The Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) sector is booming. Some 25,000 students this year have had fun, gained a strong sense of achievement and learned invaluable skills while still getting to grips with these career-oriented courses.

There are more than 240 colleges around the State offering PLC courses and the variety of disciplines really does provide something for everyone - ranging from subjects like web design and floristry to accounting and engineering. At one stage, PLC courses may have been viewed as a poor relation to other third-level courses - something to do if you hadn't gained the required points for your chosen CAO course. That thinking, however, is long gone. The vocational learning in the courses means students are highly employable on completing, but the level of academic content means that students can also proceed to further study at third level and complete a degree course.

The name PLC is self- explanatory and clearly indicates that you require a Leaving Cert to do this course. However, there is no points rating for PLCs and admission to courses is generally by interview. Tutors will assess a candidate's suitability for a particular course and help to establish if a PLC is the right thing for you. There is no central PLC application system so you should contact the individual colleges for information on courses and application procedures.

The duration of courses can vary between one and three years. The Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) has been established to take responsibility as the awards body for what was previously the NCVA and other educational awards bodies. For students who received insufficient Leaving Cert points to gain access to university the opportunity exists to proceed to third level by way of the Higher Education Links scheme. More than 2,000 places are reserved at institutes of technology (ITs) for students who have achieved the equivalent of NCVA level 2 and who wish to proceed to degree courses.

However if spending three or four years to get to degree level is not your cup of tea, a PLC qualification is very useful in it's own right. "The PLC's have become increasingly popular and highly regarded. They are a real option in themselves," says Tim Kelleher, principal of Colβiste Stiofβin Naofa, Cork.

Students taking a PLC course are now entitled to a third-level maintenance grant if eligible. It is a sign that the courses are regarded as an important part of post-second-level training and education, according to Kelleher.

"Colleges often specialise and gain a good reputation for courses in certain subjects, so students treat PLCs like other college courses now," says Kelleher, "They'll live in student-share houses and get involved in the social and sports aspect of college. Some of our students travel from Dublin or Mayo to study here."

Since PLC's began in 1985 the enrolment of those participating has more than doubled. This is reflected in Colβiste Stiofβin Naofa, where the student body has increased from 500 to 800 over the past three years.

"The Department of Education has increasingly recognised the importance of PLC students. We have been able to accommodate our expanding student body because of an £8 million refurbishment and expansion plan, which they funded," says Kelleher. "We don't plan to add to our student numbers now but we are always concentrating on improving the quality of the courses available here."

PLC colleges maintain good links with the institutes of technology through the Higher Education Links scheme and with industry through work placements, which are an important part of courses. These links are important for the colleges because they ensure that the courses and training on offer are relevant to the job market and further study. "We developed excellent electronics courses on our PLC programme in conjunction with local businesses and mindful of the market place," says Kelleher.

In addition to courses aimed at industry and business, there are courses for those with more creative abilities. "We run a very popular music management and performance course. There are always more applicants than places but we don't want to train people in areas where they are not able to get employment. Sinead Lohan was a graduate of this particular course," says Kelleher.

The college also has a very popular art foundation course from which over 90 per cent of graduates proceed to further third-level studies in Crawford College of Art, D·n Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology and the National College of Art and Design.

"We get great feedback from our students. They are always very positive about the experience they have had and the knowledge and skills they have developed doing a PLC course," says Kelleher. "In our annual reviews of our students, we have found in recent years that at least 95 per cent go on to third-level courses, further study here or directly into employment."

The only downside to the PLC experience seems to be with colleges who lose good students, prior to them finishing their course, because employers poach them after their work placement. There are no tuition fees payable for PLCs, and the Department of Education is currently considering the viability of making some PLC courses part-time to enable people working full time to participate in this form of training.

For enquiries and a prospectus contact Colβiste Stiofβin Naofa at (021) 496 1020 for information NCVA and FETAC qualifications see their websites at www.ncva.ie and www.fetac.ie respectively.