Older generations may have been able to leave school in their teens and get employment, but this is no longer the case for most teenagers in Ireland. If you have left, or thinking about leaving school before completing a leaving certificate, there are a number of education and training options for you. The following are the main options available to early school leavers in Ireland:

• Youthreach: A flexible programme for early school leavers aged 15-21
• Community Training Centres (CTCs): Education for early school leavers, primarily for young adults aged 16 to 21
• Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS): A range of courses for unemployed people over the age of 21 who are early school-leavers
• The Back to Education Initiative (BTEI): Part-time courses for adults and young people aged over 16 who left school with few or no formal qualifications or low literacy levels.

Youthreach

Youthreach is a flexible programme of education and work experience for young people who have left school early, without any formal qualifications. Youthreach supports you to identify career options and can lead to certification (such as a Foundation Certificate, Junior Certificate, or Leaving Cert Applied).

Youthreach is provided by ETBs for young people aged 15 to 20. Community Training Centres also offer Youthreach, for those aged 16 to 21. They may also have participants up to the age of 25 if they are considered to have significant disadvantages.

In some Youthreach centres, you can concentrate on a specific training area which interest you, such as beauty, catering or business. Some core subjects, such as English, maths and life skills, are generally covered by all Youthreach participants. The subjects available vary from centre to centre so it is important to check what is on offer from different Youthreach providers in your locality.

The Youthreach programme is usually 1 or 2 years, with 35 hours of education and training per week for 45 weeks a year. Youthreach centres are managed by Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and SOLAS Community Training Centres. A Training Allowance is usually paid to Youthreach trainees, depending on age.

You can apply for a Youthreach course at any time of the year.

Search Youthreach courses from Qualifax or from Fetechcourses - (select Youthreach from the Programme selector)

After Youthreach, you can either look for a job, or progress further in your education with an apprenticeship, PLC course or VTOS (Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme), for example. If your goal is to go study at a university, you may need to complete a PLC course first to be eligible.

Community Training Centres (CTCs)

CTCs are community-based organisations, which provide education for early school leavers, primarily for young adults aged 16 to 21. The courses are usually one year and full-time, at levels 3 and 4 and often focus on employability skills, personal and social employment skills and science skills. Courses in CTCs also tend to include vocational training modules and developing related skills such as communication, personal effectiveness, career planning and literacy and numeracy.

Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS)

A range of courses for unemployed people over the age of 21 who are early school-leavers. From basic education to advanced vocational preparation, delivered through the Education and Training Boards (ETBs). This is free but eligibility criteria are related to Social Welfare credits/payments. See more details here.

Search VTOS courses from Fetechcourses - (select VTOS from the Programme selector)

Back to Education Initiative (BTEI)

The BTEI provides part-time Further Education programmes for young people and adults. The courses are offered on a flexible part-time basis to suit your needs and may take place during mornings, afternoons, evenings or weekends. Courses lead to a range of accreditation at levels 1-6. 

You can take part in BTEI if you are working and on a low income or if you are unemployed. The aim is to give people an opportunity to combine their learning with family, work and other commitments.

The participants eligible for free tuition are people who (or their dependants):

• Have less than upper-second level education or
• Are getting a jobseeker’s payment or means-tested social welfare payment or
• Are getting Working Family Payment (formerly knows as Family Income Supplement) or
• Have a medical card or
• Are eligible to participate on VTOS or Youthreach.

Search BTEI courses from Fetechcourses - (select BTEI Groups from the Programme selector)

Location Training Initative (LTI) programmes

LTI’s are project-based training and work experience programmes run by local community groups. The programmes are designed for people who are unemployed, primarily those aged 18 – 35 years who are experiencing difficulty in gaining entry to the labour market. Some projects are targeted at specific groups in society. Training on LTIs leads to accreditation at levels 3-5 on the NFQ. Courses are full time and delivered all year round. You can apply for an LTI directly through the local community group offering the training.

