The further education sector is worth investigating because it offers the chance to compete for a place at third level in a pool of applicants separate to the Leaving Certificate competition.

Further education colleges are nationwide, and most offer students the opportunity to study a QQI qualification that is ranked at Level 5 or Level 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). Students can then use this course to compete for a place at universities and institutes of technology all over the country, based on the results they achieve on the QQI course.

QQI courses are just one division of what are commonly referred to as post-leaving cert courses. The range of QQI courses available is comprehensive and popular options include pre-arts and pre-science, media and law.

QQI courses can be researched on www.qualifax.ie – which is an excellent online database for many types of courses both in Ireland and overseas.

Individual degrees in the various colleges and universities often have a number of linked QQI courses, so that applicants who have successfully completed the linked QQI course, and who meet the necessary minimum entry requirements, can gain access to a degree.

For instance, computer science degrees may require a specific mathematics grade (given the importance of the subject in the degree).

Students that complete a linked QQI course are offered a place in much the same way that Leaving Certificate students are – in terms of the points their results translate into. I always suggest the QQI route to the Leaving Certificate students I meet in school. Some students are fully confident about their choice of degree course and their likelihood to succeed in the exams. Others are at sea about what to study and rightly see further education as a great alternative route to college, once it is explained to them.

Apart from avoiding the financial cost of college (€3,000 student contribution charge per annum, versus average QQI course cost of €600), the emotional cost of choosing an unsuitable course can be also avoided.

For those who just don’t know what to study, choosing a QQI course for a year means they can enjoy the opportunity to delve into new areas of interest, begin honing the study and research skills that they’ll need once they find themselves in college (academics in my institution frequently bemoan the lack of self-directed learning, writing and research skills of the Leaving Cert cohort), as well as enjoying the time to get to know themselves a bit better before deciding on a college course.

Consider a QQI course to begin in September. Many of the colleges of further education all around the country still have a number of places remaining on their Level 5 courses. Applicants typically need to have a minimum of five passes in their Leaving Cert. Application is made online, via the individual colleges of further education website, and an interview usually follows.

Judith Caffrey is a school guidance counsellor at Castleknock Community College and admissions information officer at Maynooth University.