PLC students excel during times of uncertainty
PANDEMIC PROVES NO BARRIER TO SUCCESS AS VOCATIONAL STUDENTS COMPLETE COURSES AND PREPARE FOR NEXT STEP IN EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY
STUDENTS throughout the county will forever remember 2020 as the year in which the Leaving Cert was cancelled, the year when, after months of uncertainty, the exams were called off and their future placed in the hands of their teachers.
But the coronavirus hasn’t just affected those due to sit their Leaving Cert. It’s impacted upon students across the board. However, many have risen to the challenge, adapted to their new circumstances and excelled against the odds.
Iain Wickham is the Principal at Enniscorthy Vocational College (EVC) and he highlighted the work of some of those who have completed PLC (Post Leaving Cert) courses at the school this year.
‘We would like to pay tribute to some of these excellent students for their hard work and dedication over the difficult 2019/2020 academic year,’ said Mr Wickham.
‘Ryan Kavanagh has just completed his QQI Level Five Nursing studies with Distinction. Since 2014, Ryan has worked with the Order of Malta and always knew he wanted a career in the care industry.
‘Having completed a ‘ Try Nursing’ programme in Waterford Institute of Technology he realised nursing was the career for him. Before embarking on the degree, he wanted to be sure of his career choice so decided to do a PLC course in Enniscorthy Vocational College.’
Discussing his time at EVC, Ryan said, ‘Doing the course in EVC is one of the best decisions I could have made. This course has given me the foundation I will need to go to college to study nursing, not only the nursing and medical knowledge but also knowledge needed for any sort of college course such as assignment writing, Harvard referencing and practical skills.
‘I also met some amazing friends who I am sure I will stay friends with for years to come.’
For Ryan the PLC course in EVC has proved a valuable stepping-stone in achieving his goals. He now hopes to go on to study General Nursing in Waterford Institute of Technology ( WIT).
Ady Scallan has successfully completed QQI Level 6 in Early Childhood Education and Care. When she completed her Leaving Certificate in 2018 Ady did not feel ready to go to College. She decided to do the Level 5 in Social Studies and Community Care in EVC with a view to becoming an SNA (Special Needs Assistant).
Through her work placement, she realised she loved working with children aged 5-12 so she decided to further her studies and complete the Level 6 course. She now plans to progress her education yet further with EVC’s special advanced entry link to the Second Year of the Bachelor of Arts (honours) Early Childhood Education & Care.
‘I couldn’t have asked for more help and support or guidance from all the teachers and course directors from the first day I started in EVC,’ said Ady. ‘ The class numbers were nice, not too big, so there was a personal feel and we all got to know each other quickly.’
Elaine O’Brien has just successfully completed the Pre-Science course, having returned to education as a mature student. As a mother with a young family she had concerns about how she could ‘juggle’ everything, between childcare and college work.
‘ The first Maths class was scary as we had a few questions to answer to give the teacher the idea what level we were at. I couldn’t answer a single one,’ Elaine says.
‘I needn’t have worried as the teacher acknowledged my distress and reassured me that when we were done I would be well able to answer all the questions.
‘ This set the tone for all my classes and teachers – reassurance, in-depth explanations and endless patience.’
Elaine said her experience in EVC was 100% positive and said she would encourage anyone considering this course not to let their fears hold them back.
Una Roche has just completed the first year of a two-year programme in hairdressing and barbering. She returned to EVC as a mature student looking for a change of career.
‘ Throughout my first year I have learned so much about the theory of hairdressing and barbering and the practical skills required,’ she said.
Una has very successfully completed her first year’s training and is looking forward to next year. On completion of the two-year course she will have received the QQI Level 5 in Hairdressing, her Junior and Senior trades and her City & Guilds Diplomas in Women’s and Men’s Hairdressing and City & Guilds Diploma in Barbering.
She hopes all these qualifications will open up a wide range of opportunities in the hairdressing and barbering industry for her.
Austeja Balkute successfully completed the Business Studies PLC in EVC. She opted to take this course to prepare her for University and help make sure she chose the correct course of study at Third Level.
‘I believe it gave me an insight in what future schooling will be like. I am now patiently waiting for CAO offers to continue my business education further,’ said Austeja.
Austeja applied to travel to Vasteras, Sweden for three weeks’ work experience on the Erasmus+ programme where she learned so much working in City Hall; interviewing politicians and calculating voting statistics.
Over the past decade Enniscorthy Vocational College have sent 16 students a year to Vasteras in Sweden on work placement through the Erasmus+ programme. This year it is expanding the Erasmus programme and sending students to Sweden, Germany and Spain.
Zoe Kearney has successfully completed QQI level 5 Sport Recreation & Exercise course this year. At age 18, Zoe felt she was too young to progress to college and took the year to do a course in something she loved: sport. She enjoyed all aspects of the course and hopes to continue her studies in Sport management in Waterford or Carlow Institute of Technology.
