Pilot programme for vocational Junior Cert planned

A NEW vocationally oriented variation of the Junior Certificate aimed at academically weak students is to be introduced this autumn.

The Minister for Education, Ms Breathnach, yesterday told a Dublin conference on lifelong learning that the Junior Cert Schools Programme would be introduced on a pilot basis this September.

The initiative was designed to "reach out, more effectively to a small but important minority of students whose educational needs are not being adequately met at present", she said.

Like the Leaving Cert Applied Programme introduced last year a practical version of the traditional Leaving Cert the Junior Cert Schools Programme is designed to cut the early drop out rate. About 45 schools will offer the programme in the autumn, rising to 80 over three years.

The Minister for Enterprise and Employment told the conference that, out of the 67,000 who leave school each year, about 12,000 leave with no or minimal qualifications. "Much needs to be done to promote the idea of lifelong learning among young people who have found it difficult to commit themselves to school or other educational and training programmes in the past", Mr

Bruton said.

The conference is one of a number of events organised to mark the European Year of Lifelong Learning this year. The European Commission has provided finding of about £60,000 for 24 projects promoting lifelong learning. The closing conference for the year will be held in Dublin in conjunction with the Irish presidency of the EU.

According to Ms Breathnach, transforming the concept of life long learning into reality involves a "radical challenge" to the education, system. "It also involves a significant cultural change for all sectors of education and training. Lifelong learning is not merely another definition of adult learning. It must be seen as a process providing flexibility for all learners.

Schools should become a community resource, used by learners of all ages, she added. The termination of formal schooling must be seen as only a stage in lifelong learning and not a once off investment", she said.

Prof John Coolahan of Maynooth College warned that unless successful action was taken to deal with early school leavers, the gap would widen further between those would could cope and contribute and those trapped in and "underclass" of chronic unemployment and socio-economic disadvantage.