After the Leaving Certificate, the next steps can be daunting. Whether it’s being unsure of the course that’s right for them or not feeling ready to make the jump into university, many school leavers are starting to consider the full range of options available after school.
In recent years the number of learners choosing Further Education and Training (FET) as an alternative pathway is increasing; post-Leaving Cert (PLC) courses, which are accredited at Levels 5 and 6 of the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), can often provide a direct route to the third level course or career path that best suits the individual after a year or two of study.
Available in every county across Ireland, FET courses are designed to help school leavers take confident steps into the world of work or further study, allowing learners to further their studies close to home without having to relocate or face long commutes. There is something to suit every interest and ambition without the pressure of a one-size-fits-all path.
Neasa White, interim chief executive in Solas, the Further Education and Training (FET) Authority, says, “FET meets learners where they are at and creates a supportive and tailored environment for people to thrive, where they can develop their abilities and skills, and achieve their goals in a flexible manner that suits their needs – both personally and professionally.”
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Holly O’Brien from Skerries, Co Dublin, was one of those school leavers who always knew exactly what she wanted to do, and where. “A law degree from Trinity College was always my number one choice,” says O’Brien. “Every time I would walk near the campus or head into the city centre for my revision classes, I would go into Trinity’s grounds and would get such a good feeling.”
Yet the highly competitive points race saw O’Brien fall just short of her dream law course. Thankfully, she found another pathway through FET.
“When I was in school, the idea of the further education route was not even mentioned or suggested as a possibility to students, it was all about the traditional route of getting enough points to go to college,” she says. “Luckily I had done my own research and knew that the further education route was a possibility for me.” Practically speaking, taking an extra year before starting university also made sense as O’Brien had opted not to do transition year.
She quickly signed up to study pre-university law with criminology at Drogheda Institute of Further Education (DIFE). Twelve months later, she won a coveted place studying law at Trinity, having achieved distinctions in her course work.
“I had an amazing foundation level of knowledge going into my degree course,” says O’Brien. “I have to give credit to my tutors, even though everything was new, the way they taught the subjects made it so easy to understand.”
O’Brien is now working with a law firm in Dublin and studying hard for her solicitors’ exams. “I always knew that I would end up here, so I feel so grateful that further education helped to bridge that gap. I saw a lot of my friends rushing into third level, keen to be there, but choosing courses they didn’t necessarily have any real interest in, whereas I am so delighted I took the year of FET to get me to where I wanted to go.”
For Anthony Dillon, it was a different story. Having completed one year of a biopharmaceutical science course in Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT), he realised a career in this field wasn’t for him.
“It was the first day of my second year, and one of the lecturers was going through our various career options for when we finished the course,” he recalls. “But it just wasn’t clicking with me, I wasn’t excited by any of the possible jobs.”
The very next day Dillon, who lives in Drogheda, headed into DIFE which is close to where he is from to explore his options. “I happened to meet the career guidance teacher and explained my situation. I had no idea what I was going to do next - I knew I wanted to stay in education, but I just didn’t know how I would go about doing that.” The encounter proved to be more than helpful - he was given a list of the available courses that he could enrol on straight away and an idea of which he would be most suited to. All of this while also being able to stay close to home.
“The guidance teacher brought me down to the business classroom and I had a chat with the lecturer which encouraged me to enrol in the business course there and then.”
Although Dillon had focused on science subjects in school, and was new to business, he enjoyed a real camaraderie with his fellow classmates, who were “all sorts”, from Leaving Cert graduates to those seeking a career change through further education. There was a direct route from the pre-university business with accounting in DIFE to the general business studies degree course in DCU, which as luck would have it, had been his original first choice university.
“All the knowledge and background I learned during the FET course was immensely helpful, and I found my first year in DCU so easy as a result. I really had a head start on people coming straight from secondary school.”
Dillon is now going into his final year of his business degree after spending his third year working in industry as an investment analyst, which has helped further rubber stamp his decision. That conversation with DIFE helped Dillon to decide his next steps and it’s a predicament that many school leavers face. Lots of young people decide on a course and find that it doesn’t work for them, for many different reasons, but there are options available and changing your mind can be an incredibly positive move.
“It suits me much better; it’s the right environment for me,” he says. “It’s not all about how many points you get or going straight to university - I would recommend anyone to take the FET route as there are so many options.”
As more students realise the potential of the FET route, White says there has been almost 12 per cent growth in places taken up over the last five years.
“Not only does FET offer a route to higher education, it is also becoming the go-to-place for upskilling and re-skilling, and a resource that can respond to the critical skills needs in Ireland,” she says.
“At one to two years in duration, courses are often shorter, more affordable and directly linked to jobs in demand right now, so that learners who are seeking direct entry into employment can build work-ready skills.”
White encourages students who feel unsure about their future to research the different pathways available so they can make an informed choice about what will suit them best. She says, “Our advice for Leaving Certificate students and their parents is to give yourself the space to explore all your options. Really focus on the right fit for you, and what would make you happy, and try not to focus too much on what other people think about your choice.”
Start your journey today by exploring FET courses in your local area at thisisfet.ie or by contacting your local ETB. Holly O’Brien will be speaking as part of a panel focusing on FET and apprenticeships at Higher Options, which runs in the RDS from September 17th-19th, at the same time as WorldSkills Ireland. Registration is essential for both events before attendance.
