Life after the Leaving Certificate - there are other real options and opportunities
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2020 has been a year of unprecedented events.
Since Covid-19 was identified in the early part of the year it has affected virtually every aspect of our lives and has impacted people in every corner of the world.
We have experienced changes to the ways we socialise, engage with education, interact and communicate; we have experienced so many changes that it is very difficult to identify anything that hasn’t changed.
However, in Ireland at least, one thing has remained almost unchanged, the annual preoccupation with Leaving Certificate points and CAO college offers.
While the experience for the Leaving Certificate class of 2020 has been unlike any other, with an examination that was initially postponed, restructured and finally cancelled in favour of a calculated or predictive grade process, the grades awarded have been converted into points and the CAO will this week make offers of college places to thousands of applicants.
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Innovation Research and Science Simon Harris has announced that additional places will be available in Universities and Institutes of Technology, and while this will no doubt increase the number people who will be happy to receive that CAO offer, there will be many who do not receive an offer, or are unhappy with the offer that arrives.
Many others may not have applied for a college place this year, because they are unsure of what direction they would like to take, with more people who, as a consequence of events and experiences over the last few months, have reviewed their current careers and identified that now is a time to change, to seek out new possibilities, looking for that first step back into education and reskilling to pursue a new career.
So, what are the options available to anyone in such a position? Is it simply a case of waiting for 2021 and go through the CAO application process then?
Are there other options that allow a young (and not so young) person explore careers and opportunities outside the CAO/College system?
Unlike most of our European partners, Ireland has been slow to acknowledge that there are other options that provide for career entry other than a Higher Education Degree.
Our system for apprenticeships was, until recently, confined to a very narrow range of industries and careers.
This has started to change in recent years, with Government policy promoting an increase, not just the number of places in apprenticeship, but by widening the range of career areas where apprenticeships are provided as the first step of entry, supporting an “earn and learn” approach that combines real-life education and training with qualification acquisition.
In addition, the value and importance of other Further Education and Training (FET) programmes, delivered nationwide by the Education and Training Boards, providing a range of options for people wishing to progress their education with a view to entering Higher Education, or to enter into paid training for employment, has received greater prominence and support as the Government attempts to address the skills requirements of a rapidly changing and developing economy.
Funded by SOLAS, the Further Education and Training Authority, Irelands FET system has been reinvigorated, with an expanded range of options available for young (and not so young) people.
While the “traditional” craft apprenticeships remain strong (for construction-related roles as electricians, plumbers, instrumentation technicians, etc.) they have been joined by a range of new apprenticeships in fields as diverse as Property Services, Accounting Technician, Chef, Insurance and Cyber Security to name but a few.
Significantly, while Leaving Certificate completion is an important element within the criteria used to assess suitability for entry into one of these programmes, equal value is given to an applicant’s other skills and experiences.
But FET isn’t just about apprenticeships.
Post Leaving Cert (PLC) courses provide another valuable avenue to further study and employment.
The range of courses (generally of 1 or two years duration) is diverse, ranging from Furniture Design to Veterinary Nursing, from Childcare to Laboratory Science.
For a school leaver who maybe is unsure of their preferred career path, or who did not gain the points required for college entry, PLC courses allow them to gain a qualification that provides opportunities to progress to employment or enter college.
Many PLC courses have direct links into Higher Education programmes, both in Ireland and abroad, and the experience of many students who have studied at PLC level before going on to college is that the intermediate step of the PLC course has made the transition to college life and study easier.
Post Leaving Certificate courses generally have smaller numbers, ensuring better support, and eligible learners may avail of SUSI grant funding.
For someone who is considering a career change and looking for the first step back into education and training, PLC courses provide a structured and supported environment that makes the transition easier.
Students in Cork are probably better catered for with alternatives than anywhere else in the country.
Cork Education and Training Board, through its Post Leaving Certificate Colleges and Cork Training Centre deliver a wide range of courses that can cater for almost any ambition.
Details are available at corketb.ie, or on fetchcourses.ie, and applications will be open until the end of September.
So, if you are unsure about going to third-level, or if you wanted to go but didn’t get the points required, there is no need to panic.
There are other options. No one route, or option is intrinsically better than another; each person has to choose what is right for them.
Cork Education and Training Board prides itself on providing a “Pathway for every learner”, take the next step, and identify the first step on that pathway that is right for you.
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