More than 1,500 courses are available this year in the growing further education and training (FET) sector for students who may not wish to follow the traditional CAO route to higher education.
More than 80,000 applicants were able to view their college offers on the Central Applications Office (CAO) website yesterday but some may not have received the offer of their choice while others may not be sure about what exactly they want to do now that they have finished school. Others might have had a very late change of mind.
Each year, more than 30,000 places are filled in further education colleges throughout the country. The sector is increasing in popularity with Solas, the body responsible for funding, planning and co-ordinating FET programmes, saying that one in 10 adults in Ireland were engaged in FET and apprenticeship activity last year alone.
Solas, together with the country’s 16 education and training boards (ETBs), co-ordinates the provision of courses aimed at addressing skills shortages across the economy. Many also provide a pathway to third-level degree programmes, allowing students to explore their academic interests before making a commitment to a longer degree or similar courses.
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FET courses at levels five and six on the National Framework of Qualifications, also known as Post-Leaving Certificate or (PLC) courses, offer opportunities for students to prepare for careers in many cutting-edge industries. Courses are available in areas ranging from business administration and management to financial services; IT, manufacturing/engineering; sales and marketing and more.
“Leaving Certificate students can find a range of exciting opportunities through FET, with software development, beauty therapy, cybersecurity and engineering just a sample of the courses that are on offer to school-leavers who received their Leaving Certificate results on Friday,” said Nessa White, executive director for transformation at Solas.
“There are so many options to explore, with many courses remaining open for application until the end of the summer.”
The further education and training sector is becoming increasingly popular with the learner base growing by more than 17 per cent from 2022 to 2023.
“Last year alone, one in 10 adults in Ireland – more than 400,000 people – were engaged in FET and apprenticeship activity. FET is also becoming a prime destination for school-leavers, with increasing numbers of learners choosing this pathway to achieve the careers of their choice,” said White.
Apprenticeships offer an opportunity to earn while you learn, while many further education courses provide high-level tuition and on-the-job experience, with plenty offering an alternative route to attaining a degree in college.
Paddy Lavelle, general secretary at Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI), says the sector offers a “vast variety of opportunities”.
“In addition to the great variety of FET courses on offer outside of the points system, as a sector we have strengthened further education to higher education pathways with an expanded number of tertiary degrees on offer by the National Tertiary Office providing accessible pathways from further education to university. For anyone who is still unsure about their next steps after school, I welcome them to discover FET courses available through their local ETB today,” he said.
What is the National Tertiary Office?
The National Tertiary Office (NTO) is the body responsible for the development of policy relating to further and higher education progression pathways for students. In 2023, it oversaw a new pathway for students that can lead to a third-level degree that sits outside the traditional CAO points system.
These courses begin in an education and training board and are continued in a higher education institution, culminating in a degree. They include a Bachelor of Arts (hons) in immersive media at IADT to degrees in business at SETU, ATU and SETU, to a Bachelor of Science (hons) in general nursing at MTU and a Bachelor of Social Work (hons) at UCC. Depending on the course, programmes take three to five years.
More information on the NTO can be found at nto.ie and information on FET courses on offer can be found at thisisfet.ie.
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