Some of the most innovative and exciting courses on offer to students today fall within the Post Leaving Cert sector. A quick dip into the PLC list will be enough to whet the enthusiasm of many students. As the range and success of PLC courses grows, demand has increased also. Up to 18,000 students enrolled on PLC courses last year. The majority of PLC courses are aimed at the jobs market. However, a certain proportion also offer a number of students another route into third level while others offer pre-training in the form of pre-apprenticeship or pre-nursing studies or portfolio preparation.
Most PLC courses are run in VEC colleges and in an increasing number of community, comprehensive and second-level schools. It is estimated that there are about 300 centres in the Republic offering PLC courses. Students who successfully complete the course are awarded a NCVA level 2 certificate. This award is made by the National Council for Vocational Awards. Over 12,000 students were awarded NCVA level 2 certificates at the beginning of August this year.
The rapid growth of PLCs is indicative of the fact that the majority of Leaving Certificate students now realise that employers are looking for young people who have acquired vocational training and skills. In Dublin the number of young people enrolling with the City of Dublin VEC in 1996 was approximately 6,500.
The colleges within the scheme have responded to the changing needs of industry by developing courses in response to job growth prospects, particularly in areas such as information technology, electronics and engineering, accountancy, animation, catering, tourism, community care, child-care, hairdressing, leisure and recreation, art and design and teleservices.
One of the most recent and exciting changes is a national initiative, which was launched in August this year to provide training to young people to meet the requirements of the international teleservices industry. Employment growth in the sector is expected to increase from 4,000 at present to 10,000 within three years. Some 20 PLC colleges around the State are currently offering full-time two-year PLC courses in international teleservices.
One of the newest courses on offer this year, in response to this demand on the jobs market, is the international teleservice course with up to 690 training places allocated in PLC colleges throughout the country, offering a full-time two year programme to students. The NCVA was set up in 1991 with responsibility for quality assurance and monitoring of national standards in vocational education and training programmes. PLC courses are modular in nature, and students must reach the required standard in eight modules to be eligible for an NCVA level two certificate. The eight modules must include five vocational, two general studies of which one must be communications, and one preparation for work or work experience. Most PLCs last one year, but two, three and four-year courses have becoming increasingly common. Also some colleges have developed specialities and/or particularly popular courses, such as rock music at Ballyfermot Senior College, Dublin, or sport and recreation at Dundrum College also in Dublin.
While the NCVA is the main certification body, some courses are certified by British and Irish colleges and institutions. PLC courses which do not lead to NCVA awards may be validated by a variety of professional bodies, with the colleges entering their students for the examinations of those bodies. For example, the College of Commerce, Cork, offers a four-year course which is certified by the Marketing Institute of Ireland and Ballyfermot Senior College offers a range of B Tec higher national diploma programmes, which are accredited by the national business and technology awards system in the UK. Students in the PLC sector do not get maintenance grants because their courses are not recognised as third-level. There is hope, however, as the Minister for Education, Mr al Martin earlier this year gave a firm commitment to introduce "equitable support of students attending PLC courses."
Students should also be aware that, although no fees are charged, money may have to be paid to the college for books, uniforms/clothing and equipment where items become the property of the trainee. There may also be student-service fees, registration charges by professional bodies and exam fees. Many students who have not passed second-level State exams may take heart also. For a range of PLC courses, students are not expected to have completed the Leaving Cert.
In these cases where PLC courses require particular artistic, technical or manual skills or talents rather than academic achievement, the focus tends to be on the maturity, dedication and interest of the student.
