The sight is one that haunts the minds of all adults. The brown envelope, holding a white sheet of paper, on which it feels like your entire future rests. The Leaving Cert results.
For decades, it has felt like the end all and be all. But times have changed: to start with, the results are accessed online these days, but there is also a growing recognition that the educational futures of generations cannot depend on one singular set of exams to determine their future pathways.
As a result, there is an increasing number of opportunities being made available for people to further their education outside of the CAO points race.
PLCs
The first option is the post-Leaving Cert course. Known more colloquially as a PLC, they are short courses, of generally one or two years in duration, allowing students to have a taste of what a potential degree in an area might be like. There are almost 2,000 PLC courses available in Ireland, ranging from science, to beauty therapy, tourism and engineering.
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Donnchadh O’Mahony, a school guidance counsellor in Loreto College, Stephen’s Green, as well as a prominent personality on social media, said PLCs are a great option for students, but can often be quite sought after.
“There are kind of two reasons why you’d do a PLC. Either A, to apply back to the CAO, or B to enter into the world of work to get a qualification to go into the world of work.”
“They give students a really good idea of what a career in that area would be like, or even what the college course would be like.”
Mr O’Mahony said there are benefits of doing a PLC outside of this too, such as the geographical accessibility, with PLCs being offered pretty much around the country. “There are also no fees, you can take the maintenance part of the Susi grant and take that through the PLC and that doesn’t affect you if you go into the college for the next four years,” he said.
“A few years ago there was a statistic that if a student got 300 points in the Leaving Cert, they only had a 50 per cent chance of finishing college. But if they got 300 points and did a PLC course, they were 75 per cent likely to complete college.”
However, it can be quite difficult to get a place on some of the most popular options. “They’re first come, first served. Generally, outside of Dublin they’re a little bit easier to get into. The really popular PLCs tend to fill up quickly,” he added.
A more recent pathway are tertiary degree programmes, in which students could commence their third-level study physically in an Education and Training Board (ETB) college and complete it in a Technological University.
“There are no CAO points required. The entry criteria is to pass some courses and there will be an interview as well,” Mr O’Mahony said.
“They do one or two years at the ETB and then they are guaranteed to move into third-level to finish their level 7 or level 8. If you go back to the PLCs, you’re not guaranteed a spot on a course through the CAO, whereas with the tertiary degrees you are.”
During tertiary degrees, the PLC part has no fees, Mr O’Mahony said, but the typical third-level fees apply for the years spent studying in a TU. However, individuals who are eligible for the Susi grant will be able to avail of it while undertaking a tertiary degree programme.
“It is cheaper and there are fewer entry requirements. And they work outside the CAO time frame,” he added.
Apprenticeships
Another route available to people graduating secondary school is an apprenticeship, the options for which Mr O’Mahony said has “really changed in recent years for the better”.
Previously, only the more traditional apprenticeships such as plumbing, plastering and roofing were available. But this is no longer the case.
“You can do anything from engineering, to finance, auctioneering and estate agency. You name it and there will be something there for you,” he said.
Apprenticeships are often colloquially referred to as “earn as you learn” programmes, as they combine hands-on work experience with in-the-classroom learning. They generally last two to four years, with a person who has completed an apprenticeship obtaining a recognised qualification at level 5 or above on the NFQ framework.
“Rather than paying fees to go to college, they are paying you to take up this course while you’re qualifying. Wages can be quite good, they can start from anything from ¤20,000 to up to ¤30,000, but that’s organised with your employer,” he said.
It is the responsibility of the prospective apprentice to find an employer for the duration of their apprenticeship. A list of employers that are seeking apprenticeships is available on apprentice.ie.
Traineeships
There are also traineeships, which Mr O’Mahony said are very similar to apprenticeships but are generally shorter.
“You tend to qualify in 18 months in different areas in a traineeship. It’s again quite hands-on.”
Traineeships combine technical skills development related to a specific area of work, with transferable skills that can be applied to many areas. The traineeships programmes are developed with industry skills and needs in mind, ensuring that trainees finish their training in the best position possible to enter the world of work.
Mr O’Mahony said apprenticeships and traineeships are quite vocational, and so are best suited to those who know what they want to do. But they are also about identifying the ways in which you learn best. Many university degrees can be quite theoretical, requiring exams, essays and group projects. Whereas apprenticeships and traineeships take a more learning through doing approach.
“You have to decide would university life be for me? Is that the type of learning that would allow me to excel? Or would a more hands-on approach with learning on the job allow me to excel better,” he said.
“I know students who got 500 points in their Leaving Cert, went to study commerce and in his first year realised it wasn’t for him. He enrolled in an apprenticeship in accountancy and has excelled in it.”
And if those options do not appeal to prospective students, there are also international opportunities. Many Irish people opt to attend university in Europe and the UK as entry requirements tend to be more accessible.
England, Scotland and Wales have been popular locations for Irish students, though their popularity has decreased since Covid. To apply for study in the UK, Irish students must apply through the UCAS application system.
Finally, if none of those pathways appeal to prospective students or they do not find them to be suitable, Mr O’Mahoney said there is also a programme called UCD Open Learning.
“Here people can apply to study as part-time students and are considered a UCD student. There are no real entry requirements. And if you get good enough grades, you can progress to be a full-time student in UCD,” he added.
