New degree programme outside CAO system begins September

THE development of new degree programmes for courses outside the CAO points system sees 23 courses beginning in September.

Speaking at the launch earlier this month, Minister for Further Education, Simon Harris, said the “points system has not worked for many of our young people,”

“Today, we can tell the next generation of students they can access degrees in nursing, business, engineering, and media without ever engaging with the CAO system. This is the start. We have much more to do.”

TD Emer Higgins (FG) said the points system “puts so much pressure and stress on young people and on parents.”

“Minister Harris heard first-hand from students in St Joseph’s College in Lucan two years ago, and I am really pleased that he used their feedback to shape this new policy,” said Higgins.

“I don’t believe that it should be the case that because someone didn’t get a certain number of points in an exam, in a certain year, that they can’t do what they want to do. That’s something students, parents and teachers say to me all the time, and it’s something the Government has set about changing.”

Established by the Dept. of  Education, the National Tertiary Office launches 23 new tertiary degree programmes for the academic year 2023/2024, including Business, ICT, Arts, and Engineering.

A tertiary course is one that commences in an Education and Training Board (ETB) and continues in a Higher Education Institution (HEI), culminating in the award of a degree.

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