Students desert building and property courses

STUDENTS ARE deserting courses in building and property at third level as concern about the housing market deepens.

The latest figures from the CAO show a drop of almost one-third in the number of students applying for higher-level degree courses in these and related areas. The fall-off in demand for these courses at ordinary and certificate level is even greater - at more than 40 per cent.

The CAO figures, based on options selected by Leaving Cert students and others in January, also show a decline in demand for courses - such as law and nursing - which have attracted negative media publicity.

Parents tend to play a major role in shaping CAO choices and their influence can be seen in the figures.

Demand for higher-degree courses in law is down by more than 4 per cent, a trend possibly linked to recent publicity about rogue solicitors. Demand in nursing, which has been beset by industrial relations difficulties, is down by more than 6 per cent.

The decline in the area of the built environment reflects the slowdown in demand for courses such as construction studies, surveying and planning. In a related trend, demand for courses in architecture is also down by more than 7 per cent.

Overall, the new figures confirm the trend of recent years where students have been drifting back towards "safer" choices amid fears of recession.

There is still very strong demand for teaching, with an increase of over 6 per cent in applications since last year. There is also continued strong demand for courses in arts (up more than 6 per cent) and business (up almost 1 per cent).

The Government will also be encouraged by some early signs that the expensive campaign to promote science and engineering among students is having some effect. Demand for science courses is up by almost 5 per cent, while engineering is up more than 3 per cent.

This the first clear sign of increased interest in these areas after years in which student demand has been falling.

In recent years, the Government, business and teachers have launched various school-based and other initiatives to reverse the trend.

In contrast, courses in physiotherapy are continuing to show a decline in applications. This follows concerns raised by parents and students in the media about the lack of job opportunities for physiotherapy graduates.

Overall, career experts says there will be little change in CAO points levels this year. In recent years, points for most college courses have declined, reflecting the increasing range of courses available to students.