Leaving Certificate points are not the only way to third-level courses. One of the newer options is via the Post Leaving Certificate sector. The main aim of PLC courses is to prepare students directly for employment, but there is a scheme which links certain PLC courses with a variety of third-level certificates and diplomas in the institutes of technology. About 1,500 places are available on more than 200 courses.
This link is particularly valuable to students who have opted for the Leaving Certificate Applied programme. Last year, more than 1,700 students sat the LCA, more than double the figure for the previous year. This year, some 5,500 students will sit the LCA. These students cannot progress directly to third level, but they are eligible to apply for PLC courses.
All of the institutes of technology participating in the links scheme, with the exception of Dublin Institute of Technology, award places solely on the basis of PLC results, so students who did not get sufficient points in the traditional Leaving Cert can use this route to get to college if they perform sufficiently well at PLC level. The DIT insists students have also achieved the minimum Leaving Cert entry requirements for the particular course.
Most PLC courses are one-year, with students completing a National Council for Vocational Awards level two qualification (NCVA level 2). Dr Dermot Douglas, the registrar of Tallaght IT, says the advantage of going this route is that it allows you time to find out whether you are suited to a particular discipline. In the meantime you pick up a useful qualification.
If you are applying for a PLC course with third level in mind, you must check that the particular PLC you are interested in is linked with a third-level course. The NCVA publishes a guide to the higher education links scheme which includes a list of PLC courses along with the corresponding third-level courses (the NCVA can be contacted at 01 853 1910). Some college prospectuses list these courses also.
Particular PLC course modules may also be specified as a requirement. For instance, if applying to Blanchardstown IT's diploma in business studies, information technology and languages, students must have completed a French or German language module.
NCVA students apply through the CAO in the normal way and their results are forwarded automatically to the CAO.
To qualify for an NCVA level 2 award, students must reach the required standard in eight modules - five vocational, the communications module and the work experience module. You must achieve a full certificate in order to be considered for admission to third level. The DIT requires that applicants pass the eight modules in the same sitting.
Places are awarded on the basis of students' performance - three points for a distinction (80 per cent), two for a merit (65 per cent) and one for a pass (50 per cent).
The institutes of technology, other than DIT, rank students on the basis of their cumulative scores. There is a slight variation in treatment here, in that some colleges total points for eight modules, while others allow students to add up points for eight plus.
The DIT calculates a grade point average - total points divided by the number of modules and a minimum grade point average of 2.2 is required.
NCVA candidates are not competing with Leaving Certificate students, as the 1,500 places are specifically reserved for them. But they may have to compete with each other. In fact, not all these places are taken and competition occurs only in high-demand courses. Dr Douglas suggests that students maximise their chances by following their choice of course around the State.
In general, if the Leaving Cert cut-off points are high for a course - meaning the course is in strong demand with school-leavers - then there will also be increased demand from NCVA holders.
Dr Douglas says these students are at some advantage in first year as they already have background in the area. However, they are competing on an equal footing from second year. The ladder system, whereby students can progress from certificates to diplomas to degrees to postgraduate qualifications, is open to PLC holders who commence their third-level studies at certificate or diploma level.
Qualifications in their own right
The majority of the 23,837 students enrolled in the PLC sector last year had their sights fixed on the jobs market rather than third-level education and this was the primary reason for establishing these courses.
One of the major strengths of PLC colleges is their ability to respond rapidly to the changing need of the market place. A glance at the new modules made available from last September gives some idea of the breadth of the courses on offers - design, bookkeeping (manual and computerised), payroll (manual and computerised), teleservices, security systems and procedure, customer service, stage management and administration, production design for theatre, technical skills for theatre, pre-press graphics, image processing, and computer illustration graphics.
There is a skills shortage in the teleservices area and a two-year PLC course, leading to an NCVA level 3 award, has been designed to address the skills gap. This course equips students with language, information technology and communication skills.
There are no tuition fees for PLC courses and PLC students are now eligible to apply for means-tested maintenance grants.
Applying for PLC courses
There is no central application system for PLC courses. You must apply directly to each college and places are usually allocated on the basis of an interview (a portfolio may be required for certain courses). Popular courses tend to fill early and some colleges hold interviews in May.
In the past, many students regarded PLC courses as a useful fallback if they didn't get what they wanted through the CAO system. This is no longer the case so students should spend some time researching the available options. A College Choice supplement will be published with The Irish Times next Tuesday, January 12th, and this will contain a listing of PLC colleges and courses.
CAO phone lines
The CAO phone lines are back in operation today. To contact the CAO telephone (091) 509 800 or fax (091) 562 344 or write to Tower House, Eglinton Street, Galway.
Leaving Certificate Vocational
LCV students complete three link modules in addition to their traditional Leaving Certificate subjects. These modules comprise enterprise education, preparation for work and work experience, and are given a composite mark.
LCV students can use the results of their link modules in place of a sixth subject for the purposes of points if they are applying for courses in the institutes of technology.
Seventy points are awarded for a distinction, 50 for a merit and 30 for a pass. At the time the CAO handbook went to press, the Dublin Institute of Technology was not awarding points for link modules. It has since decided to award points for entry in 1999, but link modules will not be accepted for minimum entry requirements. Guidance counsellors have been notified of this change.
The universities have not yet made a decision on whether they will award points for link modules.
Open days:
When it comes to deciding on a course or a college open days are invaluable. You can meet staff and students and ask those burning questions as well as looking at labs, libraries, lecture halls and other facilities. January is a busy time for open days as colleges try to facilitate students, parents and guidance counsellors before the CAO closing date of February 1st.
Some useful diary dates:
Carlow IT will hold an information evening for mature and non-standard applicants on January 12th from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. At present, more than 6 per cent of students in Carlow IT fall into the mature category.
Limerick IT and UL have open days on January 12th and 13th, while Mary Immaculate College has an open day on January 12th. The Royal Irish Academy of Music will have its open day on January 13th.
TCD will hold information evenings for parents and Leaving Certificate students on January 14th and January 21st at 7.30 p.m. You must book in advance - contact the admissions office. UCC's open day is on January 16th
Tralee IT will hold an open day on Monday, January 18th, from 9.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Portobello College, Dublin, has an open day on Wednesday, January 20th.
Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology is opening its doors to final-year students on January 20th and 21st. DIT's open day is on January 23rd.
Helpline
Students, parents and teachers with queries about colleges, courses and application procedures are invited to call the College Choice helpline between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. today. Tel: (01) 679 2099