Confey College
College Information for
6th year Students
December 2014
Third Level Progression from
Confey College 2014
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111 students
TCD:14,
DIT:17
UCD:8
IBT:15
DCU:8
NCI:1
NUIM:19
ITT:2
NUIG:2
AIT:2
UCC:1
IADT:1
CIT:8
WD:1
LIT:1
WIT:1
MD:4
NCAD:1
National Skills Bulletin July
2014 (Solas)
Expert group on Future Skills Needs
Predict skill shortages in:
• ICT (software developers, web,
cloud, mobile, database, games,
data analytics, customer relations),
project managers, user support,
network security, testing and
troubleshooting
Skill shortages
• Engineering: tool design, polymer
technology, process engineering,
QC, validation, mechanical
electrical and electronic, chemical,
food
• Science(R&D),science+business,
• Science + sales, lab technicians
Skill shortages
• Business: (purchasing, marketing,
sales, business analysis/statistics)
• Finance: (risk, regulatory
compliance, accounting, solvency,
financial management, multilingual
technicians), fraud, credit control
• Health: (non-consultant hospital
doctors, nurses - cardio, intensive
care, geriatric ,oncology,theatre)
Skill shortages
• Sales: (tech sales, multilingual,
customer support, online sales and
marketing)
• Craft: (tool making, CNC machining)
• Transport:(international supply
chain management)
• Clerical: (multilingual accounts, debt
collection)
CAO Method of Application
• Paper Application
• Online Application
Important Dates & Fees
All Fees are non-refundable
Fees
Closing Date
Normal Application (online or paper)
€40
1 Feb 2015 (5.15pm)
Online Discounted Rate
€25
20 Jan 2015 (5.15pm)
Late online Application
€50
1 May 2015 (5.15pm)
Late Paper Application
€80
1May 2015 (5.15pm)
Change of Mind
Nil
1 July 2015 (5.15pm)
Application Number
• When applying online an application
number appears on the Receipt of
Online Application
• Print receipt and keep
• This number is private and will be
used in all correspondence with
applicant – it should be noted and
kept safe– space on back of CAO
Handbook
Points System
• In the CAO there are usually more
applicants than places
• Points system needed to select
candidates
• Calculated from ONE sitting of
Leaving Cert only
• Points from best 6 subjects counted
Points System
LCVP
Grade
Higher
Ordinary
A1
100
60
A2
90
50
B1
85
45
B2
80
40
B3
75
35
C1
70
30
C2
65
25
C3
60
20
D1
55
15
D2
50
10
D3
45
5
Distinction - 70; Merit - 50; Pass – 30
Points continued
• Points for Foundation level
• Some Colleges award points for
Foundation Level Maths – ranging
from 40 for A1 to 5 for C3
• Bonus points awarded for Higher
Maths – 25 for a D3 or higher
Important Issues
• Two lists of choices
10 courses at Level 8
10 courses at Level 7/6
• Must be in genuine order of
preference on each list
NOT
based on points from previous
years
Keep Record
• It is very important that students
keep a record of their list of courses
and their order of preference
• Use back of the book to keep record
or save changes online
College Courses
• All college courses are listed as Level 6,
7 or 8 for students with Leaving Cert.
which is Level 4/5
• Level 6 courses are usually 2 years and
the Qualification gained is a Higher
Certificate
• Level 7 courses are usually 3 years and
are called Ordinary Degrees
• Level 8 courses are 3/4 or more years
and are called Honours Degrees
National Qualifications Framework
– www.nfq.ie
Minimum Requirements
NUI Colleges (UCC, NUIM,UCD, NUIG,
NCAD, Shannon College of Catering,
Milltown Institute) require:
• Irish, English and a third language*
• 3 other subjects
• At least 2 HC3’s
• Maths for all courses except Arts, Law and
Social Science(except for UCD)
• Science, except for Arts, Law, Social
Science and Commerce
* For entry to Engineering & Science Courses a 3rd
language is not required
Students entering Nursing may substitute any other
recognised subject for the 3rd Language
Students entering NCAD may present Art in place of the 3rd
Language.
Minimum Requirements cont.
