IF NCVA level 2 means nothing to you, read on, as it could open the door to third level. If you don't expect to get the points but would still like to go to college, you may be under the impression that the only option is to repeat the Leaving Cert or wait until you are 23 when you can apply as a mature student. Not so.
There are about 18,000 students studying for Post Leaving Certificate courses in colleges around the country. The PLC is not quite third level - it's often referred to as the "two-and-a-half level". The range of courses available here is enormous and most lead to a qualification known as the NCVA level 2 which is awarded by the National Council for Vocational Awards.
The PLC - a stepping stone to third level
While the primary aim of PLCs is to prepare students for employment, the NCVA level 2 qualification also provides a stepping stone into third-level education. Under a pilot links scheme 1,000 places have been set aside for NCVA level 2 candidates this year. Although you apply through the CAO, you are not competing in the Leaving Cert points race. You are being considered on the basis of your further education qualification.
This scheme will not allow you direct access to degree-level courses. But it will allow you into the first year of many certificate and diploma courses in the regional technical colleges and the Dublin Institute of Technology. From there, it is possible to progress to degree by way of add-on qualifications.
It is important to remember that only relevant PLCs will be accepted for specific courses. If you're thinking of applying for a PLC, you should check with the NCVA which third-level courses you will be eligible to apply for.
How it works
Not all NCVA students are guaranteed places on a third-level course and colleges may choose on the basis of grades obtained in the NCVA level 2 award. But, to date, the places reserved for NCV graduates have been under rather than oversubscribed. This may be due to some initial confusion about the scheme. As more people realise the opportunities that it is likely that competition for the reserved places will increase.
There has also been some confusion about the allocation of places. Last year some colleges made offers to NCVA candidates in round zero of the CAO schedule. (These are offers which area not dependent on this year's Leaving Cert results and which go out a week ahead). Other colleges made offers in round one, and some waited for round two. This meant if you were offered a place in Sligo or Dundalk RTC, which made offers in round zero, you had to make a decision on these offers before you knew which other colleges were going to make you an offer. Of course, you could take up an offer and change your mind subsequently, if you got a more favourable offer. But, the sensible thing would be for all colleges to coordinate their schedules for these reserved places.
The CAO form
To apply to the CAO as an NCVA level 2 candidate, you must fill out the entire CAO form including pages three and four. O page three, you tick box five, the NCVA/PLC box. On page four, you give details of the course and the award title.
And now to the photocopier. You must supply a photocopy of pages three and four for each college to which you apply. In addition, you must supply a certified/ stamped photocopy (not the original) of your award certificate - again one for each college as well as one for the CAO. If you are sitting exams in the summer, the results of these exams must be provided immediately they become available - and, yes, you must go back to the photocopier as a copy is needed for each college as well as one for the CAO.
The success of the pilot scheme
It is difficult to get a complete picture of how the links scheme (between the PLCs and the third-level colleges) which is entering its third year, is working but a number of colleges have supplied us with figures. In Carlow RTC, 107 students began college under the NCVA scheme in 1995; the 1996 figures are not yet available but the college expects the number to be even higher this year. There are about 60 NCVA students in first year in Dundalk RTC this year while Letterkenny RTC reports "moderate participation" in the scheme. Limerick RTC does not have any students in first year who came in via the NCVA scheme, while Sligo RTC does not have figures on the take-up of places but says that 120 places were reserved for these students.
In Tralee RTC, seven students registered under this scheme last year and in Waterford RTC 12 NCVA graduates took up places. Athlone RTC offered places to 100 NCVA students in 1996 but only about a third of these took up their offers. This is a considerable improvement on previous years, according to the college.
Eight NCVA students took up places with Galway RTC last year. A small number of NCVA students have begun their studies in the DIT; however the DIT only joined the pilot scheme last year. Details of the DIT's participation were not finalised and sent to guidance counsellors until May last year so it may have been too late for most students to apply. The DIT expects a substantial increase in the number of applications from NCVA candidates this year.
Finance
There are no fees but you will not be eligible to apply for a maintenance grant. This means you will have to find the money to support yourself throughout the course. There are up to 600 PLC students in the College of Commerce, Cork, staying in digs and apartments in the city, according to college principal, Gerard O'Dwyer. He says that there is no doubt that there are some students who are unable even to finance a one-year PLC.
He would like to see some kind of special funding available for deserving students, as an interim measure. The alternative is to allow them to draw the dole and join the list of the unemployed, he points out. In the long term he would like to see maintenance grants extended to all PLC students. Jerome Morrissey, principal of Ballyfermot Senior College in Dublin, one of the largest providers of PLCs in the State, says that maintenance grants are absolutely essential. "The PLC courses fit better than many into the ESF criteria for vocational education and training. PLC students are being seriously discriminated against," he says.
The PLC - a qualification in its own right
PLC courses provide valid qualifications in their own right even if you never wanted to go on to further study. There is no central applications system so you must apply to the colleges directly. Most PLCs are offered by VEC schools and colleges so you should contact your local VEC for a list of courses in your area. The College Choice supplement, published with The Irish Times on January 7th this year, contained a list of PLCs on offer around the State. The more popular courses usually fill before the CAO offers are made so it would be wise to get in touch with these colleges and find out about applications procedures. Most colleges, interview all candidates as a screening procedure.
Although the majority of courses are one-year NCVA level-2 qualifications, some of the courses on offer are, in effect, third-level in status. For instance, the College of Commerce in Cork offers a four-year Marketing Institute of Ireland programme while Ballyfermot Senior College offers nine BTEC higher national diplomas (a British qualification which equates roughly to our national certificate).
The variety of PLCs on offer is astounding, ranging from delicatessen management to care of the elderly, outdoor education to greenkeeping, journalism to teleservices. Many of these courses are not available at third level.
The DIT add-on option
In a previous column we looked at the add-on degrees available in the regional technical colleges. (These allow students to progress from cert to diploma toe degree). We have had a number of queries about the situation in the Dublin Institute of Technology.
Most of DIT's degrees are ab initio, which means you go directly into the degree programme from year one in the DIT. But, there is the possibility of transferring from the various diplomas offered by the DIT into these degree programmes. Usually, students need a merit or distinction in their diploma (which must, obviously, be relevant to the degree) and they transfer to year three of the degree.
It is also possible to transfer from diploma programmes in other colleges into degrees in the DIT but the DIT's own students will get preference.
Mature applicants
Mature applicants applying to the National College of Art and Design for its first year core, course should note that the closing date is Friday, January 31st. The closing date for mature applicants for the BA in art and design education and the BDes in industrial design is March 3rd.
If you're looking for a full-time BA programme, St Patrick's College, in Drumcondra, Dublin, may not spring to mind immediately. However, it offers a BA which is very mature student friendly. Up to one quarter of its places are reserved for mature students each year. The closing date is April 2nd. Write to the admissions office at the college for more information.
Leaving Cert Vocational Programme
As reported in last Friday's column students sitting the LCVP will be awarded points for the three link modules which they complete in addition to traditional Leaving Cert subjects. So far, only the regional technical colleges have agreed to accept these points. The CAO has asked that LCVP applicants tick box on page three of the CAO form and then give details on page four.
Additional research by Emmet Oliver
A telephone helpline will be available from Monday to Friday for the duration of this column from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Students and parents are invited to telephone us with their queries about, colleges, courses and careers. Tel: (01) 679-8031