Whats a plc

Jamiemc9988

What is a plc, i need to no because i might be doing one can i go onto college after and how would i fill out my cao application next year, does the plc give ur points and what else do i need to no.


cheers
jamie
ps i really need to no

rainbowtrout

A PLC is a Post Leaving Certificate course. They are awarded at Level 5 and less commonly Level 6 on the National Framework of qualifications. They are one year courses, which normally run for the same duration as the school year, normally September to May. To be awarded a Fetac Level 5 Certificate you must complete 8 modules, two of which must be Communications and Work Experience.

There are different modules in different certificates. Courses (not all of them) in third level institutions reserve a certain number of places for students applying through the CAO each year from PLC courses. You apply through the CAO as normal but you will be up against other PLC students instead of being part of the regular points system.

You can't just do any PLC course, a scheme called the Higher Education Links Scheme has a list of the third level courses which accept PLC students. Some have no specific requirements other than that you have completed a Level 5 PLC course successfully. Others require that you complete a specific Level 5 certificate, have completed specific modules and have attained specific grades. Grades are awarded at distinction, merit and pass level.

You apply to the CAO as normal, where there is a section for PLC students to apply, those results will be forwarded to the CAO, offers for these students come out in Round Zero, before the main Round One.


A word of warning: make sure the PLC course that you choose will be accepted by the third level course you are applying for. There's no point doing a Business PLC if you want to do Art and Design in college and the only PLC the college will accept is the Art, Craft and Design PLC. So you need to research both sides of it.

I'm a PLC co-ordinator so if you have any more questions, PM and I'll try to answer them

Jamiemc9988

I applied for rathmines college and got it at computing, is this accepted by colleges i am hoping to move onto the insitutue of technology tallaght or DIT or maybe UCD, and is it hard to get accepted to colleges after doing a plc.

rainbowtrout

Jamiemc9988 wrote: »

I applied for rathmines college and got it at computing, is this accepted by colleges i am hoping to move onto the insitutue of technology tallaght or DIT or maybe UCD, and is it hard to get accepted to colleges after doing a plc.

no, it isn't you still apply through the CAO and certain courses have a quota of places for PLC students. Just check that the 3rd level course you want to apply for next year accepts PLC students though.

implausible

You need to look up the FETAC entry requirements for the individual courses you're interested in. No-one can give you a one-size-fits-all answer.

As Rainbowtrout has said, some colleges run the Higher Links Scheme and reserve a certain amount of places on certain coursesfor the best FETAC students (UCD and DCU are part of this scheme, but places are extremely difficult to get).

Other colleges (ITT included) run the Pilot Scheme, where FETAC results can be converted into points and you compete for places on certain courseswith other CAO applicants.

You need to figure out:
(a) what course(s) you want to do eventually and
(b) if the FETAC course you've been offered will allow you to access those courses.

Good luck!

Jamiemc9988

kk thanks all

CyberWaste

Does anyone know if WIT in waterford does a PLC course?

rainbowtrout

CyberWaste wrote: »

Does anyone know if WIT in waterford does a PLC course?

PLC courses are not run by Institutes of Technology. They are run by Colleges of Further Education or in Secondary Schools/VECs. Completing a PLC can allow you to progress to certain courses at third level, mainly in the ITs

CyberWaste

rainbowtrout wrote: »

PLC courses are not run by Institutes of Technology. They are run by Colleges of Further Education or in Secondary Schools/VECs. Completing a PLC can allow you to progress to certain courses at third level, mainly in the ITs

Oh right, would you know if theres any doing them in Waterford? I dont really know much about PLC courses so any help will be great. ANy websites I shoudl look up?

spurious

I'm finding this thread slightly worrying.
Was there no career guidance at all in some schools?


URLs for PLCs in Waterford.
http://www.waterfordvec.ie/
PLC courses in Coláiste Chathail Naofa .pdf file

implausible

spurious wrote: »

I'm finding this thread slightly worrying.
Was there no career guidance at all in some schools?

There is, but many career guidance teachers in the more 'academic' schools look down their nose at PLCs and some students are so confident about getting into ITs or university that they never consider plan B or are never encouraged to.

