THE EXAMS are almost upon us. Some 65,000 students are about to sit their Leaving Cert. Around 35,000 of them will get their first - or second or third - choice of course in third-level institutions. A further 17,000-plus will go on to Post Leaving Cert colleges, there to do courses of their choice or courses which will prepare them for third-level colleges later on.
PLCs - often referred to as two-and-a-half-level colleges - are a major component of further education in Ireland today. The majority of them are former VEC colleges, although some PLCs have been developed in second-level schools. Most PLC students study for NCVA Level 2 certificates. However, a number of the larger colleges have developed courses of two, three or four years duration, which are certified by British colleges and institutes.
That no funding apart from fees - grants, maintenance or anything else - heretofore has been available to PLC students has been a running sore for many years.
But came the election! Now we find that Fine Gael has joined Labour and Fianna Fail in promising PLC students maintenance grants, subject to means-testing. It's not clear if these will be the same as the other third-level maintenance grants, or the ESF-funding available to RTC students, but at least it's a step in the right direction as far as these thousands of students and their parents are concerned. Current grants under the higher education grants scheme range from £647 a year for students living at home to £1,604 for those living away from home.
Most of the specialised courses - often courses not even available in third-level colleges - are available only in the larger PLC colleges in Cork and Dublin. This involves students living away from home and maintaining themselves for the duration of their courses. In addition, some charges for equipment and course materials are made, all of which is a considerable financial burden on students and parents.
With the prospect of the upgrading of all RTCs to one or other tier of "institute", the PLCs, for the medium term, will provide a most important segment of further education for thousands of students.
Indeed in February, the Government approved 750 new places on teleservices courses, with significant language components, in PLC colleges, planned to start next September. This decision recognised the necessity to produce highly-qualified people at non-graduate level for the services sector, as well as for industry. It also recognised the important role of the PLCs in this provision.
THE latest commitment from the political parties on PLCs begs the question about what the future of the PLCs' NCVA-accredited courses will be in the overall TEASTAS awards framework. The TEASTAS report of last January suggested the early incorporation of the various certification bodies, including the NCVA, in the TEASTAS framework.
In recent times, much concern has been expressed by RTCs that allowing PLC students to study for national certificate awards might devalue the RTCs' own existing qualifications. But since the status of the RTCs is changing anyway and since the inclusion of the NCVA within the TEASTAS framework does not appear to necessitate any further legislative change, it would seem opportune for the political parties to address this development at the same time as providing maintenance grants for students.
