Read More HereThe majority of those who are likely to apply to CAO have probably done so by now. At the beginning of this week, over 48,240 people had applied online to CAO (compared to over 42,840 applicants the same day last year).
So towards the end of the month the interest starts to shift from CAO colleges to colleges of further education. Last Thursday's column referred to the FE/PLC sector, highlighting the great variety of courses to be found in them.
Most of FE/PLC colleges come under the aegis of local vocational education committees and are classified as second-level schools. Therefore the courses that they offer at post-Leaving Certificate level are classified as 'further' education rather than 'higher' education. Many lead to awards from the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC).
There is no central applications system for the FE sector. Applicants must apply directly to each college.
Q Are points required for FE colleges?
A No. Most FE courses are open to applicants with a basic Leaving Certificate. Applicants to some courses may be asked to meet minimum entry requirements of specific Leaving Certificate results. Colleges of further education usually conduct interviews and applicants are given an opportunity to talk about themselves and to say why the course interests them. Applicants who are called for an interview should always research the course to which they are applying.
Today, there are open days in many FE colleges, including several colleges of the City of Dublin VEC.
Three separate colleges -- Crumlin College, Pearse College and St Kevin's College -- are all located in the Crumlin area, and they host their open days today from 10am-4pm in each campus.
Crumlin College offers full-time courses in Beauty, Hair and Fashion; Sport and Fitness; Tourism and Catering; IT and Multimedia Design; and Business.
Pearse College's courses include Business, Computing, Languages, Horticulture, Holistic Therapies, and University Access.
FE courses in St Kevin's College, Crumlin fall into three main categories: Media; Science and Engineering; and Sports and Leisure.
Ballsbridge College of Further Education, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, which also host an open day today from 11am--3pm, offers courses in Auctioneering, Property Management, many aspects of Business; Health Sector Studies, Applied Psychology, Criminology and Social Studies, and Computing and Multimedia.
Marino College of Further Education, North Strand Rd, Dublin 1, offers courses in Nursing and Childcare, Secretarial and Administration (including specialised Medical and Legal Secretary courses), Creative Studies such as Journalism, Photography, TV and Film Production, and a course in Beauty and Sales Consultancy. Its open day runs from 11am-- 4pm today.
Dunboyne College of Further Education, Dunboyne, Co Meath, hosts an open afternoon from 2pm-4pm today. Its courses include pre-apprenticeships, business courses; health care and community care; multimedia and computers; and pre-university courses in Arts, Science and Engineering.
For more information: Check your local VEC -- the larger VECs have the greatest range of courses. Check also the Qualifax website, www.qualifax.ie, and the FETAC website, www.fetac.ie.