As the economic clouds darken, students are opting for safer options at third level. Many, it seems, want to be primary teachers and doctors, writes Sean Flynn Education Editor

The figures from the Central Applications Office published in The Irish Times today give a fascinating insight into student preferences for this year.

Broadly they help to answer two questions:

What do students want to study at third-level?

Where do they want to study?

The figures published today are based on the courses and colleges listed by students as their favourite options when they filled out the CAO form in January. In all, over 55,000 students completed this process, although less than 50,000 of these would have been school-leavers. The remainder is made up largely of mature students and those who opted to repeat the Leaving Certificate exam.

So what do the figures tell us? They show how students are reverting to "safer" options as the economic clouds darken. Applications for primary teaching are up by six per cent. Figures for the higher diploma in education - the main route into secondary teaching - have also increased. This will be a surprise to some given the recent poor publicity that the profession has received and the concern among teachers about their relatively poor pay levels.

The number seeking to do medicine has also increased significantly - by 17 per cent. Medicine is always hugely popular, but this year's trend may reflect the increasing number of students who are opting to repeat the Leaving Cert in order to secure a place in the discipline.

In other areas, the story is more complex. Applications for science and applied science courses have again dipped by 6 per cent. But the 7 per cent increase in students taking engineering and technology helps to compensate for this trend.

It may be that there are some early shoots of recovery here. Several groups - including the Institute of Guidance Councillors and the Institute of Engineers - have worked tirelessly to boost student interest in technology and computer courses. The message to students - and, just as importantly, to parents - was that there are wonderful jobs and great career opportunities in the hi-tech sector. Yes, the sector may be experiencing a downturn right now, however the future is bright. That message appears to have had an impact on student choice.

The continuing decline in science is more worrying. Students are drifting away from science subjects at second level, and this is now being replicated at third-level.

Clearly, urgent action is required to stimulate student interest and to promote a career in science. Last year, the report of the Task Force on Science gave an exhaustive list of possible solutions, but it is still gathering dust.

The latest figures come only a fortnight after a landmark speech by the IDA chief executive, Mr Sean Dorgan, in which he said Irish education needed to be more connected to the needs of wider society. His comments reflect widespread concern across the business sector at the fall-off of student interest in science.

So what do the latest trends mean for points?

Points for science, this year, will again be relatively low and places in computer-related courses may still be relatively easy to secure, certainly in comparison to the situation at the height of the hi-tech boom.

For other more general courses, the news is not so good. The decline in the numbers taking the Leaving Cert should, in theory, ease the pressure on points. But the increasing involvement of mature students is tending to compensate for this. Points will fall, but the decline might be less dramatic than we had thought.

The figure for "other health care" (nursing, speech therapy etc.) on table to right tends to distort the overall picture. This year, all students applying for a degree course in nursing had to do so on the single degree list available to them.