Student Services (Click here for 400 CAO Points)

The College has a support system in place to facilitate the smooth running of the course programmes. Course coordinators have overall responsibility for the administration of their respective department.

Mentoring System

Success on a course in our College involves a commitment from the student to be actively involved in the learning process. We invite each student into partnership with us in achieving this aim. As an equal partner in the learning process we would expect commitment to practices pertaining to the work environment in terms of attendance, punctuality, work input, attitude, achievements and completion of tasks.

The College operates a mentoring system whereby a mentor is assigned to each PLC student to help achieve the best success possible from the course. A PLC course differs considerably from the Leaving Cert programme. It involves a high level of personal responsibility as the assessment process is based on research techniques, projects, assignments and presentations. The Mentor takes a direct personal interest in each individual student and will meet with the student regularly throughout the year to monitor progress or address any difficulties that may be causing the student concern.

College of Further Education students have free access to County Dublin VEC Psychological Support Service for the duration of their time in the College. The service is advertised on all notice boards.

ID cards are issued to all students before the end of September.

Maintenance Grants

The Department of Education & Science provides 3 rd level maintenance grants for eligible students attending full-time Further Education courses in the College. The grants are paid through the VEC system and are means tested.

Student Café

The College café is a bright, cheerful place where students can relax and enjoy tea, coffee, soup, sandwiches, scones etc.

Student Forum

The social aspect of being a student is not forgotten in the College! PLC students elect the Student Forum President and Committee and they organise events throughout the year. The “Stop Press” keeps pace with College news as does “The Corner” – the student chat room on the College website. The film club operates from a fully equipped audio-visual theatre in the College.

Fees

There are no tuition fees for Irish and EU Nationals. However, examination fees, books and materials costs, and a student contribution charge are payable. Students are notified of these charges on application. Non-EU nationals are charged the commercial rate fees set by the Irish Government.

Facilities

The College is well served with five networked computer rooms and these are constantly developed and upgraded to assist students in their training. There is Internet access in all computer rooms and students are facilitated in acquiring their own e-mail address. All lecture rooms are equipped with audio-visual teaching aids.

The College prides itself on having the most up-to-date software for training in the classroom. This includes:

• Microsoft Office Professional 2000 Suite - Word, Access, Excel, PowerPoint
• Quark Xpress
• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe Photoshop
• Front Page
• Flash 5
• Dreamweaver
• Director 8
• TAS Books
• TAS Payroll
• AutoCAD Lite 2000
• Archi-CAD
• CISCO Academy Kit (2600 Routers, 1950 Switches, etc..)

Employment & Career Development

The College has established over the years an excellent reputation with employers for training and developing prospective staff. These links are well established and offer a first rate service to both student and employer.

• Career notice boards in the College advertise job vacancies. These are also advertised on the College website and students are issued with a password to access this facility.

• A work placement module is part of all courses and site visits are organised throughout the year to compliment the programme of study where appropriate.

• A careers day is organised by the College focusing on career prospects. This is attended by recruitment firms, leading employers and College graduates. Talks are organised on C.V. preparation and interview skills.

Recognition, Accreditation & Progression

All of the courses on offer in the College are validated by nationally and internationally recognised bodies.

From 2004 onwards, all FETAC courses and awards come within the National Framework of Qualifications developed by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI). The National Framework of Qualifications establishes an easily understood award system for all levels of education and training in the State. It will benefit everyone involved, in particular employers, as it will provide a way of measuring and relating learning achievements and comparing educational and training awards.

The Framework also makes it easier to compare awards with those of other countries. This enables students to move easily between different education and training systems using their qualifications to gain employment in other countries.

The Framework consists of ten levels with each level based on specified standards of knowledge, skill and competence. These standards define the outcomes to be achieved by learners seeking to gain awards at each level. Progression routes are clearly outlined.

Progression - 400 CAO Points

Students who complete their course and achieve a FETAC Level II award can apply for entry to Higher Education Institutes through the CAO system. The minimum entry requirement for graduates of FETAC (NCVA Level 2 or 3 Awards) to the Institutes of Technology is a full FETAC Award. A full award normally contains 8 modules. This may be accumulated over more than one academic year. In such cases, it is the responsibility of the applicant to apply to FETAC for a full award where courses are taken over more than one year. A Record of Achievement does not meet these minimum entry standards.

An overall point score is calculated based on the best 8 modules presented. For modules with a credit value of 1, scores awarded are as follows:

Pass 20

Merit 35

Distinction 50

That's up to

The maximum number of points that can be achieved on a FETAC Level 2 Award is 400. FETAC automatically sends the results to CAO and places are offered on the basis of points.

For specific Higher Certificates, Ab-initio Ordinary Degree and Ab-initio Honours Degree courses certain pre-requisite FETAC modules or FETAC courses are required. Some universities are now accepting students presenting FETAC awards as an entry path to their degree programmes. Further details are outlined in each college’s/university’s brochure or website.

The College welcomes the new opportunities now available to FETAC graduates in their career paths.