“The latest development of a tertiary partnership with universities is the jewel in the crown for PLCs”
A Golden Moment for PLC Provision If ever there was a golden moment for post leaving cert provision (PLC), it is now. The congruence of different societal issues like the housing crisis, cost of living, high university drop-out rates and a new recognition of the value of PLC programmes means that PLC is enjoying its time in the sun.
For some time, PLCs were considered the poor cousins of further and higher education. Many thought of doing a PLC as a last resort – one you would do only after all higher education options were exhausted. It was the fall-back option. Many students thought there was a kind of ‘stigma’ attached to completing a PLC course. It suggested they were not good enough for university.
Better prepared
This perception has now changed. It began with a recognition by universities that PLC students were better prepared for university than their Leaving Cert compatriots. A study completed by DCU highlighted this. It compared those entering university directly from Leaving Certificate with those entering after a PLC course at level 5. The drop-out rate in first year university for those coming directly from post primary school can be up to 36%, while the drop-out rate for PLC graduates is as low as 2%.
Why is this? The answer is simple. PLC graduates are more prepared to deal with the pressures of university. PLC courses teach all the skills needed for successful study at university level like academic writing, study and research skills, referencing, time management, independent learning and IT skills. This helps ease a student into university life, feeling that they know what is expected of them.
Those who have not completed a PLC course often feel overwhelmed with the sudden drop into independent learning that is not fostered at post primary level. They also often realise that a university course is not what they had expected. Again, PLC graduates have the advantage here, having sampled their chosen course for the previous year and they can now feel certain that path is for them.
The much-publicised housing crisis has had its impact on students. Those seeking to go to university far from home often meet the accommodation barrier and many have been unable up take up a place because they couldn’t find student accommodation. Their next option is to complete a PLC which will be closer to home and will cost almost nothing in fees. Most PLCs will only charge a nominal certification fee compared to thousands at university.
Further and higher
Recognition for PLC also came in the form of a move to place further education with higher education in a separate government department. The first minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris, spent much time travelling the country visiting further education settings and supporting PLC programmes. He acknowledged the important role further education plays in offering alternative routes for students and real-life training. Most PLC courses fulfil a dual role of preparing students for progression to university or into the workplace. The Minister put further education on an equal footing with higher education, no longer the poor cousin but rather one half of a partnership.
LOETB’s Tullamore Further Education and Training Centre (FETC) is capitalising on this golden time. This September the centre will increase its PLC provision by 16 courses, bringing its total number of full-time PLC programmes to 35.
Principal Irene Togher sees a real need for such provision in the county. ‘So many students are unsure of what they want to do, they need another year to decide, and PLC helps them do that. In that PLC year they can mature, learn valuable skills and be certain what path they want in university or the workplace. We also have a cohort of students who defer a university place and complete a PLC to build up skills and save for university. Education at their doorstep appeals to them and parents alike.’
University partnership
The latest development of a tertiary partnership with universities is the jewel in the crown for PLCs. Under this partnership a university uses a further education centre as an out-reach centre where students can complete the first and sometimes second year of a degree locally, before completing the rest of the degree in the partner university.
Irene Togher sees huge value in this for students. ‘Students can complete a year of their degree locally, without fees, and then go directly into second or sometimes third year in the partner university. Currently our level 6 business students can progress directly into second year of certain business degrees and we are working on a link with TUS (Technical University of the Shannon) to have the same arrangement for science. Next year we will work on broadening our partnerships with universities in the areas of computers and nursing. And the interesting thing is that universities are coming to us because they see the value of such partnerships in retaining students and getting students of a high calibre.’
Tullamore FETC will offer a wide range of PLC programmes from September 2024 and will build up its already strong links with universities. The centre already has well-established departments like healthcare, computing, childcare, science and business. Some of these departments have been expanded with extra options in science, healthcare and business. New areas have been added like law, criminology, psychology, tourism and airline, art and pre-teaching.
All courses can be found on
www.tullamorefetc.ie/ with applications open online.
By Irene Togher, Principal,
Tullamore Further Education and Training Centre
