Discover choice and opportunity by choosing a PLC course
A POST Leaving Cert (PLC) course is a great way to avail of a broad range of courses to suit personal interests, future employment prospects and study goals. PLC’s are an important bridge between school, employment and third-level education with roughly 40,000 students now enrolled in a PLC course in Ireland. This makes PLC’s among the largest component of full-time further education and training in the country.
But the report also stated that the types of PLC courses have not changed markedly over time to suit the dramatic shifts in the kind of jobs needed in the labour market. It stressed that the choice of course tended to be driven by student demand and preference rather than the shortfall of skills within the economy. But behind all statistical findings lies the human story which is a necessary starting point when assessing the broader importance of PLC courses.
PLC’s are significant on many levels, least of all for the individual enrolled as it offers them opportunity to retain important links with study and training during what can often be a period of uncertainty in their lives having just left school or, indeed, returning to education for the first time in many years. Studying within a positive learning environment allows students to gather their thoughts, help build confidence and to discover their options more clearly; often in a way that a pressurised Leaving Cert year fails to due to different distractions.
Talk of channeling students into courses aligned to skills shortages in the economy might seem a worthy proposal on paper. But long-term it is a counterintuitive measure as you simple cannot force a student to commit to a period of study if he/she is not emotionally connected with that subject. The same applies to third-level where the drop-out rate among first-year students is primarily down to wrong subject choice. Some students will always be more focused than others when it comes to knowing exactly what they want, whereas others will require time and space to realise their true pathway in life. This is where PLC’s play a vital role.
Some of the PLC courses available in Kerry include Business and Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Advanced Software Development, Electronic and Engineering Technology, Applied Science, Nursing Studies – all courses that are linked with the economy and labour market’s needs. If anything, the range of PLC courses available is more reflective of society’s multifaceted need for education, skills and trade based jobs. The everyday economy requires a broad range of services from health officials, truck drivers, retail and catering personnel, beauticians and hairdressers, builders, carpenters, artists, and nurses to name but a few.
The fundamental point of any educational pursuit is the choice and opportunity it presents an individual. The choice and flexibility of PLC courses is perfectly suited to this objective.