Irish Vocational Education Association

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IVEA Congratulates Leaving Certificate Examination Students
12 August 2009
IVEA General Secretary, Michael Moriarty, congratulated all students who received their Leaving Certificate results today. In doing so, Mr Moriarty acknowledged the extent to which the Leaving Certificate is recognised, at home and abroad, as a ‘gold standard’ qualification at Levels 4/5 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) and commended the commitment of the candidates, their teachers, their parents and their school/college managements in the successes achieved.
The day the Leaving Certificate results emerge is a very significant day in a young person’s life and, as such it will be a day of celebration for many. On the other hand, there will be some who feel that that their results are not what they had wished for and it is important to bear this in mind.
Irrespective of what results candidates receive or how candidates feel about their results today, the reality, said Mr Moriarty, is that the Leaving Certificate is but one of many significant steps on the young person’s life journey and all who contribute to conversations about an individual’s results or the Leaving Certificate results, in general, should be mindful of this reality. It is not whether you seem to succeed or fail at this juncture that really matters, but how you cope with your apparent success or failure. And, sometimes, success poses as many challenges as failure.
Mr Moriarty encouraged students, in consultation with their parents and their schools, to look at all the options available to them.
It is important for young people to realise that they do not have to make these decisions on their own – information and support is no further away than their local school.”
In particular, Mr Moriarty advised those receiving their Leaving Certificate results today, to explore what Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses offered by VECs all over the country might have to offer them. These locally provided courses, said Mr Moriarty, have a number of advantages.
For someone who may not have obtained sufficient points to gain direct access to a particular course at third level, they can provide an alternative route into third level without having to repeat the Leaving Certificate.
For those seeking a route into skilled employment, they can provide such a pathway, as PLC courses have been put in place with the specific skill needs of industry and commerce very much in mind. In every corner of Ireland, there are successful businesses that owe their origins to the work-related skills acquired through a PLC course in their local VEC School or College – many during the economic downturn of the 80s and early 90s. And, given the current economic climate, these courses have the capacity to provide young people with the skills essential to making the most of the next economic upturn.
For those who may wish to take a ‘gap year’ before proceeding directly to third level, they provide an ideal opportunity to acquire computing and other skills that will be hugely helpful to them, both in their studies and in the workplace.
According to Mr Moriarty, the need for young people to improve their qualifications was never more urgent. While Jobs may be difficult to come by today, it was never more important for young people to maximise their skills and qualifications and opportunities to do so are as close as your local VEC School or College.
The Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA) represents the interests, at national level of Ireland's thirty-three Vocational Education Committees (VECs).

The VECs are statutory education authorities currently delivering educational programmes up to 100,000 second level pupils and 200,000 adult education learners. The day-to-day administration of the association is carried out by the secretariat, headed by the General Secretary, Mr Michael Moriarty in the IVEA's head office in Dublin.
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