Jamie Thomas, another successful graduate of the Sports Recreation & Exercise course, felt the course gave him ‘confidence, broadened my horizons and made me think more about the needs of athletes, about fitness and how important exercise is for your wellbeing, mental and physical.’
After completing her Leaving Certificate, the only thing Amy Fortune was sure about was she wanted to work with children. She signed up for the Social Studies and Community Care course in EVC and said she loved the broad range of modules covering all aspects of working with children and how the environment around them affects their development and learning.
She found the work placement hours on the course very beneficial, working alongside and shadowing experienced SNAs, learning how they cope with daily challenges.
The small classes and supportive teachers helped Amy in the transition from secondary to further education and she hopes to continue her education in WIT.
Colm Kehoe Nolan returned to education as a mature student to do the Level 5 course in Early Childhood Education and Care. Being the only man on the course was quite daunting at first but he soon settled in. Colm had the opportunity to travel on the Erasmus+ programme to Vasteras in Sweden where he worked with childcare professionals and got to see first-hand how their childcare facilities differ from ours.
Jack Allen is EVC’s first male graduate from Beauty Therapy. Being male in a predominantly female industry has been an adventure for him but he has never been treated differently because of his gender. On completion of the course Jack will receive qualifications from ITEC, CIBTAC, CIDESCO and QQI and will be fully qualified with internationally recognised qualifications as a Beauty Therapist.
Jack was selected to travel on the Erasmus+ exchange programme to Sweden where he completed three weeks’ work placement in the prestigious Sky Spa Plaza. ‘It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I learned so much and enjoyed the time,’ he said.
Liam Roche has successfully completed the QQI course in Engineering Technology. During his time at the school, he has made great friends and gained practical skills and knowledge of the Engineering sector. He now hopes to progress on to Cork Institute of Technology to study Architectural Technology.
Liam left school after his Junior Certificate. He completed a Level 4 QQI at Youth Train in Wexford. ‘I would never have gotten to where I am now without the support I received in Enniscorthy Vocational College,’ he said.
Nicole Cahill returned to education at 22 years of age to do the Media course and achieved the top marks in her class through hard work and
‘IT GAVE ME AN INSIGHT TO WHAT FUTURE SCHOOLING WILL BE LIKE. I AM NOW WAITING FOR CAO OFFERS TO CONTINUE MY EDUCATION.’
determination with lots of support from her teachers and her classroom assistant. This was a fantastic personal achievement for Nicole as she has a brain injury and is confined to a wheelchair. Nicole has applied to the Level 8 (honours) Media course in Carlow IT. She says, ‘I can confidently say that the media production course in EVC not only gave me the qualifications I needed for college also the self-belief and determination I needed to move forward in life.
‘Returning to education in E.V.C. was and always will be the best decision I have ever made.’
Courtney Kenny has successfully completed her QQI level 5 in Legal studies and said she had learned a lot on the course. ‘I have always been interested in the law, and in particular the aspects that deal with the course of pursuing the law and being a part of the system that ensures that injustices are found and dealt with accordingly.
‘I believe in the protection of the community and in those that stand up against violence. I wish to be able to join them in their battle to protect and serve. I would love the opportunity to be able to work with other people to help those that are vulnerable.’
Courtney hopes to further her studies in the area of criminal psychology or criminology.
Outlining the importance of PLC courses in the modern education system, Mr Wickham said, ‘Key to the decision in choosing a PLC Course at Enniscorthy Vocational College is the long-term benefit it provides the individual in successfully completing their chosen college course or apprenticeship.
‘It is a feature of the reality of college study in Ireland that many students who have just completed their Leaving Certificate are unsure of their career and course options and make CAO and training choices that are not suited to their aptitudes or developing interests into the future.
‘ This phenomenon has seen many courses in colleges and IT’s having a high dropout or failure rate in their first year with students realising the mistake made in their initial course application.
‘A PLC course will avoid this potential for dropping out and wasting a year with all the financial and emotional consequences, in a number of specific ways. One, by undertaking the PLC course you will study the basic tenets and principles of the subject area you are interested in, allowing you to find out of you appreciate the subject, even like or have an aptitude for it, without waiting to invest thousands of euro to discover this and possibly fail in the process.
‘Successively by undertaking a PLC course you will learn how to be a third level student, there is no uniform, a college-like timetable, deadlined assignments to be completed and lecture-based instruction.
‘ This experience will lessen the stress and difficulties of coping with college life when you eventually go the following year. You will learn how to be student; PLC moulds students into college students and successful apprentices. It is a “dry run” for further study, which means you will cope when you move to the next level in your career development, and in first year after secondary school coping is the difference between success and failure.
‘In this new post Covid era, our programmes allow certainty to students and their apprehensive parents and guardians about the future. PLC futureproofs successful professional choices for the future.
‘Indeed even if students are sure of their choices, they can defer their college place and come to EVC and insure their future success in less than 12 months in an environment of a caring excellent staff and a cutting edge campus on the outskirts of the centrally located town of Enniscorthy.
‘We in EVC would like to congratulate all of our students in their achievements and wish them every success.’