It's not all good news but on the plus side - nearly 25,000 places are made available in schools and colleges to students who want to pursue Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses. However, the dropout rate in these PLC courses is about 23 per cent, according to the Department of Education & Science, which released new figures earlier this year.
The booming economy, the attraction of getting a job and the fact that some employers "poach" students from second and third level make it difficult to stem the drop-out flow, according to Dr Michael Woods, the Minister for Education & Science.
Dr Woods said that half of those who dropped out of PLC courses took up jobs or went into further education. Some experts would also point to the fact that students often use PLCs as a back-up in case they don't get the points for a third-level course.
Last year, of those who stayed with their PLC courses, almost 92 per cent went on to further employment or further training. Dr Woods said that this compares favourably with results from many third-level colleges. While the figures indicate that over 16 per cent dropped out early, this was due to "incomplete statistical returns" and the figure was closer to 23 per cent, the Department said.
One PLC teacher, Maura Clarke, who is head of hairdressing at Crumlin College of Further Education in Dublin, says the Celtic Tiger is to blame for the dropout rate.
"All PLC students go out on work experience and the employers snap them up. 50 per cent will let them come back to finish but those who are stuck for manpower try to hold on to them . . . There's a huge demand out there for trainees." But she adds: "This year was the most noticeable. We haven't lost that many students until this year."
In reaction to the lure of employment, Crumlin College is now offering part-time and night-time courses to those students who want to complete the next stage of their PLC training, she explains.
The PLC programme was introduced in 1985. It aims to bridge the gap between work and school. Each course is designed to provide appropriate vocational training for young people. Most PLCs are one-year full-time courses leading to a qualification, which is awarded by the National Council for Vocational Awards. Up to 75 per cent of students are aged 18 to 20 years old.
Each year there are more than 1,000 courses on offer at over 200 centres. The interest in and take-up of PLC places continues to grow. A "ladder scheme" allows students to proceed to selected courses at the institutes of technology. Thanks to the Higher Education Links Scheme, PLC courses can provide access to the institutes of technology. Under this scheme, places on selected courses in the ITs are allocated on the basis of grades achieved in the NCVA Level 2 awards.
The range of courses is wide and ever-expanding, spanning areas as diverse as art, design, engineering, pre-nursing, computing, travel, community care, applied languages and teleservices.
