In recent years, the PLC sector has become an increasingly popular option for more and more school-leavers. No longer is a PLC course considered by students as a contingency plan in case they do not do well in the CAO points race. A PLC course is now a recognised preparatory route to employment or further education. There are 24,500 students doing PLC courses in 240 centres throughout the State. In general, these courses are one to two years in length and lead to a qualification awarded by the National Council for Vocational Awards.
Some courses also offer an alternative route into third-level education.
As there is no central applications system for PLCs, students should apply to each institution individually. While a Leaving Certificate is required for entry to a PLC, there is no points rating on performance and interviews are usually carried out to assess the suitability of a student to the course. They are not just for getting jobs but also for those who did not get enough points and can go on from a PLC and get a degree. PLC courses first came into being in 1985 as a way of bridging the gap between employment and school by preparing students directly for employment in their chosen area. With the current economic boom, graduates from PLC courses are becoming increasingly attractive to employers who are snapping them up, often even before they have completed their courses.