CAO 2023: New further ed courses will lead to degrees
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The CAO ‘points race’ can be cruel, and sometimes sees students miss out on their dream course by small margins.
In recent years, the Department of Further and Higher Education has been working to offer students more alternative pathways to third-level, without the need to secure such high points.
For the first time, from this September, more than a dozen new degree courses where no CAO points are needed will commence in subjects like nursing, science, engineering, and business.
Students on these programmes will be guaranteed access to a degree programme that concludes in a higher education institution.
Students can apply to the 14 new degree programmes, which will begin in a further education college before transitioning to a university or a technological university, from July.
Among the 14 new courses includes a groundbreaking new five-year programme in nursing, which will see students beginning their studies in Donegal, Sligo or Mayo before progressing ultimately to Atlantic Technological University (ATU) and St Angela’s Sligo, now part of ATU.
Nursing typically attracts strong interest each year from students, thus first-round cut-off points for university courses in the CAO can be relatively high.
Announcing the new courses earlier this year, Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said the new pathway will help provide an alternative route to certain professions for students who show determination and aptitude, without the need for high points.
The Minister has signalled that he’d like to see more and more further education courses go this route, as part of a bid to train and keep a skilled workforce in the country.
He also intends to roll out further programmes from September 2024.
The project will also see Cork and Kerry ETB working with Munster Technological University (MTU) and University College Cork (UCC) to launch four ‘2+2’ courses in sustainability, performing arts, computer science, and finance.
Three programmes in construction management, mobile computing and business studies are also to be rolled out by Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB) and the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS).
The project will be jointly managed by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and SOLAS through a new National Tertiary Office which will be governed by both organisations.
A full list of Further Education and Training (FET) courses can be found on www.fetchcourses.ie.