PLC's

POST-LEAVING CERTIFICATE COURSES

There are hundreds of Post Leaving Certificate courses available to Leaving Certificate students. PLC courses are wholetime and consist of a mixture of Practical vocational skills, Academic work and Work Experience. They are generally of one year's duration and cover the entire range of subject areas.

These courses offer students an excellent alternative to mainstream Third Level courses. They are designed to meet the needs of the large number of Leaving Certificate pupils who are not catered for within the CAO system. These include:

	Students who are more practical than academic and don't expect high Leaving Certificate grades;
	Students who don't want to commit themselves to 3 or 4 years of Third level study;

	Students who want to take a “year out” from study after the Leaving Certificate and before starting their Third Level education.
	Students who want to improve their skills in preparation for further education in courses such as nursing studies, art portfolio preparation, pre-apprenticeship, etc.
	Students who can only find the course they want within the PLC system, eg. Teleservices, Classical Animation, Music management, Football management etc.
	Finally, while PLC courses prepare students very well for the working world, they also offer an alternative route to National Certificates and National Diplomas and to degrees in Ireland and the UK.

There are currently about 150 PLC colleges around the country with over 22,000 places available. The colleges are mostly in the Dublin area but local colleges include ,College of Further Education, Templemichael College Longford., Athlone Community College,Cavan College of Further Studies and Areas covered by PLCs include: Business, Secretarial, Art & Design, Computers, Hotel & Catering, Fashion & Hairdressing, Social Care, Sport, Engineering, Marketing, Science, Telesales, etc.

Application

Application for admission is made directly to the college concerned in February/March. A small number of application forms are available in the school. Early application is advised as the most popular courses, especially those in the Dublin area, tend to fill up quickly.

PLC courses do not use the points system for entry. Most colleges interview applicants to establish that they are genuinely interested in taking the course they have applied for. Admission requirements are usually a pass Leaving Certificate to include English and Maths.

Cost

There are no tuition fees charged for PLC courses and students can apply for a maintenance grant from their local VEC. Like all colleges, there are registration and other fees which vary from college to college.

Qualifications

Most PLCs are certified by the National Council for Vocational Awards (NCVA), which ensures that certain standards are met. British bodies such as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), City & Guilds also certify courses.

Some PLCs give the option of transferring to Diploma or Degree courses in the UK while others have tied in with the BTEC (Business & Technical) system in the UK. BTEC courses are usually at least two years in length and may eventually lead to on to a degree course in a British University.

Higher Education Links Scheme

After obtaining an NCVA Level 2 award on a PLC course, most students go directly into the workplace. Indeed it is estimated that 80% of students who have a Leaving Certificate and a PLC award find employment within 12 months.

However it is also possible to progress to Third Level courses in the Institutes of Technology through the Higher Education Links Scheme. Under this scheme, the Institutes of Technology reserve over a thousand places on National Certificate courses each year for students with NCVA Level 2 (PLC) awards. This can lead ultimately to a National Diploma and Degree.

It is important to bear in mind the NCVA (PLC) award must be in an area related to the third level course applied for.

Open Days (Click here for more Info.)

Most PLC colleges have Open Days in the second term and these are of great benefit to interested students.