Further Education in Ireland

Further education, or ‘PLC’ (Post Leaving Certificate) courses, are vocational (i.e. they prepare you for a specific career) and usually one year or two years in duration. The courses focus on the technical knowledge and core skills and always include work experience.

FETAC (Further Education and Training Awards Council – www.fetac.ie) is the national award body for a wide range of vocational and technical training programmes in public and private colleges. FETAC courses occupy levels one to six on the NFQ, with the completion of levels five or six providing the opportunity to pursue higher education in dozens of institutes of technology, universities and private colleges across Ireland. Alternatively, graduates of further education are suitably qualified to progress directly into employment.

Some of the vocational areas covered by further education include: Business and Secretarial Skills, Computer Studies, Computer Animation, Construction, Art Craft and Design, Multi-Media Production, Theatre and Stage Production, Performing Arts, Child-care and Community Care, Sport and Leisure, Tourism and Hotel and Catering, Sport and Leisure, Equestrian Studies, Horticulture, Applied Languages, and Information Technology.

Click here for information on the application process for further education courses.