TCD requires:
• English, Maths and another language
(Irish, French, German or other)
• 3 other subjects
• At least 3HC3’s
DCU requires
• Maths and English or Irish
• 4 other subjects
• At least 2HC3’s
Minimum requirements cont.
DIT and other IT requirements:
• English or Irish and Maths
• 4 other subjects – for Level 8
courses
• 3 other subjects – for Level 7
courses
• At least 2HC3’s – for Level 8
courses
Essential Subjects
Many courses, especially at Level 8
will require you to have a particular
subject and sometimes even to
Honours level. For example:
Engineering – Honours Maths is
required for some colleges and
often a Science subject also
Medicine and other Paramedical
courses – one or two science
subjects (Chemistry very important)
Essential Subjects cont.
Nursing – must have a science subject –
not necessarily Biology (must be another
laboratory science subject)
Primary Teaching – Must have Honours
Irish to get straight into Teacher Training
Languages – for all NUI Colleges you
must have a modern language (except
for Science, Engineering, Nursing and
NCAD courses).
Business & Accounting – not essential
for any course but would make college
life easier if you intend to choose this
type of career/course
Exemptions to language
Colleges give exemptions to some
students for the language
requirements if they have a specific
diagnosed learning difficulty –
perhaps dyslexia, or if they have
been out of the country for much of
their education. This needs to be
applied for and the school can help
with that.
Trinity Feasibility Study
for students entering college in
2015
• Involves prospective students of
Law (10 places), History (10
places), Ancient and Medieval
History (5 places)
• Operated in partnership with CAO
• Assessment of academic ability and
potential of applicant
Trinity Feasibility Study
• Three modalities used to assess
applicants
• Leaving Certificate results
• Relative Performance Rank
(performance relative to other
college applicants from student’s
school)
• Personal and contextual Data
Trinity Feasibility Study
• Information must be submitted
online through the CAO by 1st
February 2015
• Further details are available at
www.tcd.ie/undergraduatestudies
Student Responsibility
It is the student’s responsibility to:
• Research thoroughly any courses for
which they are making an application
• To be familiar with all aspects of the
application system used by CAO,
including deadlines, rules, fees,
procedures etc.
• To get all applications in on time,
including CAO, UCAS, PLC.
Offers of Places
• CAO assumes that courses are in order
of preference
So – in Round 1 offers
• Students are offered the course which is
highest on their preference list for which
they are eligible and have the points
• Students may be offered one course
from each preference list
• Students then choose which offer to
accept
What happens to lower
preferences?
• All preferences below the one you
are offered disappear from your
application
Round 2 and subsequent rounds
• Places that have not been accepted in
Round 1 are offered to the next eligible
students in Round 2
• Students may be offered a higher
preference
• A student may accept a new offer and
that cancels a course they previously
accepted
• Rounds 3 and 4 may mean new offers to
a small number of students
Random Selection
• At time of application all applicants
are given a random number, like a
lottery
• Applicants are offered places in
order of merit according to their
points
• When a number of places are left
and the next eligible candidates are
all on the same points, the random
numbers are used to fill the last
places
Change of Mind
• Between May and July students
can amend their choices as often as
they like either online or on paper
and at no extra cost. Advise to
use sparingly
• Restricted Courses cannot be
added to their lists after 1 February.
• Restricted courses are ones for
which there are early assessment
procedures, e.g. aptitude test,
interview, portfolio or performance
Resources
• College Prospectus/websites
• CAO website – www.cao.ie (NB Alert
List)
• Qualifax website – www.qualifax.ie
• Careersportal – www.careersportal.ie
• Careersworld – www.careersworld.com
• Solas – www.solas.ie
• Teagasc- www.teagasc.ie
• www.nursingcareers.ie
CAO Timetable entry 2015
5 November – Online application facility
opens
- Change of course choices
(free) facility opens
20 January - Early online application
date – reduced fee
31 January - Closing date for online
change of course choices(free)
1 February - Normal closing
15 February - Statement of course choices
sent to paper applicants
CAO Timetable continued
March/April – Tests/interviews for
restricted courses
1 May
- Late application closing
2 May - Online change of mind facility
opens
Before end May – Statement of Application
Record sent to all applicants
1 July – Change of Mind closes
Mid August
- Round 1 Offers
Late August - Round 2 Offers
Higher Education Access Route
(HEAR)
•
A third level admissions scheme for school
leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged
backgrounds – changing circumstances for
some families
• School leavers who have the ability to benefit
from and succeed in higher education and who
come from socio-economic groups in Irish
society that are under-represented in third level.
