In 2023, the then minister for further and higher education, Simon Harris, announced the development of more than a dozen pilot projects in which students could commence their third-level study physically in an Education and Training Board (ETB) college and complete it in a Technological University.
An alternative to the traditional CAO points system taken by students, the move was part of a drive to create new pathways into third-level education without the pressing need to secure high points.
These courses will allow the TUs to develop level 8 programmes with regional ETB colleges as well as taking a greater role in co-development of courses at levels 6 and 7 with their local ETBs. They will also have a role to play in assisting in areas such as quality assurance.
Such a collaborative approach offers another option for school-leavers and for those considering a return to education and should help to address the reticence some might have around participation in further education, as opposed to higher education.
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This view, held by some parents and second-level schools, can obscure the very real educational opportunities offered by non-traditional universities and their potential to enhance valuable educational and career development options for school-leavers.
In the current academic year there are 40 programmes on offer.
Applications are available through the www.nto.ie website.
The courses include:
South East Technological University (SETU) and Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB)
Bachelor of Business (Hons)
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Information Technology Management
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Software Development
Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Galway Roscommon ETB (GRETB), Mayo Sligo Leitrim ETB (MSLETB) and Donegal ETB
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Sustainable Engineering Technologies
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in General Nursing
Bachelor of Business (Hons)
Bachelor of Science in Industrial Laboratory Science
South East Technological University (SETU) and Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB)
Bachelor of Business (Hons)
Bachelor of Business
Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) and Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board (CMETB)
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Audio and Music Production
Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), Kildare Wicklow ETB (KWETB) and City of Dublin ETB (CDETB)
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Immersive Media Production
Cork ETB (CETB), Kerry ETB (KETB), and Munster Technological University (MTU) Kerry Campus
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Mental Health Nursing
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in General Nursing
South East Technological University (SETU) and Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board (KCETB)
Bachelor of Science in Applied Healthcare
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Public Health and Health Promotion
Bachelor of Business in Tourism and Hospitality Services
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Information Technology Management
Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB) and the Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest (TUS)
Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Business
Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Business
Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Business with Computing
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Mobile and Web Computing
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Construction Management.
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