Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 November 2021
444. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the percentage of students who enter higher education on the basis of a further education qualification in each year since 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56017/21]
View answerThis data is not collected on an annual basis. Data on the transition rate from further to higher education was collated as part of a working paper on the topic, published in 2020. Two different measures of the transition rate were identified.
The first is CAO acceptances. In 2017 7.3% (3,517) of CAO acceptances were by candidates who were offered their course on the basis of a QQI/FET qualification.
The second is an analysis specifically undertaken for the further to higher education transitions working paper. With the assistance of the CSO, data from the SOLAS/ETB FET learner database (PLSS) was linked with the HEA enrolments database. This report found that 12.1% (5,296) of undergraduate new entrants in 2017 had completed a PLC course in the previous year. This represented 18.3% of the PLC cohort from that year.
