-level education, the standard what’s-Johnny-doing-in-college question opens a discussion that, for far too many people is self-defining.

It is as if no alternatives to a place in college are available or worthwhile. This mindset serves no one well, not the individual, the college, or society, and it is time we took a different approach. Maybe we could learn a lot from Germany, where industrial apprenticeships are recognised as viable alternatives to a place in college.

It seems there is a lot we might do to make that option more attractive to many of those young people who feel that they have no alternative to filling out the dreaded CAO form.

Employers may need more support in this too. The number of students sitting the Leaving Cert is climbing and will do so for the next 12 years so it is time this opportunity, this challenge, was grasped.