There has been a significant drop in the number of students accepting certificate and diploma offers this year. At the end of round one of the CAO offers, 14,341 students had accepted cert/diploma offers compared with 16,741 last year. This is in spite of the fact that 150 more students were offered cert/diploma places this year. Of the 46,420 people who received offers in round one, 30,598 have accepted places. This compares with 32,768 acceptances from the 46,308 who were offered places in round one last year. The number of students accepting degree offers has increased marginally from 16,027 to 16,257 this year.
It would appear that all of the advice from guidance counsellors urging students to look seriously at certificate/diploma offers is being ignored. The fact that there is a well-established route from certificate to diploma to degree is simply not getting through to students, who are shunning the regional technical colleges and institutes of technology. Certificates and diplomas are also useful qualifications in their own right.
The increase of more than 2,000 students turning down first-round offers is ironic in view of all of the talk of increased pressure on students competing for third-level places. There appears to be a two-track system in operation, with high-points courses being even more coveted and lower points courses being eschewed by students, who fail to see the real opportunities being offered to them.
Guidance counsellor Mr Vivian Cassells, who has been answering the Points Race helpline for the past few weeks, says there is no excuse for turning down places which could lead students to where they want to go in the first place. "They simply do not understand what is termed the ladder system or they choose to ignore it," he says. Round two offers should arrive in applicants' homes on Monday. With the drop in acceptances in round one, there may be slightly more than last year's 3,000 offers.
NCVA applicants: Sligo RTC's admissions officer told Points Race that the college has set aside eight to 10 places on most courses for applicants with appropriate National Council for Vocational Awards level two qualifications (the qualification offered by most post-Leaving Cert courses).
Offers were made in round one and there may be further offers in round two. Eighty places were offered last year but the uptake was quite low. Significantly more offers have been made this year to NCVA applicants, according to the admissions officer.
Other colleges are also reporting a low uptake over the three years of the pilot linkage programme but most are coy about releasing exact figures. A council spokesman says there has been an increasing interest in the links scheme and more people using it. An overall review will be carried out in the autumn when more detailed information will be available. All the regional technical colleges and the institutes of technology have set aside places for NCVA level-two applicants, who do not have to compete on the basis of Leaving Cert points. With all of the discussion about points requirements, why are more people not using the PLC route to third level?
Part of the answer may lie in a query from an irate guidance counsellor who asked if it was true that NCVA applicants for the Dublin Institute of Technology also had to fulfil the minimum admission requirements for the courses. It is true and it means that a student who did foundation-level maths in the Leaving Cert followed by an NCVA level-two qualification would still not be eligible to apply for any courses in the DIT, which does not accept foundation-level maths.
Equally, any student who did not have five passes in the Leaving Cert but who completed an NCVA level-two (and PLC colleges may accept students they are satisfied are of Leaving Cert standard) would not be eligible to compete for a reserved place in the DIT. Just to confuse the picture further, other colleges accepting NCVA applications do not necessarily follow the same procedure.
For instance, in Dundalk RTC, post-Leaving Cert students are considered on the basis of their NCVA qualification alone for most courses. If there is a materially different requirement, such as a language, the college may refer back to the Leaving Cert, but the student may also fulfil this requirement if he or she took a language in the PLC course.
Carlow RTC also considers NCVA applicants on the basis of their NCVA qualification - they do not need the minimum Leaving Cert requirements.
No wonder students are confused. It seems very straightforward on paper - if you complete a particular PLC and it is accepted by a college for a particular certificate or diploma course, you should be eligible to apply for a reserved third-level place. In practice, however, your Leaving Cert may still be of major significance.
Why do these students need two sets of qualifications to be considered for a college place? Do they realise this when they embark on a one or two-year PLC course? At present, PLC students are not eligible to apply for maintenance grants so they may be struggling unaided in a futile attempt to gain access to third level.
In Tuesday's Points Race, it was stated that reserved places had been set aside for NCVA students in the RTCs and the institutes of education. This should have read RTCs and the institutes of technology. PLC vacancies: Crumlin College, Dublin, has vacancies in bilingual secretarial; selling and sales management; floristry; catering and tourism; office skills; hairdressing and cosmetics. There are also some places left on its newly introduced fashion buying and merchandising course. The college is holding walk-in information sessions between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays. Tel (01) 454 0662.
Dundrum College, Dublin, is still accepting applications for all of its PLC courses. It expects to start classes on September 8th. Tel (01) 298 2340.
Ringsend Technical Institute reports stronger demand than last year but still has vacancies on all courses. Tel (01) 668 4498.
Ormonde College, Kilkenny, says courses such as carpentry and joinery are "packed solid", but there are vacancies in all other courses, including teleservices. Applications will be accepted up until September 15th (and possibly slightly beyond) when classes begin. Applicants for media studies and teleservices will be interviewed. Offers for other courses will be made on the basis of the application form. Tel (056) 22108.
St John's Central College, Cork, has 750 places on offer and has had more than 1,000 applicants. Course vacancies exist in alarm installation and maintenance; boat building; environmental waste management. There is still time to apply. Tel 021-276410.
Plunket College, Dublin, has vacancies on the accounting technician, computer applications and carpentry and joinery courses. Tel (01) 837 1689.
Pearse College, Dublin, is still accepting applications for business studies and international trade; architectural draughting with CAD; retail management and business studies; languages for travel and tourism; warehouse and stores management; media production skills, amenity horticulture; holistic health. Tel (01) 453 6661/454 1544 Additional reporting by Catherine Foley