Student Experiences of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme

44 ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE?Well a lot of them [friends] wanted to go on to higher education, I didn’t reallymind because…all I wanted was a trade like…That’s how I got involved withthe person I was working with, because he took me on, on a Friday and that’show I got my apprenticeship, so I got help like. I changed to a few things as welllike so, I went to different people as well like, I knew what I wanted when I leftschool, you know what I mean. (Justin, 22, completed LCA, employed)The qualitative interviews also highlighted another group of studentswho entered LCA. Although small in number, a pattern emerged in theinterviews where some young people felt misdirected into taking LCA bytheir school, teachers or peer group and subsequently regretted choosingthe programme.4.3.5 MISDIRECTED STUDENTSJust over 10 per cent of those interviewed regretted taking the LCA due,mainly, to its slow pace of instruction, limited curriculum and restrictions inaccessing third level colleges. 6 Jackie, Linda and Deirdre felt misdirectedinto taking LCA and were critical of the selection process for studentsentering the progamme. They felt that there was a lack of communicationbetween schools and pupils about the content of LCA and its limitations inaccessing third level colleges. This group felt they were misdirected by theirschools and teachers who, they believe, should have recognised their abilityto complete the LCE. Respondents did, however, recognise the strong peerinfluence in their decision to take LCA but in some cases suggested thatteachers encouraged groups of friends who may have been regarded as‘troublemakers’ to take LCA.Jackie’s experience is typical of the respondents who felt misdirected intheir decision to take LCA. Despite being told about the change incurriculum and modular credit accumulation used in LCA, Jackie felt thatshe was not fully informed about the limitations of the programme forgetting into third level courses. She explained how her whole class feltfrustrated when they realised this limitation, particularly as it was too late tochange back to the LCE:We were told like we'd be doing assignments and tasks and stuff like that…andthen we do a couple of tests at the end for sixth year and like it would be the samelike, it would work out the same way doing the straight Leaving. I thoughtbrilliant you know it would be dead handy like to do all the tests all year and justa couple of tests at the end. (Jackie, 22, completed LCA, home duties)Jackie was in her final year when she realised she could not go tocollege:And then I realised that…we couldn't get the same points as straight Leaving, Icouldn't get the course I wanted to do in college because I hadn’t got the straightLeaving and we were told you know you have to do PLC or go back and do yourstraight Leaving to get into college and stuff and it was just I said what, we6 Access to higher education is restricted for LCA students who are not included in theCAO points system. Students can gain access to state training programmes in FÁS orPost-Leaving Certificate courses which can provide access to some third level courses.