• Supplementary form to be completed with CAO
application online
• Information available from
www.accesscollege.ie www.cao.ie
Points reduction and other supports while in
college.
NB – not all colleges.
Disability Access Route
(DARE)
• The Disability Access Route to Education
(DARE) is a supplementary admissions
scheme for school leavers with disabilities
which operates on a reduced points basis
• School leavers who have the ability to
benefit from and succeed in higher
education but who may not be able to meet
the points for their preferred course due to
the impact of a disability
www.accesscollege.ie and www.cao.ie
Points reduction and other supports
while in college. NB Not all colleges
HEAR & DARE – continued
Indicate on CAO form whether
applying or not – By 1 February
2015
Online forms to be completed by 1
March 2015
Extra information in post to reach
CAO by 1 April 2015
Be sure to get proof of postage for
these documents
Colleges outside HEAR & DARE
• Most colleges that are not in the
HEAR & DARE schemes have
access programmes of their own
• Check their websites
• Supports offered to eligible students
and/or reduced points
Alternative routes
Remember that there are many
ways to reach the career of choice.
If the points needed to do a Level 8
course are not achieved, then one
could start at Level 6 or 7, and work
one’s way up, - in many careers and
courses, but not all.
Post Leaving Cert Courses
Post Leaving Cert Courses (PLCs) are
available in many colleges in Dublin and
around the country. There are courses in
almost everything you could wish for
Entry to these courses is based on an
application to the college and an interview.
Not on Points! Not in CAO!
They can be used to improve your prospects
of entry to 3rd. Level Colleges, or to gain a
qualification
Courses are from 1 – 4 years, with
qualification from Level 5 to 8
PLC Courses
• Wide range of courses
• Some lead to 3rd level – in some
cases into 2nd or 3rd year
• Some Pre-University courses –
Arts, Science, Engineering &
Business – improve opportunity to
gain entry to 3rd level
• Portfolio courses
• Some course lead to employment
When to Apply to PLC Colleges
• After college Open Days,e.g. – from
November for Beauty Therapy in
Senior College Dun Laoghaire,
December 11, 2013 for Senior
College Ballyfermot, others as per
web sites – up to January/February.
Early application recommended
as huge pressure on places now.
• Interviews held from Jan/Feb/March
onwards. Offer of places before
summer.
Financial Assistance/Fees
• Free Fees Initiative – Free tuition fees in
3rd level colleges for eligible students on
undergraduate courses – minimum of 2
years (does not include payment of
college registration, examination and
services fee)
• Eligibility of non-EU nationals, or EU
citizens who have lived outside EU,
needs to be checked on an individual
basis to each college admissions office
• Grants available see www.susi.ie for
further details
Colleges in Northern Ireland/UK
• UCAS system apply online
• Maintenance grants available
depending on means. UK student
loans available
• Apply from September onwards
• Deadline 15 January but strongly
recommend apply earlier. Deadline
for Oxford/Cambridge and
Veterinary and Medicine - 15
October
Apprenticeships
• Student must find own employer
• Employer must register trainee with
Solas or qualifications not valid
• Apprenticeship usually takes 4
years
• Some PLC courses good for helping
to get apprenticeship
SOLAS Skills Training
• Short courses in various skills
• Trainees are paid allowance while
training
• Suitable for students who can’t find
apprenticeship – often helps them
make contact with employers
• Register with local employment
office after Leaving Cert – can’t
register while still in school and
apply through Solas
Remember • There are opportunities for all
• Over 1300 courses available
through CAO
• PLC courses – apply to each
college individually
• Career Guidance available in school
for all. Any queries about applying
to college contact
gclarke@confeycollege.org