Advertisement
Help Keep Boards Alive. Support us by going ad free today. See here: https://subscriptions.boards.ie/.
If we do not hit our goal we will be forced to close the site.

Current status: https://keepboardsalive.com/

Annual subs are best for most impact. If you are still undecided on going Ad Free - you can also donate using the Paypal Donate option. All contribution helps. Thank you.
https://www.boards.ie/group/1878-subscribers-forum

Private Group for paid up members of Boards.ie. Join the club.

Need some help, don't know where to begin

  • 12-09-2013 01:23PM
    #1
    Pompous
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 648 ✭✭✭


    I have decided to go back to college this year after 5 years of unemployment. I want to do a full-time course but I am not ready to choose a degree course. I still don't know what I want to do with my life, but I know I want to attend some sort of college, just to get myself back out into the world and have a routine and maybe get a taste for the available study options etc.

    So I have looked at PLC courses, VTOS courses, and Springboard courses. I don't understand what makes a PLC course a PLC course, if that makes any sense. I could only find one VTOS course in Dublin that sparked my interest but when I went to the college's website the course was not listed. So today I checked Springboard and they have a good selection of courses, but they are all part-time. I don't really want to do a part-time course because half the reason I am doing this is to have a routine and a reason to get up in the mornings.

    So now my time is running out and I am feeling a little overwhelmed. Should I do a PLC course? What is a PLC course? Are there other courses that last one year that do not fall into the PLC category? Is there somewhere I can go to find this sort of information? Is a part-time course evenings only or is it a few days per week including some mornings?

    Please help I'm so confused and I'm running out of time.


Comments

  • #2
    Tom Dunne
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,202 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    A PLC is a Post Leaving Certificate course. If you look at the national qualifications framework diagram (http://www.nfq.ie/nfq/en/FanDiagram/nqai_nfq_08.html), you will see the various levels from 1 to 10. A PLC sits around Level 5 or 6 (depending on the provider).

    If you are out of education for a while, it does seem like a good first step back into education. Once complete, you would then have the option of progressing your education and possibly undertaking a degree at an Institute of Technology or University. As you will see from the diagram, such degrees are at higher levels on the National Qualifications Framework.


  • #3
    Pompous
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 648 ✭✭✭Pompous


    Thanks very much for the reply. You have been very informative and that link is very useful. As it turns out I got a call for an interview the morning after I made this post and I start a 2 year diploma course on Tuesday. I was very lucky since I only applied to two courses and the course I was accepted to had one place remaining.


Advertisement