Student Experiences of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme

86 ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE?Confidence is the main thing I came out with … because like I barely, well notbarely talked, but I was very iffy and now you can’t stop me talking, you can’t, Iget told to shut up now, to be quiet.Can you see then the way that confidence has helped you sinceyou left school?Yeah, big time … overall you don’t mind talking to people … even strangers youhave no problem with, first people I meet like, my sister’s friends, you can just fireaway and you’re talking away to them like. (Anne, 21, completed LCA,employed)I built up more courage. … Before I didn’t like asking for things but now I havebuilt up confidence … I’m more confident now. (Siobhan, 25, completedLCA, employed)What would you say are the skills that you got from the LCAprogramme?People skills, communication skills, everything, I actually learned like, quite a lotlike besides … before I wouldn’t exactly go up talking to people about nothinglike, I wouldn’t go up and just say, but now I would, I wouldn’t have anyproblem or anything, any issues or anything like that. (Sarah, 21, completedLCA, employed)Sarah believed that if she had taken the LCE she would not havedeveloped an interest in travel and a ‘get up and go’ attitude to life:Have you found those [LCA] skills useful since you’ve leftschool?Oh yeah, definitely, … [I] probably wouldn’t be halfway to where I am now if Ididn’t. I’m big into travelling as well like, I’m mad for travelling at the moment.… If I had done the ordinary Leaving Cert and just stayed sitting quietly in theclass, I don’t think I’d have any get up and go for that like. I think that the factthat I could talk, I’d talk to a stranger asking, even the time, before that it wouldhave been a big issue for me, but now, I wouldn’t have any problem with itwhatsoever like, so, it sort of just brought me out of myself really. (Sarah, 21,completed LCA, employed)Personal development is a major objective of the LCA programme andthis section has highlighted how respondents feel the programme hasbenefited them in the workplace and in learning to participate fully insociety. At the same time, there was a feeling among respondents that theLCA programme is ‘not for everyone’. Respondents were asked whetherthey would encourage others to take LCA; many said they would but feltthat it depende upon the type of student. In keeping with the findings ofMatthews’s (2006) study, young people reported that the programme wasmore suitable for those who had difficulties with schoolwork in junior cycleand/or who were at risk of early school leaving:Would you advise other students to do it?Yeah, I definitely would if they were like in the same situation I was, not too goodwith books or that, I definitely would. (Maura, 24, completed LCA,employed)