Student Experiences of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme

DISCUSSION AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS 149had offered them assistance, it was clear that they still lacked this importantknowledge regarding their options. In fact, the lack of transparent postschoolpathways for LCA students proved to be a disincentive for someLCA students to pursue further education/training after they left school,and may contribute to the higher unemployment risk among this group.9.1.6 SCHOOL DROP-OUTThere is little available information on the proportion of LCA studentswho leave the programme before completion. Using a variety of datasources, we estimate that the drop-out rate is in the region of 25 to 37 percent. This is a substantially higher rate than that for either the LCE or theLCVP, as would be expected given the LCA programme explicitly targetsthose at risk of early school leaving. Indeed, a number of the studyrespondents indicated the positive difference LCA made to their staying inschool. Early leavers from the programme tend to display much morenegative attitudes to their teachers than those who complete LCA, feelingthat their teachers did not care about them, and were less likely to reportthat their teachers helped them and listened to their views. It may be thatLCA will only retain students in school if it is underpinned by a positiveschool climate more generally. Furthermore, student disengagement withschool often dates back to their experiences at junior cycle (or even earlier).9.1.7 POST-SCHOOL OUTCOMESThis study provides the first systematic assessment of the post-schooloutcomes of LCA students. The process of comparing outcomes amongLCA students with those of other young people is complex. If we assumethat LCA students would otherwise have left the school system, we shouldcompare them with Junior Certificate leavers. However, if we judge that(some of these) LCA students would otherwise have achieved low grades inthe LCE/LCVP, we should compare them with low-performingLCE/LCVP students. For the purpose of this study, we compare thelabour market outcomes of LCA leavers with a range of other groups,including early leavers and other Leaving Certificate groups across a varietyof grade levels.In relation to labour market outcomes, we examined LCA leavers,relative to other Leaving Certificate and early leaver groups, by looking atthree main areas; their status one year after leaving school, their risk ofunemployment, and the industrial and occupational sectors they enter inthe labour market. It appears that, compared to other Leaving Certificateand early leaving groups, a large proportion of LCA leavers are situated inthe labour market one year after leaving school. However, although theLCA is intended to prepare students for progression to the labour marketand further education, they are less likely than any other school leavers tobe in full-time education and training one year after leaving school. WhereLCA leavers take part in further education and training, the patterns arehighly gendered; young men predominantly enter State-sponsored trainingprogrammes (including apprenticeship) while females significantlyoutnumber males in PLC participation.When looking at unemployment, our findings indicate that LCA labourmarket entrants are at greater risk in the immediate post-school periodcompared with LCE/LCVP labour market entrants, regardless of thelatter’s examination performance. However, when they obtain a job, LCA