CAO are the initials on many people's lips today, but the letters PLC are just as important for today's school-leavers.

Almost 11,000 of the class of 2009—one-in-five Leaving Certificate candidates—didn’t apply to the CAO. Among those who did apply, there will be plenty who won’t get the offer they want, or maybe none at all.

This is where a PLC, or post leaving certificate course, can play a role. It is the most flexible friend to school-leavers and, can either prepare students for the world of work, or act as a stepping stone to further study, up to degree level and beyond.

CAO points are not necessary and, while some of the most popular courses may be heavily booked, applications are currently invited. Everyone gets an interview, which is the main basis for selection.

Courses are usually of one year’s duration, or maybe two, and cover just about everything from acting to business, childcare to sports and leisure, marketing to horticulture, tourism to equestrian studies.

There’s more than 1,000 courses in all, most commonly available through local Vocational Education Committees (VECs), which makes them convenient for all students. There are over 30,000 places available this year.

Despite all the gloom about jobs, it is even more important that school-leavers keen to start work quickly ensure they have the basic skills. Many major employers now expect job applicants to have a PLC qualification behind them, and the sector works hard to stay relevant to the needs of the market.

Although training for the workplace is a core focus, PLCs have increasingly embraced a new mission. School-leavers who feel they want to pursue further study but are still undecided about the course, or do not have the necessary entry requirements, will find the PLC can offer the perfect platform from which to transfer into a third-level course.

PLCs are the major player in the Further Education (FE) sector, which offers dedicated routes into universities, institutes of technology and private third-level colleges as an alternative to the traditional CAO system.

The growing popularity of this pathway to a degree is illustrated by the fact that 10,931 of this year’s 73,982 CAO applicants did so on the basis of FE qualifications, which are awarded by the Further Education Training and Awards Council (FETAC) at Level 5 or Level 6.

Progression from further to higher education operates in two main ways. There is a Higher Education Links Scheme (HELS), which links specific courses to reserved higher education places. Nursing is one area where this has worked well for students who did not get into a course on the basis of their Leaving Certificate.

Any student interested in pursuing this route to higher education should check HELS for a possible link and an appropriate PLC from which to start.

There is a separate scheme operated by the institutes of technology and some higher education institutions, which awards Leaving Certificate-style points, up to a maximum of 400, to FETAC applicants in an open competition for places

Katherine Donnelly