Alternative options:

• School Completion Programme: A programme to help students from disadvantaged areas to stay and complete school
• Traineeships: Combination of classroom and workplace based training which typically take 4-9 months full-time to complete and give occupation-specific training. Levels 4-6 and a wide range of courses such as: Beauty Therapist, Outdoor Activity Instructor, Business Systems Service Technician and Software Developer. See: http://www.traineeship.ie/
• Apprenticeships: Apprenticeship is also a work based structured education and training programme which combines learning in the workplace with learning in an education or training centre. An apprenticeship begins with a contract of employment with an approved employer. For more information see our Apprenticeship area.

Migration is a normal part of our society and many people have come to Ireland as adults. People from EU and EEA countries (Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein) and Switzerland, have the same right to access education in Ireland as Irish citizens do, and to the same cost. If you are from any other country, you most likely need a visa, and in some instances, the financial costs involved in studying can differ.

Foreign qualifications

You can search NARIC Ireland Foreign Qualifications database to find out what level your qualification is recognised as in Ireland. This is good to know both for you and for a course provider or employer. 

English language skills

If English is not your first language and you need to improve your English language skills, there are a number of courses on offer.

Some courses are provided free of charge through local Adult Learning Schemes in ETBs. The courses often include learning about the Irish culture and help you become familiar with local services and amenities. Priority is given to unemployed migrants, asylum seekers and refugees with limited or no English language skills.

ESOL Literacy classes are also provided to assist people with no formal education in their home country or who do not have basic literacy skills. These classes can be provided on either 1:1 or small group basis. Before starting a class, you will be required to complete an initial assessment so that you are provided with classes at the correct level.

To apply for an English language course, contact your local ETB or Adult Learning Centre. The courses are generally part-time and can be anything from a few weeks up to a year. Courses are available both daytime and night-time, and at different levels.

There are also private companies offering English language courses. To find out more and for further tips and advice, see the website of the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS).

If you need to improve your literacy skills, you are not alone! Over 60,000 adults take part in education to improve their reading, writing/spelling and maths in Ireland. And:

• 1 in 6 Irish adults find it hard to understand basic written text.
• 1 in 4 Irish adults find it hard to do simple maths.

Some want to catch up on what they missed at school, some want to become more independent, and some want to help their children with their homework. You can access courses locally, or get support and learn online or via phone.

If you have, or think that you may have, a specific learning disability such as dyslexia or dyscalculia, see our sections on Differing abilities where you can read about assessments and support services available, such as Dyslexia Association of Ireland or AHEAD.

Courses or one-to-one tuition

You can access FREE courses and tuition through Adult Literacy Centres within local ETBs. Classes are usually small groups, either in the morning or evening. If you prefer one to one tuition, the adult literacy organiser will do their best to pair you with a suitable tutor.

To find adult literacy courses, you can use our Further Education and Training CourseFinder.

You can also contact NALA or your local ETB to find out more about courses or tuition available where you live:

• Freephone NALA on 1800 20 20 65
• Text 'LEARN' to 50050
• Find contact information for your local ETB here

Freephone Literacy Support

NALA has a freephone support line and receives around 10,000 calls per year from adults about how they can improve their literacy skills. The freephone support line is open throughout the year by staff who can advise adults on literacy services available.

Callers are usually referred to their local ETB literacy service for one-to-one or group tuition. OR, adults are linked with a literacy tutor who will tutor them over the phone and NALA can post relevant material.

Freephone 1800 20 20 65 or Freetext 50050.

Literacy support online

If you prefer to learn through distance learning, the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) provides distance learning online.

You can also find out more information about these literacy supports at www.nala.ie

Upskilling refers to learning and developing skills for the workplace. Some do it to improve their chances of getting a job, while others up-skill in order to improve their career and salary prospects.

For some, up-skilling may involve improving their reading and writing skills by accessing a basic education course through their local ETB. For others, up-skilling involve improving their computer skills through an evening course, or an employer may encourage their staff to improve very specific skills needed in their workplace.

