A former industrial school in remote Connemara is the unlikely home to three third-level courses in the furniture area. A joint venture between Galway-Mayo IT and the Connemara West Partnership, Letterfrack campus offers two certificates and a two-year add-on degree.

Fintan Sheridan, head of the furniture college, says it has a national cert in furniture design and manufacture which has been running for the past 10 years. There are up to 20 first-year places each year.

Applicants are asked to fill in a questionnaire and everyone who does so is asked to the assessment. Places are allocated on the basis of an assessment and Leaving Cert points with each getting equal weighting.

They must bring a portfolio or a finished piece or both. While some students will have a woodwork piece, others will bring a photo or artwork. "We are looking for somebody with a creative flair," says Sheridan.

Normally, up 400 apply for 20 places, so it's not easy to get a place. The course attracts mature students as well as school-leavers - for instance, some students have completed apprenticeships while others have done third-level courses such as a diploma in architecture or a B Comm. But the course assumes no prior knowledge of any of the subjects.

The focus of the certificate is on technology, furniture design and manufacture. Sheridan says the course originally attracted people who wanted to set up as designers and makers but the market can no longer sustain this, so the focus has changed slightly to accommodate batch production in small businesses as well as one-off pieces.

There is no problem about employment, he adds. In the early days graduates were more sought after in Britain and other countries. Now, with the upturn in the Irish economy a lot more employment is available here.

Over its 10 years, the course has produced 164 graduates. About 62 per cent of them are working in the furniture/joinery business, while 12 per cent have set up their own business. The college set up a new certificate last September - a certificate in furniture manufacturing. There is room for 15 to 20 students and places are allocated solely on Leaving Cert points. The course concentrates on manufacturing rather than design. Most of the work is done with machines and it's expected that the graduates will find work as furniture or machine technicians. There is a huge demand for graduates of this type, says Sheridan.

The college has been running a degree since 1995. With about 15 first-year places on offer each year, it is open to graduates of both certificates as well as graduates with certificates in areas such as engineering, design, production and management and business studies. There is a bridging studies module in August so that students are starting from "roughly the same platform."

Graduates are suited to jobs as first-level managers. "They are equipped with skills in production management in all aspects of business." The course includes marketing, finance and strategic planning. The number of students in the college has gone from 30 or 40 three years ago to 80 this year. It's expected that about 100 students will attend Letterfrack next September.