further education award in its own right, which meets the training needs of classroom assistants or the needs of adult and continuing professional education trainers. Students are enrolled in one of the two colleges of further education and are required to complete eight FETAC modules as well as two modules from the first year full-time Degree in Education and Training programme. They are then exempt from these modules when they progress to the first year of the BSc. course.
Formal links between further and higher education There has already been some success in developing formal links between the higher and further education sector as a route of access to higher education, particularly for under-represented groups of learners. Since 1995 there has been a route of entry from FETAC Level 5 and 6 (NCVA Levels 2 and 3) courses to the Institutes of Technology (the ‘higher education links scheme’).
In 2001 the
National University of Ireland formally recognised FETAC awards for matriculation purposes.
University College Cork subsequently developed an entry route for
students with FETAC Level 5 and 6 awards. Since 2005, UCD, NUIM and NCAD have also developed routes of entry to some faculties for applicants with FETAC qualifications and NUIG is piloting a similar approach. In 2004 FETAC level 5 and 6 awards were recognised for entry to a number of faculties in DCU. However, while these links have been in place for some time, it is very difficult to determine the numbers of learners who progress to higher education through the further education access route. Data are scarce, some commentators believe that the numbers are quite small and that there are still some barriers to access for those taking the FETAC level 5 and 6 routes.
Advantages of promoting progression links from further to higher education There is a clear value in building on the formal links already established between the higher and further education sector as a route of access to higher education, particularly for under-represented groups of learners. Recent studies indicate that up to half of the participants in the further education sector entered as mature students (over 23 years of age), compared to less than one-tenth of entrants to Page | 129