Number of students doing PLC courses falls despite policies to tackle ‘obsession’ with CAO points

The number of school leavers choosing Post-Leaving Cert (PLC) courses has fallen over recent years despite Government policies aimed at promoting alternative options outside the CAO points race.

Figures provided to The Irish Times by Solas, which oversees the further education and training sector, shows the number of new entrants to PLC courses fell by 17 per cent between 2018 (29,291) and 2021 (24,337).

However, there were signs of recovery last year when the number of new entrants rose by 1 per cent (to 24,662), the first increase in several years.

PLC courses are seen as a crucial option for more hands-on learners and play a vital role in filling skills gaps across the economy and providing alternative pathways to college.

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However, some education observers say a Government decision to create thousands of additional college places in recent years – aimed at easing pressure on CAO points requirements – may have contributed to a decline in the number of school-leavers opting for PLC options.

Others say Covid restrictions may also have impacted on demand and hindered on-the-job training options.

Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris TD has previously said the country’s “obsession” with CAO points has resulted in a culture where university is often seen as the only gateway to personal and career success.

Solas chief executive Andrew Brownlee said it was good to see PLC numbers increase slightly in 2022 after declining “quite significantly” over recent years.

“The bounce back has been helped by initiatives like linking PLC options to the CAO website and removing fees,” he said.

He said there was a wider range of further education and training courses on offer for both school leavers and adults looking to reskill.

These include traineeship-type offerings – which include on-the-job training – and shorter and more intensive upskilling courses.

“Wider demand for further education and training has never been stronger and is well above pre-Covid levels, with around 200,000 unique learners a year,” he said.

“PLC courses are an important part of the jigsaw and offer people a pathway into so many potential occupations, either directly or via progression to university.”

Latest data, he said, shows 90 per cent of PLC graduates are in sustainable employment or higher education one year after completing a course.

Mr Harris, meanwhile, has launched an alternative pathway, outside the CAO points race, which will allow students secure a degree by starting one of 23 different PLC courses.

The courses, in areas such as nursing, computer science, engineering and business, are due to begin next September.

A second batch of courses is due to commence in September 2024 in areas such as culinary arts, music technology, sustainability, performing arts and supply chain management.

The move is part of a drive to create alternative pathways to third level without the need to secure high points. It also aims to forge closer links between further education colleges and universities and reduce student dropout rates.

“We are working in a very active way to provide pathways for everyone to reach their full potential, whether that’s the apprenticeship route or entry route where you start in a college of further education and then complete a degree programme in a university of technological university,” Mr Harris said.

Apprenticeships, another option promoted by the Government, also fell during the Covid era with new registrations declining from 6,175 in 2019 to 5,325 in 2020.

However, latest figures show the number of new entrants choosing this route bounced back to more than 8,200 last year, exceeding pre-Covid figures by some 34 per cent.

Policymakers are hopeful both PLC and apprenticeship numbers will continue to grow this year, with apprenticeships likely to hit a record 9,000 registrations.

“There is huge potential to expand the apprenticeship offering in Ireland,” Mr Harris said recently.

“We also want to put it up in lights as another way of getting a qualification after school; getting a good well-paid job and trying to address the skills needs that we have in this country particularly around construction, housing, climate and the green economy.”