Third-level colleges should alter their academic calendars to allow adult learners to begin courses in January and February, the Minister of State for Adult Education, Mr Willie O'Dea, has said. "A more flexible academic year which allowed students to commence courses early in the calendar year would bring far more mature students back into the system," he said.
Most third-level courses begin in the autumn and end in June. "An adult who decides in autumn that they wish to return to college will have to wait until the following autumn before they can commence their studies. This is an unfortunate situation that has to be examined," he said.