There is no doubting the popularity of business studies in the Central Technical Institute in Waterford, with approximately a quarter of the college's 380 PLC students choosing business. "In addition," says principal Paudie Geary, "we advertised two business studies courses last year, but we actually put on double that number. We put on two extra courses to meet the demand, but we still ended up with a number of people on a waiting list that we couldn't accommodate."

The largest dedicated PLC centre in the south-east, CTI offers four separate business courses: business administration; business studies with information technology; and two general business studies courses. Although 75 per cent of students are from Waterford city and its environs, the CTI attracts students from Wexford, Kilkenny and Tipperary too as well as 20 students from elsewhere in the European Union.

"If you look at any newspaper at the moment you will see there are excellent job opportunities especially in the area of business administration/ business studies. My own research with local employers and employment agencies indicate that employers seem to be looking for three distinct skills," says Geary.

Employers, he says, want IT competency with a good knowledge of business administration and accounts and good communications and interpersonal skills. "The PLC business studies courses we run provide those skills."

Students spend 20-plus class hours per week studying subjects such as business administration, text production (the new term for typing), computer applications - spreadsheet methods, database, word processing, Internet and e-mail - bookkeeping and payroll.

"The other thing we put quite an emphasis on in our business studies, business and administration courses are bookkeeping and payroll, both manual and computerised - important areas and specific skills that a lot of local small to medium enterprise companies would be looking for."

There is also an emphasis on work experience, says Geary. "Practical work experience is organised for all students in a business environment." These can be done in a two-week block release around Easter.

Geary has noticed an excellent retention rate in business studies. Students, he finds, are staying on to get the certification. "Despite the attractions of part-time jobs they are staying on because they know the qualification is worthwhile and is going to get them into the type of employment they are interested in."

Job opportunities for people with business studies at the moment are great, says Geary. Local papers, he has noticed, have doubled their classifieds sections from two to four pages. "Going through the actual ads you will see that almost a third are for people with business studies, business administration, accounts, interpersonal skills, basic knowledge of IT."

However, one-third of students will use the PLC course as a stepping stone to higher education through the NCVA Links scheme. Students can go on to do courses in the Waterford Institute of Technology or other ITs. The other two-thirds look for immediate employment and there is a 100 per cent take-up in employment, according to Geary.

There is still a higher ratio of female students to males. "It's pretty much 3:1 female to male," says Geary. "But I would refer to that as a development because business studies courses would have developed a couple of years ago from secretarial courses where you would have stronger female representation. But there is an increasing interest in young men taking on business studies courses." CTI also attracts adult or mature students over the age of 21. These account for 20 per cent of the student population.

CTI is interviewing from March right through to the end of September. Students more interested in the accounting side of business studies might be more interested in a new two-year accounting technician course with IT. This is one of the developments from the course and it will begin this September.