Ladders and links to the top

You may hear some pedagogues talk knowingly about the "ladder system". They are not talking about methods of maintaining order on a construction site. No, they are referring to the links between different avenues of education.

Links, ladders, whatever the connections are called, it's time to climb those steps, scale those heights and get up to the next level in your educational journey. Onwards and upwards, as they say.

Students no longer have to follow a particular rigid route, they can link, change, adapt and step sideways. For example, most applications to the CAO are from school-leavers, but there are also about 2,000 third-level places reserved for people with Post Leaving Certificate qualifications. These first-year places are on certificate and diploma courses in the institutes of technology. They are open to students who have successfully completed the NCVA (National Council for Vocational Awards) Level 2 courses.

If you hold an NCVA Level 2 qualification, you will still have to compete for a third-level place, but only with other PLC students. The final report of the Commission on the Points System notes that in 1998 more than 3,100 candidates applied for these places and almost 1,400 accepted places.

About 20,000 first-year places are on offer in PLC colleges and many, but not all, of the courses are linked with third-level programmes. If you are applying for a PLC course with third-level in mind, you must check that the particular PLC you are interested in is linked with a third-level course. The NCVA publishes a guide to higher education links each year and some college prospectuses also list linked courses.

It's worth checking the NCVA Guide to The Higher Education Links Scheme 2000 for more detailed information. The link between third level and the Post Leaving Certificate sector is particularly important to students who have opted for the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme. Some 8,000 students are currently pursuing the two-year programme in 244 schools. These cannot apply directly for third level. They must go the PLC route if third level is their ultimate aim.

There is no central applications body for PLC courses, so students must apply directly to the college. Places are not allocated on the basis of points. Most colleges will interview students to determine their suitability. Almost all PLC courses are open to Leaving Cert Applied students, with the exception of a small number of courses approved by professional bodies.

Students at certificate or diploma level who want to continue to degree level can avail of lots of opportunities. There is a wide variety of one and two-year add-on programmes for those who do well enough in their exams.

For instance, the latest HEA survey shows that 68 per cent of (1998) graduates with national certificates in science were continuing their studies in April 1999, presumably to diploma level. A further 26 per cent were in full-time employment while 3 per cent were seeking work.

At diploma level, 54 per cent of graduates were back in the classroom, presumably doing add-on degrees, while 39 per cent were in full-time employment. Meanwhile, 2.7 per cent were looking for jobs.

The high proportion of both certificate and diploma graduates of all disciplines who were continuing their studies illustrates how well the ladder system works.

The number of add-on degrees available in the institutes of technology increases each year. The usual structure is for students to do a two-year certificate, followed by a one-year diploma. Or you may begin your studies with a three-year ab-initio diploma and then progress to a degree. Some add-on degrees are one rather than two years. You must achieve certain grades in your exams, usually a merit or distinction, to progress up this "ladder of opportunity". Alternatively, if you pass your certificate, it may be possible to gain a year's relevant work experience and return to college later. This does not apply when going from diploma to degree.

Not every student wants to follow the PLC or IT route. There are many reasons why they don't opt for it - there's the snob factor, for one. Some students don't want to admit to their friends that they are not going to university.

However, it's worth remembering that if the course interests you, it's wise to pursue it. The main reason students seem to spurn certificates and diplomas is because they are just that - certificates and diplomas.

They are not degrees, and yet lots of students who began with certificate and diploma courses go on to graduate from the institutes of technology with degrees. There is a well-worn ladder which takes students from certificate to diploma to degree and onwards, if that's the objective. So heed your heart. Don't worry that it's just a certificate. Does the course interest you? If it does, plunge in and complete it and then get up on that old ladder and climb.