CAO inclusion of Further Education & Training, Apprenticeship “important step” towards parity of esteem  

CAO inclusion of Further Education & Training, Apprenticeship “important step” towards parity of esteem  

Enhanced CAO website to include all options for school leavers

From 12pm today, school leavers have visibility of their Further Education & Training (FET) and Apprenticeship options for the first time on the CAO website. Welcoming the shared initiative between the Department of Further and Higher Education Research Innovation and Science, Solas, CAO and Education & Training Boards, Paddy Lavelle, General Secretary of Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) stated: “Today marks an important step towards parity of esteem with Higher Education for the FET and Apprenticeship routes provided by Ireland’s sixteen Education and Training Boards”.

The 2021/2022 school-leaver will have enhanced CAO choices through the development of an application resource for FET and Apprenticeship options which can be accessed through the central portal. Commenting on the shared initiative, ETBI’s Director of Further Education & Training Fiona Maloney said: “This marks an important improvement for the learner. Through the CAO website, the school leaver now has visibility of all their options, from initial exploration and application through course commencement and, importantly, their pathways for progression. Further streamlining and expansion of the CAO Further Education & Training offering is planned as part of this project in 2022”.