A number of government upskilling programmes have been developed to encourage individuals to continue their learning and increase their skills level. Many of these programmes include financial supports. If you are unemployed, or want to further your education, there is likely to be a support programme that will help you financially, while doing a course you may be interested in.

Learning has many benefits and is not just for people looking to improve their employment and career opportunities. Being part of a learning group can give a sense of belonging and have wellbeing benefits to people of all ages, including post-retirement.

There are a range of options available, and whilst some providers charge a fee others are free.

Community education takes place in local community groups and resource centres in towns and cities around Ireland. They offer a welcoming and positive environment which is open to all adults. Courses can focus on a wide range of topics, such as computers skills, personal development and arts and crafts.

There are informal non-accredited courses for people who wish to learn a new skill or develop a hobby, meet new people and/or develop their confidence. There are also wide range of part-time courses at levels 2 to 5 and some organisations may offer courses at level 6 or above.

For more details about community education courses in your area, contact your local ETB or AONTAS

You can also find a part-time morning, evening and weekend courses on nightcourses.com

Further Education and Training (FET), offers a wide variety of life-long education options to anyone over 16. FET courses are provided at levels one to six on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ).

FET includes:

• Apprenticeships
• Traineeships
• Post Leaving Cert (PLC) courses
• Community and adult education
• Literacy and numeracy services, including English language courses
• Youthreach
• Evening courses
• Back to Education Initiatives (BTEI) courses
• Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS)
• Skills for Work programmes

FET courses and programmes are primarily provided through Education and Training Boards (ETB) (previously the VEC) throughout the country, but also through other local providers (such as National Learning Networks, Resource Centres and Community Training Centres for example) and online through SOLAS’ eCollege.

Click on the app below to search for Further Education courses or PLC courses:

If you want to talk to someone about courses available near you, contact your local ETB or your local Adult Guidance Service

Apply for a Further Education and Training courses:

There is no central application system or equivalent to the CAO as it is for Higher Education. However, for many courses, but not all, on fetchcourses.ie, you can press ‘apply’, or submit an ‘Expression of interest’ once you have registered and logged in on the website. For the courses without an ‘apply’ option online, you have to contact the provider directly to enquire about the application process.

If you receive a social welfare payment, you may qualify for specific training programmes and financial support while studying. Talk to your Intreo case officer about your options, and you can also read about different schemes here

Read more about PLC here

Read more about Apprenticeships here

For more information on FET options see www.thisisfet.ie

Courses at third level (also called Higher Education) are offered by Universities, Institutes of Technology and Technological Universities, and independent Private colleges. There are different types of courses in the higher education sector, including:

• Ordinary Bachelors degrees are undergraduate degrees which are normally 3 years in duration. NFQ Level 7.
• Honours Bachelors degrees undergraduate degrees which are normally 4 years in duration. NFQ Level 8.
• Postgraduate diplomas are often linked to professions such as teaching or librarianship. The subject may or may not be different from the primary degree. 1 year in duration. NFQ Level 9.
• Masters degrees can be either taught or based on research. Masters degrees lasts 1-2 years. NFQ Level 9.
• Doctorate degree are either ‘traditional’ (research) or ‘Structured’ (some taught modules and research) and take a minimum of 3 years, but often longer. Level 10 on the NFQ.

Click on the app below to search for Higher Education Courses:

Apply for Undergraduate Higher Education courses

Applications for undergraduate courses are done through the CAO (Central Application Office).

Note: Mature students (over 23 years) can apply to CAO even if they do not have a Leaving Certificate. Most third-level colleges reserve a small number of places in full-time day courses specifically for mature students.

There are many university access programmes available that support mature students to progress into degree programmes within the universities.

View further information about access courses here

Apply for Postgraduate studies

For postgraduate courses you generally apply directly to the university or college.

View more information about postgraduate studies here