The past decade, in particular, has been marked by a revolution in education. Not only have the numbers in higher education grown hugely, but the further education sector has expanded to include a wide range of professional and trade apprenticeships and traineeships, Post-Leaving Cert (PLC) courses have come into their own and growing numbers of students are choosing to study in a European university, where fees and the cost of living may be cheaper and the courses are delivered through English.
On the one hand, this is all great. There’s less pressure to do a college course where college isn’t the right fit, PLCs increasingly have strong progression links to third level, and apprenticeships offer paid routes into a range of well-paid careers.
On the other, however, too much choice can be disconcerting. It can be hard enough to pick just one option, so what can you do when there’s never been so much choice? Trish Harrington is a guidance counsellor at St Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar School. In her job, she regularly advises students on how they can align their courses with their interests.
“A majority of schools now offer a transition year (TY) programme, and, in some schools, it is mandatory,” she says.
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“Many schools with a TY programme will have developed a careers class, where students will have group sessions on subject choice and, perhaps, have filled out psychometric tests for building their career profile.
“Then, in fifth year, the focus shifts to open days, effective questioning, looking at alternative pathways such as further education post-Leaving Cert courses, apprenticeships and traineeships. This is teased out further in sixth year through careers appointments and careers class.
“The psychometric tests can help students to identify and narrow down their interests. One of the most familiar for guidance counsellors is the Cambridge profile test which assesses abilities and interests in different areas. If you’ve done them in TY, it’s easy to forget the findings and insights they’ve given you, so don’t be afraid to take them again in fifth or sixth year.
“You’ll also find interest assessments on Qualifax.ie and CareersPortal.ie,” Harrington says.
“Some courses require particular subjects, such as chemistry for a veterinary medicine course, or higher-level maths for some engineering courses,” she says.
“With this in mind, it’s worth looking at what is required on the course. It might sound really interesting but, for instance, if they’re not that interested in maths or science but the course is heavy on those components, it might not be the right fit.
“That said, bear in mind that while many courses have an element of maths or statistics that you might not have expected, many colleges have maths centres that will help students to get through this potentially more challenging element of the course.
Harrington uses a profile sheet which looks at student achievements, work experience, summer jobs and programmes, as well as their interests.
“In this hour, we use a collaborative approach to tease out ideas, helping the student to clarify their options and build their confidence,” she says.
“The student owns the process but the guidance counsellor can help the student to build up their knowledge. We look at patterns in their life in school, what is involved in studying a particular course across every year, and what modules and accreditation will be available.
“We ask students about what motivates them: maybe it’s money, maybe it’s creativity, or maybe it’s about making a difference to the world.
“We point them towards resources like Qualifax.ie, Apprenticeship.ie, FetchCourses.ie [for further education options], CareersPortal.ie and, of course, the websites and social media accounts of individual third-levels and colleges of further education.
“Then, it’s on to an action plan and putting in applications for CAO, Ucas or Eunicas (for EU third-level, and checking eligibility for Hear [Higher Education Access Route, supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds], Dare [Disability Access Route to Education] and the Susi student grant.
Do students need to be realistic about the CAO points they will achieve, or should they aim for the sky no matter what?
“It is a good idea to use the career profiles, review your test results and set a realistic goal that suits your lifestyle, study time, the type of learner and what you hope to achieve,” Harrington advises.
“This realistic expectation will ensure you are more strategic, that you have a balanced approach and can feel confident and in control of how you can get the points you are aiming for while working towards obtaining it.”
“Ultimately, it is all about helping students to be motivated and get supports they may need, including with stress, mental health or finances. We are trained to be here for all of this, so use us,” Harrington says.
In senior cycle, school guidance counsellors like Harrington are one of the most important people in a student’s life.
But even the most diligent and dedicated guidance counsellors are under time pressure. They do a lot more than support students with college and career choices; they also support the social and emotional needs of their students. With so many competing demands, they sometimes only have a limited number of sessions with each student, so students must make the best use of that time.
Ideally, students will have researched at least half of the level six/seven and level eight that might interest them before this session, and then the guidance counsellor can help them understand their options and how to do further research. The student must take ownership of the process; the guidance counsellor is there to signpost, not to do the work (That said, guidance counsellors generally understand that some students, including those from migrant backgrounds and families without a strong tradition of attending third-level, may need a little extra support with a CAO process that is largely unfamiliar).
At these sessions, a guidance counsellor will generally ask students: what interests you? What subjects do you enjoy? What do you care most about when it comes to your career — money, meaningful work, flexibility? What matters most in a course: is it location, the chance to study abroad, the course content, or work experience?
Guidance counsellors may also recommend that a student signs up to Reach+ from CareersPortal.ie, which helps them from TY through to sixth year, allows guidance counsellors to track how a student is doing throughout senior cycle and provides useful information for parents and college applicants alike.
A checklist for further or higher education
Although ideally every student would be able to choose the course they most want, it’s not realistic to ignore other, less academic factors.
Trish Harrington, guidance counsellor at St Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar School, has this advice for students:
- Consider all pathways to your chosen course. Does it link to a pre-university further education course, for instance?
- What are the financial costs? Will you have to travel? Will you have accommodation?
- Does it have facilities to meet your social needs and will you be happy there?
- Do you come from a small school or big school? Are you excited to meet new people? This will help you navigate a big transition if considering a large college or new country.
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