Over 2,000 expected at further education fair

Over 2,000 people are expected to attend the National Further Study Fair at Dublin's RDS on Wednesday where advice on the best route to employment through further education will be available to attendees.

Representatives from a wide variety of colleges and universities will be on-hand to meet and offer advice to prospective students.

Advice on course choice and funding will also be available.

“With more graduate career opportunities growing by the day it’s a much more ‘considered purchase’,” said Mark Mitchell of GradIreland.

“This fair is a really good opportunity for people to find out about the really important issues such as funding, where to study, the cost of living and whether you should do it full-time or by distance learning,” said Mr Mitchell.

The fair will be broken into three zones each of which will focus on providing specialised information about key areas of interest to prospective students.

The Research Zone will provide information on postgraduate scholarships open to researchers across all disciplines. Attendees will be able to explore the diverse employment opportunities research can provide them with.

Advice will be available to those looking to study beyond undergraduate level but who are undecided about whether to pursue a postgraduate diploma, MA, MSc or a PhD.

Teaching is of particular interest this year as an increase in the Department of Education’s budget and a fall in the pupil-teacher ratio at primary level is due to lead to the creation of 2,260 new posts in the sector.

The Teaching Zone will provide information on the many routes students can take to becoming qualified teachers. Representatives of Tefl (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and Tesol (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) will be present.

Finally, there will be a specialist zone dedicated to funding. Susi will be present along with the Irish Research Council (last year they funded 239 postgraduate research positions).

The Fulbright Commission which awards scholarships for three or more years to research, study, or lecture in the US, will also be present.

In total, representatives of 70 higher education institutions from Ireland, the UK and abroad will be represented. The fair will also feature seminars and talks aimed at informing students of the application process, financial aid and scholarships.

The one-day event is the country’s largest gathering of further study providers and will be worth attending by anyone who recognises that high-level skills will be an integral part of Ireland’s improving economy, said Mr Mitchell.

“If you are at all interested in it or if you are at any stage in your career or your education, it is worth coming along. It is the only time you can see everyone together and get the feel for the differences between the different institutions and the different courses,” he added.

Attendees are encouraged to download the GradIreland events app which allows them to create a profile, directly contact exhibitors and personalise a seminar schedule.

The fair takes place in the Industries Hall, RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 on Wednesday February 10th. A full list of exhibitors can be viewed here.