Nearly 30,000 do not get place on Post-Leaving Cert courses

ALMOST 30,000 applicants for Post-Leaving Cert courses in colleges of further application have failed to secure a place, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) said yesterday.

The union said over 60,000 applicants had sought the 32,000 available places. In one Dublin college, 2,500 applicants applied for 800 Post-Leaving Cert (PLC) places. The TUI has called for the removal of the cap on places that limits student numbers in such colleges. The programme is provided by 140 VEC schools, 23 secondary and 26 community and comprehensive schools.

A TUI survey shows long waiting lists of applicants in almost every county who have little hope of obtaining a place on a PLC course. On average, there are two applicants for every place.

TUI president Don Ryan said PLC courses were a “very cost-effective way of upskilling the population and restrictions on places make no economic, social or educational sense. Even looking at the situation in purely economic terms, the cost of the extra resources necessary to take on new students would be greatly offset by savings . . . in the form of Jobseeker’s Allowance.’’

In May, Minister for Education, Batt O’Keeffe made available 1,500 extra PLC places as part of the Government’s response to the education and training needs of workers facing unemployment.

The total number of PLC places on offer is 31,688.

A 2006 ESRI survey on school leavers who left school in the 2003/04 academic year showed that about 75 per cent cent of those who took PLC courses completed their studies, with 93 per cent of those getting certificates.

PLC courses provide students with specific vocational skills that enhance their prospects of securing employment or progressing on to further studies.

Mr Ryan said: “We call on the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment to allocate a significant portion of its training budget to the VECs. The VECs have the expertise and track record to provide further education courses tailored to meet the local industry demands and needs, enabling students to enter the workforce or to progress on to further education and training.’’