CAO offers are out…
Over 50,000 college hopefuls are set to receive their CAO results on Monday morning and many students look to have applied for more job-friendly courses.
Figures reveal that 52% of those who applied for an honours degree programme have been offered their first preference, while 80% were offered their first, second or third choice.
Points have fallen for arts and creative courses but there’s been a surge in demand for degrees in areas which are seen to have easier job prospects.
So-called “boom time” courses like engineering and other construction-related courses have seen an increased demand and therefore, points have risen for many of these courses.
Experts have pointed out in recent weeks about a shortage of skills in these areas and this seems to have influenced decisions.
There was a 20-point increase in engineering at NUIG, UCD and Trinity College.
The well-publicised teacher shortage also caused a big increase in applications for teacher training, despite the controversial pay scale in place for new teachers.
It’s still proving to be a popular choice for college hopefuls but points for primary teaching have risen in double figures while points for secondary teaching are also up across the board.
Meanwhile nursing has seen a general rise of about 10 points across the board. It’s another area where a shortage in staff is reported by industry experts.
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