The Higher Options and World Skills expo, an annual conference, provides a platform for second-level students to contemplate their future career options by consulting with representatives from numerous educational institutions, including universities and colleges across UK and beyond. A host of representatives from these entities, Solas and the CAO will accommodate the students at individual stalls in the exhibition hall, offering insight on various educational pathways and opportunities that are available at domestic and international level.
At the conference, students have the opportunity to meet experts who will speak in three separate auditoriums respectively covering morning, afternoon and evening sessions. To make the most out of the event, students are urged to be familiar with the timetable and schedule beforehand.
Every attendee might hold distinct interests, hence the wide array of talk topics that they can choose to attend. Adequate and prudent planning can help students reap maximum rewards from the expo.
The key to a beneficial event experience is preparation – a process that should encompass career exploration in their school years, ideally from the transition year and fifth year. Comprehensive preparation documents provided by counsellors can help students plan their day efficiently, thus enhancing the long-term benefits of participation in the event.
Equipped with knowledge provided by their guidance counsellors, students can access details about various presentations at the event. These talks cover a diverse range of topics pertinent to further and higher education progression in UK and overseas.
The World Skills fair and the Higher Options exhibition, both being held concurrently at the RDS, offer plentiful insight into the available apprenticeships spanning traditional construction trades and over 60 other vocations organised by Solas. The vast display of exhibitors and multitude of offered programmes at these events call for attendees to plan their interactions with the colleges or exhibitors of their preference.
The ‘hero’s stage’, a feature of the event, enables visitors to gain inspiration from others who have made successful careers following designated training pathways. It’s highly recommended that attendees prepare specific queries to discuss with the representatives at various stands. While each institution will undoubtedly portray its offerings in the most favourable light, students are encouraged to thoroughly evaluate and analyse the information received, in order to advance their career planning.
Exhibitors don’t anticipate attendees to make definitive career decisions based merely on a conversation or a visit to their stand. Planned interactions, however, can give students a directional lead in contemplating their future educational and career path.
With these events, students who have spent time in prior research and preparation may have already clarified their course preferences. If they discover that their desired course is beyond reach due to the requirement of high points or specific subjects they are not currently studying, the Higher Options exhibition offers alternatives.
At Higher Options, students can engage with other exhibitors to learn about divergent routes to achieving their course objectives. Many high-point Central Applications Office (CAO) programmes in all fields are currently accessible through further education (FE) one-year schemes at level five. Students often overlook that CAO institutions allot thousands of vacancies annually to these scheme graduates, where the results of the Leaving Cert points are not considered.
Every August, over 4,000 further education college students receive offers based on their academic achievements. A fair number of these colleges will be participating in Higher Options this year. Discover these colleges and learn about the CAO-linked courses they offer.
Alternatively, if the high CAO points requirements for various programmes in Ireland feel daunting, consider applying to European universities. These institutions have a dissimilar admissions system, typically asking for just two H5s and four passes for course entry, courses that demand more than 500 points back in Ireland.
Colleges from across Europe, conducting lectures predominantly in English, will be available for you to explore at Higher Options. In Eastern Europe, the tuition fees for medical and paramedical courses could begin at €10,000. Contrastingly, in many Western Europe universities, the fees are quite affordable, if not non-existent.
Open Days
A student’s interest might be stimulated by their experience at Higher Options. It is then usually supplemented by thorough reading of the literature provided by the respective colleges. Following this, the next move should be to figure out the 2024-2025 on-campus open day schedule of the desirable college.
Several colleges would be willing to take your email information at their booths to keep you updated about such events. It’s strongly advised that Leaving Cert students don’t settle on a college decision at this point, but instead engage with the chosen institution and get a sense of its ambiance before finalising their course choices next June.
Please note that by choosing a course, you’re opting for much more than a series of lectures and exams for the next few years. It’s akin to a long-term commitment that shapes your lifestyle and exposes you to various social and extracurricular activities that the institution offers.
Students differ in their personalities and interests. Some may thrive in large college environments, while others may find smaller institutions more appealing due to their close-knit community atmosphere.
Students who base their course choices solely on the course content, neglecting to consider the environment it’s offered in, often quickly realise they’ve made a less than ideal choice.
Engaging with Higher Options
After participating in the Higher Options event for over two decades, I’ve observed that some students attend without any substantial purpose or forethought.
Instead of aimlessly roaming around the complex for several hours, getting disinterested, and trudging up Anglesea Road with a bag overflowing with brochures that soon becomes too hefty to haul, seize this incredible chance to educate yourself about what Higher Options and World Skills have available. One must not undervalue oneself and overlook this fantastic prospect.
Being a final-year secondary school student, you will not find such a multitude of education and training suppliers in the same place, all prepared to assist your professional development journey. This encounter could potentially be the most valuable use of three hours for your career discovery this year, aiding in defining your future plans. Be prudent in its usage and extend its benefit in the forthcoming weeks and months.
Have fun with it.