The Irish Times Higher Options 2017, the country's largest college expo for second-level students, gets under way at the RDS Simmonscourt in Dublin next week.

More than 25,000 students are set to attend the event which features more than 160 colleges, universities and institutes of further education from Ireland and across Europe.

Sixth-, fifth- and transition-year students will get a unique opportunity to speak directly with all the main Irish universities and colleges.

Many parents are also set to attend and meet directly with college representatives to get an extra insight into the courses on offer to their children.

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Advice

As well as Irish higher-education institutions, many of the main UK colleges are attending, including Oxford and Cambridge, along with a range of European colleges in Netherlands, Poland and Hungary.

Further education colleges will also be on hand to offer advice on alternative career paths to higher education, while there will also be a big focus this year on apprenticeships.

* The event runs from Wednesday, September 13th to Friday, September 15th. For more information, visit: www.irishtimes.com/higher-options