Higher Options: ‘One-stop shop’ for Leaving Cert students to explore career paths

The largest ever concentration of career and study information for school-leavers is set to take place in Dublin this week when The Irish Times Higher Options event takes place side by side with the WorldSkills Ireland event at the RDS.

The co-location of the two events from Wednesday to Friday means visitors will be able to explore an array of opportunities and career paths, across two shows, in a single trip.

Higher Options, run in partnership with the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, attracts thousands of students each year who get the chance to meet representatives of universities and further education colleges and help choose their study options after the Leaving Cert.

WorldSkills Ireland, a live event in partnership between Government, enterprise, industry and education, also attracts thousands of students to an event that showcases apprenticeships and skills with live demonstrations and competitions.

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The two events will run consecutively, allowing students to attend one event in the morning and another in the afternoon.

Janet Stafford, marketing partnerships manager at The Irish Times, said the two groups saw “a great opportunity” to run side by side, to provide a “one-stop shop” for school-leavers trying to decide what to do next.

“The two events are separate, but we’re coming together for the benefit of the students,” she said. “We thought it would be great for them to come to Dublin and have a one-stop shop in terms of all you could want to know about where to go after you finish school.

“There are so many options and progression routes nowadays. It’s not at all just a case of filling in your CAO and going to university. It’s a much broader choice of options.

“The events will cover everything that senior-cycle second-level students could want to know in terms of higher education, further education and training opportunities, as well as the progression routes between different entry points.”

The Higher Options event will include representatives from the Irish universities, further and higher education institutions, the CAO and UK, US, and European education providers, as well as many others.

“In Higher Options, you will primarily be meeting the Irish universities and attending talks on CAO applications, funding supports, as well as career area talks,” said Ms Stafford.

“Among the career talks, there will be Irish Times journalists doing panel discussions in different skills areas like law, midwifery, business, science, tech and engineering.

“There will be talks on how to study in Europe. The Department of Foreign Affairs will be attending to talk about careers in the EU, and there are also 25 UK universities attending.

“A new thing we have this year is a mini Gaeltacht. It came about because of a series of talks we did on careers in Irish that was very well-received, and there is also a Government directive that 20 per cent of public servants have to be proficient in Irish by 2030.

“Other international attendees will be Georgia Institute of Technology and EducationUSA, which will be providing information to students who may wish to study in the US.”

WorldSkills Ireland 2023, meanwhile, will showcase a wide range of skills areas, including construction and infrastructure, ICT, creative arts, engineering, hospitality and tourism, transportation and logistics, and more.

“There is a fantastic display of all the apprenticeship skills and training happening there,” said Ms Stafford. “Nearly all will be demonstrated through competitions throughout the day. You will have people demonstrating things like bricklaying and cyber security.

“It’s a really impressive way of showcasing what is involved and also provides an opportunity to talk to students doing them. They had Neven Maguire there on a stage a few years back talking about how he started off training in culinary skills, for example.”

Ray English, WorldSkills Ireland chair, said visitors will be able to explore an unprecedented array of opportunities and career paths, across two shows, in one location.

“Vocational skills are critical to the success of our economy, and we believe that by promoting excellence in these areas, we can create a brighter future for our young people, our industries and our country,” he said.

“We are excited to work with our partners to elevate the status and perception of skills in Ireland and inspire the next generation of skilled professionals.”

The three-day event will also host live competitions, providing a platform for Ireland’s skilled youth to showcase their talent and compete at the highest level, interactive “try a skill” areas, virtual reality demonstrations and inspirational talks from industry experts.

“WorldSkills Ireland is a must-attend event for young people wanting to explore skills education, training and career opportunities right on their doorstep,” said Donal Keys from Technological University Dublin and joint chair of WorldSkills Ireland national competition.

“Ireland has a rich skills heritage and we want to make sure that this continues well into the future. WorldSkills Ireland is an invaluable learning experience that can have a lasting impact on young people’s future and is certainly an event not to be missed.”