Editorial View: Stepping stones to employment, further education and degrees

It is that time of year again when thousands of our young people are anxiously awaiting their Leaving Cert results. 

For the students and their parents, so much is riding on Friday’s results - will they get what they are  hoping for? Have they obtained enough points for their preferred course? And for many Donegal families, will they have a place in student accommodation?

As always, we want to reach out and tell our young people that it is not the end of the world if they don’t quite get over the line. We remind them that there are other pathways that they might not yet have considered.

Post Leaving Cert (PLC) courses offer practical, hands-on learning in fields such as business, healthcare, IT, the creative sector, and more. They tend to be one- or two-year programmes that provide qualifications at Level 5 or Level 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). 

They are an excellent stepping stone to direct employment or into higher education, with many students progressing to degree courses in universities or institutes of technology afterwards.

Apprenticeships are an excellent option for those interested in trades like carpentry, plumbing, or electrical work, but they also extend to newer fields like IT, finance, and hospitality. 

Apprenticeships have the added attraction of earning while learning, combining classroom education with paid on-the-job training. And there is a huge demand for tradespeople, making this often underrated career path worth serious consideration.

Other options include going directly into the workforce, with some organisations offering internal training and recognised qualifications. 

We say these things every year, and it may feel like a broken record.  

But for each one of those young people getting their long awaited Leaving Cert results on Friday, this is their time, their year, the end goal of their entire education journey to date. 

And so for each of them results’ day matters an awful lot. 

So whatever happens this Friday, whether you are celebrating or feeling disappointed, take time to reflect on your achievements in getting this far, and remember that there are many options and opportunities to be explored.