Post Leaving Cert courses (PLCs ) are specialised courses designed to equip students with practical industry specific skills. PLCs are usually one to two-year module based programmes provided by schools and further education colleges nationwide. Some PLCs offer a placement (work experience ) in the specific industry relating to the course.
It is free to apply to any PLCs and students can apply to as many courses as they wish. However it costs €40/€50 to accept a place. PLCs are available in many towns where there is no university, thus allowing students to remain in their locality while obtaining a Level 5 or Level 6 PLC qualification on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ ). For many students who feel they are too young or not ready to attend university immediately, PLCs are a great way to test out modules which they have never studied or to learn new skills, increasing their employability. For example, there is pre-university law (Level 5 ) PLC available in Ballina, a pre-university engineering (Level 5 ) PLC available in Westport and a pre-nursing PLC (Level 5 ) in Castlebar. With more than 1,900 PLC courses nationwide, there really is something for everyone.
All PLCs are listed on www.fetchcourses.ie or on the specific school/further education college website. The application process may involve an informal 10 to 20 minute interview. Most PLCs do not have a closing date and will continue to accept applications until the course is filled; however some popular courses fill up as soon as applications open.
PLCs can provide a ‘second chance’ or an alternative pathway to university. In the case where a student has not achieved enough Leaving Cert points, a student can complete a PLC and use their PLC scores (which translate into QQI points ) to obtain a university place by applying through the CAO with these QQI points.
Some students may decide to complete a PLC to allow them to set up a business on completion of their PLC. Examples include Athlone Training Centre, which offers a Level 5 PLC course in hairdressing, and GTI in Galway which offers a Level 5 gym instruction PLC.
New range pf PLC courses
Minister Simon Harris has just announced a new range of PLC courses where Leaving Cert points are no longer used to gain entry to these PLCs. Minister Harris has created an alliance consisting of five ETBs in conjunction with local universities which will see students complete two years of a PLC course in a further education college, and then a further two years at university. This will allow the student to gain a Level 7/8 degree. Minister Harris is expected to release more details about the 14 new programmes including nursing, science and business in the near future.
There are so many options for Irish students but one of the biggest challenges is identifying the right course. A PLC course can act as a perfect bridge from second to third level or provide a ‘second chance’ for students to pursue their dream course, or simply equip the student with industry specific skills to enable them to secure their dream job or set up their own business.
For more information on PLC courses check out www.fetchcourses.ie
Claire Murphy obtained her Masters in Career Guidance and Counseling in Trinity College Dublin, and has more than 10 years' experience working as a teacher and in career guidance at both second and third level. She is currently working as a consultant career guidance counsellor in Psychmed. To get in touch with Claire or for any queries contact [email protected] or text or phone Claire on 089 223 5201.