Excuse me if I sound bitter, but I've been to careers fairs, where the careers teachers have walked straight by us, even after we've explained the range of courses we offer.

The irony is that I have spent 3 days in school in the past week, fielding calls from students and parents, who suddenly have an interest!

For students, the good news is that there are places still available on PLCs all over the country, which will allow them to get into college or maybe walk straight into employment.

KatCookie

spurious wrote: »

I'm finding this thread slightly worrying.
Was there no career guidance at all in some schools?

deemark wrote: »

There is, but many career guidance teachers in the more 'academic' schools look down their nose at PLCs and some students are so confident about getting into ITs or university that they never consider plan B or are never encouraged to.

There are some career guidance teachers who are just not very good, in my school which would be an "academic" school, i've never heard PLC's being mentioned, to be fair, i havent asked, as i am not considering one at the moment, (going into 6th year) I only have good knowledge about them because my mother did a Fetac course a few years ago

My neighbour did her leaving cert in a different school, she had applied to the CAO but there was nothing that she really wanted to do, she repeated her leaving cert and she didnt get much more points, at about the time for appling to the CAO, my mother had said "why dont you do a plc course?" she didnt know what they were, her guidance teacher had never said a word about it.... :eek:

anyways a year on, shes completed her plc in childcare (i havent heard her results yet) but she hasnt started looking for a job

Fad

spurious wrote: »

I'm finding this thread slightly worrying.
Was there no career guidance at all in some schools?

My school, while not the most academic, never supplied me with any info whatsoever, had I asked specifically about them I probably would have been enlightened, but my year/school had a (Generally....*) sufficiently wealthy parents, to mean that if one didnt get into college, one would go to the institute or go to a private college.

*I would like to clarify at this point (To clear any potential misconceptions, which have existed in here in the past ), that while I attended a private school, my parents are not super rich/whatever they just chose to send me there because it seemed to be a good school.....

spurious

It amuses me greatly that the VEC that wasn't good enough at 12 is suddenly good enough post-Leaving.

Given that the PLC route is growing in popularity, you'd think more emphasis would be put on it in all schools.

Fad

spurious wrote: »

Given that the PLC route is growing in popularity, you'd think more emphasis would be put on it in all schools.

It would make sense to me, but obviously not to everyone.

rainbowtrout

spurious wrote: »

I'm finding this thread slightly worrying.
Was there no career guidance at all in some schools?


URLs for PLCs in Waterford.
http://www.waterfordvec.ie/
PLC courses in Coláiste Chathail Naofa .pdf file

You can also use Qualifax www.qualifax.ie to do a search for courses. In the box for award type, you would be looking for FETAC Level 5 Certificate, there are also a smaller number of awards for FETAC Level 6 Certificate, but they are not as common.


It might not be a bad idea to have a PLC sticky, there seems to be quite a lot of interest and a lot of confusion about what people can do with the qualification and what it is.

9wetfckx43j5rg

I'm trying to find a plc that would lead into communications in dcu, but I don't understand as the plc courses don't say what modules they cover.

CyberWaste

rainbowtrout wrote: »

You can also use Qualifax www.qualifax.ie to do a search for courses. In the box for award type, you would be looking for FETAC Level 5 Certificate, there are also a smaller number of awards for FETAC Level 6 Certificate, but they are not as common.


It might not be a bad idea to have a PLC sticky, there seems to be quite a lot of interest and a lot of confusion about what people can do with the qualification and what it is.

Where is this? I cant find it. Can you link me to it, I just cant find it

rainbowtrout

CyberWaste wrote: »

Where is this? I cant find it. Can you link me to it, I just cant find it

Course search page on Qualifax:


http://www.qualifax.ie/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=15


For anyone accessing main page follow the link for Students>Find a course> All courses>

If you are looking for FETAC Level 5 Certificate choose that option from the drop down list in the Qualification type *box. Narrow it down with the keywords option otherwise you'll get every PLC course in the country


*this is what I meant when I wrote award type in the previous post. Apologies

rainbowtrout

Ishaan Ashy Eyebrow wrote: »

I'm trying to find a plc that would lead into communications in dcu, but I don't understand as the plc courses don't say what modules they cover.

