Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Need some help, don't know where to begin

Options
  • 12-09-2013 1:23pm
    #1
    Pompous
    Registered Users Posts: 650 ✭✭✭


    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

  • Options
    #2
    Tom Dunne
    Registered Users Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭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.


  • Options
    #3
    Pompous
    Registered Users Posts: 650 ✭✭✭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