All your education questions answered by Brian Mooney

As a student in school in the 1990s, I always had an interest in science and took chemistry for my Leaving Certificate. Given all of the recent publicity regarding career opportunities in science, I am interested in returning to study but am not confident enough to return immediately to degree level. What options are available to me in the Dublin region? While I was in school, I felt very frustrated in not being able to engage in hands-on experiment work. Without this hands-on experience, what encouragement is there for young people to consider the sciences?

As an adult considering returning to education as a mature student at undergraduate level, there is a vast selection of science courses available in the higher education sector. If you wish to explore the full range of science courses, available for mature students, simply log on to the Qualifax website at www.qualifax.ie, where you will find details of every course in Ireland. When you select any course, simply click on the mature entry page and you will be provided with all the information you require. Once you have narrowed down the list of courses you might like to explore further, you should then visit the college's websites, visit the science departments of the college in question, or attend their open day.

If you feel that you are not ready to launch straight into an undergraduate degree programme, there are a number of science foundation and access courses available (contact Jedda.downey

@gmail.com for details). These courses prepare prospective students for life and study at higher education with a particular emphasis on science subjects. The courses cover the fundamentals of mathematics, physics, biology, and chemistry to equip students to enter at first year undergraduate level with good basic knowledge of the science subjects studied. NUI Maynooth offers a NUI Cert in science, engineering, and business for mature students. This course has a strong academic content but focuses on study skills, personal development, information technology, effective communication, and career guidance. This is a full-time course with guaranteed entry on successful completion to a number of science, engineering and business courses in NUI Maynooth.

UL and TCD also offer full-time foundation-level course in these areas. UCD offers science access courses for matures on a part-time basis, as do NUI Galway in partnership with GMIT. The Institutes of Technology and other higher education institutions also provide foundation-level courses throughout the country.

Regarding the second part of your question, last week was science week with a range of events and activities to promote an interest in science among young people. In recent years, the primary school curriculum was expanded to include science subjects and Science Engineering Ireland (SEI) operates a primary school programme to support the teaching of science at primary level. Many higher education institutions support the teaching of science in schools.

NUI Maynooth and Science Engineering Ireland Primary Science Project, which commences as a pilot in 2007, will carry out experiments in biology, physics, and chemistry for fifth and sixth classes in a number of primary schools.

At second level, the curriculum has also been changed to meet the needs of young people with a greater emphasis on practical laboratory experiments at junior certificate level. At senior cycle, the science programme has also been revised to include work that is more practical and this student-focused approach will hopefully encourage more young people to continue to study science subjects to leaving certificate and into further and higher education.

Brian Mooney is the former president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors.

E-mail questions to bmooney@irish- times.ie