The Minister for Education has responded to a Tipp principal’s claim that colleges need to provide more support for 6th year students.
James Williams, principal of Scoil Ruain in Killenaule, recently expressed concern that CAO stress in students will likely persist even after the leaving certificate is reformed.
Speaking to Tipp FM, Minister Foley says this is something she is conscious of and that more emphasis needs to be placed on the other pathways students have available.
She says that she thinks this generation of young people will have multiple career aspirations and that there are a myriad of opportunities to facilitate that outside of the CAO system.
“Great progress has been made in the last number of years, like supporting initiatives in terms of apprenticeships showcase to students that they have not just one direction to travel in, but so many different opportunities.
“But I do believe that we need to continue to make inroads in that direction; not everything depends on one day in June.
“It is said, apparently, that this new generation of young people that we have will change their careers three or four times in their lifetimes. That’s a new departure for us all and a new mindset for all of us to appreciate. So, I think we need to encourage our young people to be aware of the myriad of opportunities that are not solely dependent on the CAO.”