The specific PLC needed that is accepted for entry into Communications in DCU is officially called FETAC Level 5 Certificate in Print Journalism and has the code EPJXX. On the Qualifax course search page (see previous post) stick EPJXX into the course code and do a search, it will bring up any college in the country offering that course.


http://www.qualifax.ie/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=15

CyberWaste

Are PLC courses like bascially leaving cert school? Do you have lectures every day from 9-4 or what or is it like college where some days you have no lectures? Is it like secondary? DO they take your attendance and all that?

implausible

CyberWaste wrote: »

Are PLC courses like bascially leaving cert school? Do you have lectures every day from 9-4 or what or is it like college where some days you have no lectures? Is it like secondary? DO they take your attendance and all that?

That's a lot of questions!

I don't know what you mean by 'like basically leaving cert school'. Some PLCs are run in secondary schools, some in stand-alone colleges.

I can only speak for the courses in my school but classes are from roughly 9-4 four days a week (with some late mornings, maybe a half-day). Work experience is one day a week.

Attendance is taken, which is v important for grant purposes. Otherwise, if you miss the odd day or two, it's not a big deal.

CyberWaste

deemark wrote: »

That's a lot of questions!

I don't know what you mean by 'like basically leaving cert school'. Some PLCs are run in secondary schools, some in stand-alone colleges.

I can only speak for the courses in my school but classes are from roughly 9-4 four days a week (with some late mornings, maybe a half-day). Work experience is one day a week.

Attendance is taken, which is v important for grant purposes. Otherwise, if you miss the odd day or two, it's not a big deal.

Well Im thinking of going to Waterford College of Further Education which is just for these courses I think, its not a secondary school. I mean, you know the way classes are run in school, and they are run differently in college, are they run more like college classes/lectures? Whats the grants cover? Cost of accomodation?

EDIT: Also, at the end of the year, can I apply for say a course in waterford IT with the LEaving cert i got this year, or am I allowed since I went for a PLC? Is it easier to get into certain courses if you do a PLC? Whats the benfits of them?
THanks.

rainbowtrout

CyberWaste wrote: »

Well Im thinking of going to Waterford College of Further Education which is just for these courses I think, its not a secondary school. I mean, you know the way classes are run in school, and they are run differently in college, are they run more like college classes/lectures? Whats the grants cover? Cost of accomodation?

EDIT: Also, at the end of the year, can I apply for say a course in waterford IT with the LEaving cert i got this year, or am I allowed since I went for a PLC? Is it easier to get into certain courses if you do a PLC? Whats the benfits of them?
THanks.

It depends in the different colleges. The PLC centre in my school is part of the school so the timetable is similar as the teachers teach in both. But generally you will be looking at Mon-Fri, 9-4 type day. No uniforms obviously and the age range could be anything from 17-77, it's not just going to be students that have just completed the Leaving Cert.

Grants are awarded in much the same way as third level grants, i.e. means tested. Your local VEC would give you more information on the grant, but I'd get onto it straight away if you are applying, closing date is normally the end of August, start of September and late applicants can mean a delay in issuing your grant if you are eligible.

When you apply to the CAO next year, you can apply (same application) with this year's Leaving Cert and also with your PLC course, so you might get something with one if not the other.

It's not really fair to say it's easier to get into a course with one or other of the qualifications. Certain courses reserve a certain percentage of places for PLC students. If say Waterford IT reserve 20 places out of 100 in a Business course for PLC applicants and 43 PLC students apply obviously they won't all get a place on that course, then again if not enough apply through the regular points system places could be freed up. It's not as clear cut as the regular points system because there is no list of points etc published. However if PLC students were not getting into courses because of a severe lack of places in them year on year you would have heard about it by now.

you can't also assume because you're doing the course that all you have to do is turn up and you'll pass and sail into college. You will have to put the work in and some courses in the ITs will only accept PLC students that have achieved a certain number of distinctions in their certificate. So if you choose to do a PLC, put in your best effort.

I've taught many students who have successfully gone onto complete third level qualifications in Computing, Web Design, Information Technology, Business, Office Information Systems, Software Development, Childcare, Social Studies (The main areas my centre offers courses in). The courses do stand up and offer a real chance of progression. The leaving cert is not the only way to go to college.