Kerry Leaving Cert students are being encouraged to consider their options as the CAO deadline approaches on July 1st.
Further education and training courses, traineeships and apprenticeship programmes are being delivered through Kerry Education and Training Board.
Many FET courses and apprenticeship programmes, delivered by Kerry ETB, remain open for application, past the CAO change-of-mind closing date.
Solas, the state agency who oversees further education and training, says the courses help students to reach an informed decision on what career they want while studying close to home.
CEO of Solas Andrew O’Donnell says the variety of available courses, which are suited to everyone, are a pathway to higher education.
FET – Post Leaving Certificate Courses
- There are over 600 PLC courses available to explore via cao.ie/options.
- Students can search across 12 course categories and can apply for courses.
- The courses are 1-2 years in duration and at levels 5 and 6 on the NFQ.
- PLC courses often act as stepping stones into Higher Education, as a way to try out something new, or to progress directly into a career.
Guidance on Apprenticeship options
- There are 65 national Apprenticeship programmes currently available, in many different industries, from international finance to construction, to engineering, to healthcare, to biopharma, to hospitality.
- Over 8,400 employers are currently employing over 23,000 apprentices in Ireland. Employers range from micro-businesses across Ireland to large multi-nationals and anything in-between.
- To become an Apprentice, you need to be hired by an employer for the duration of your Apprenticeship.
- All Apprenticeship employers are formally approved to employ Apprentices.
- Apprentice jobs come up all year round; many apprenticeship jobs are advertised on the apprenticeship website and can be accessed via the CAO link: cao.ie/options.
- All national Apprenticeships lead to a qualification on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) at Levels 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
- Apprenticeships are between 2 and 4 years in duration, depending on the programme.
