Further education resources: a glossary

Access: Most third-level colleges run access programmes, providing additional educational, emotional and financial supports to students. See accesscollege.ie for more details.

Apprenticeships: Apprenticeships offer a chance to earn while you learn. Apprenticeships cover a wide range of trades from motor mechanics, plumbing, stonemasonry and carpentry to auctioneering, recruitment and ICT. See apprenticeship.ie for more details.

Back to Education Allowance/Back to Education Initiative: People with disabilities, carers and those in receipt of certain social protection benefits may qualify for the BTEA, allowing them to return to further or higher education without losing their benefit. Contact your local ETB for more details.

Community education: Adult learning in community settings around Ireland, focused on the needs of learners who are often involved in the design of the programme.

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Fetchcourses.ie: A searchable database of Further Education and Training (FET) courses from Solas.

Further Education and Training: PLCs, apprenticeships, traineeships and any education outside primary, standard secondary and third-level colleges, including adult education and Youthreach, all fall under the remit of FET.

Grants: Returning to education can be expensive, but your local ETB or, at third level, student support office, can direct you to sources of funding. See also accesscollege.ie.

Interest courses: Adult education centres, community colleges and some third-level institutions offer a diverse selection of interest-based evening or day courses, which can be stimulating in their own right or help you test the waters for a return to education.

National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ): Courses accredited by Quality and Qualifications Ireland – the gold standard in Ireland and an internationally recognised award – ranging from level one and two (certificate) to level three (Junior Cert), levels four and five (Leaving Certificate), level six (advanced and higher certs), level seven (ordinary degree), level eight (higher degree), level nine (master’s degree and postgraduate diploma) and level 10 (doctoral degrees). See qqi.ie for more information.

National Tertiary Office: A new access route to third-level education allowing undergraduate students to obtain a university degree outside of the traditional points-based system. From September, courses range across healthcare, enterprise, ICT and creative sectors. Each course will be delivered by a further education provider in collaboration with a higher education provider. See nto.ie for further information.

Post-Leaving Certificate: PLC courses run by education and training boards in colleges of further education around the country. Typically lasting a year or two in duration, PLC courses prepare students for employment through a mix of practical work, academic work and work experience as well being a stepping stone to third-level for others. See fetchcourses.ie.

Qualifax.ie: A one-stop source of information for all courses across higher, further and adult education.

Smartchoices.ie: Everything you need to know about further education and training.

Solas: Solas (an tSeirbhís Oideachais Leanúnaigh agus Scileanna) is tasked with building a world class FET sector and it oversees €800 million of funding each year. See solas.ie.

Traineeship: Employment-focused courses, leading to a level four to six NFQ qualification, preparing students for jobs in areas suffering from skills shortages. Courses are delivered via classroom or online learning plus at least 30 per cent on-the-job training. See solas.ie for more details.