Art, Craft, Design: 

Business Studies: 

Career Enhancement: 

Computers / Information Technology: 

Hotel and Catering: 

Media, Communications, Languages: 

Performing Arts: 

Science and Applied Technology: 

Tourism, Travel and Transport: 

Secretarial Studies, Tele-services: 

City of Cork VEC has an established history in the provision of further education. It is one of the largest providers of further education in the state. At present it provides for the education and training of over 3,000 students, mostly on one and two year courses. Students attend the colleges from throughout Ireland.

If you are interested in joining a course you will be able to choose from over one hundred and thirty courses which are designed to enhance your employment prospects. Besides giving you information on each of the colleges and on the courses which they provide, the Website also addresses a number of other areas of concern to school leavers embarking on a course and perhaps living away from home for the first time.

It will be of particular interest to adults, since the courses run by the colleges provide them with an excellent opportunity for second-chance education, which will enable them to enhance their career prospects. Sometimes adults are reluctant to return to education for a variety of reasons. If you would like to return, but feel reluctant to do so, it may be worth remembering that each of the colleges has vast experience in accommodating the needs and concerns of adults and in enabling them to integrate fully into college life.

The courses provide you with an excellent opportunity to participate in education and training programmes, which will prepare you for a career in business or industry. If you decide to take up a course the curriculum that you will follow will have been carefully designed to ensure that you would be prepared for entry into employment in your chosen vocational area at the end of your course. It will also provide you with a good foundation for advancing to third level, if that is your choice.

These courses cater better than third level for a number of niche areas. Indeed there are some areas where the further education sector is the only one providing educational opportunities.

Courses in further education are very accessible; there is no points system and there are no fees. They are generally open to those with Leaving Certificate, LCVP or LCA certification.

At the end of your course you will not only have received a good education and training but, because of the way they are structured, you should also have developed greater flexibility and adaptability. These qualities are essential in modern business and industry, where in-house training is often provided for new staff, or to keep existing staff up to date with developments in technology.

This has been a significant development in Irish Education. It provides any adult who fulfils the conditions set out below with an opportunity to return to full time education and training. It gives you a second chance to develop your skills and to enhance your career and employment prospects.

The scheme is open to adults who are 21 years of age or over and who are on unemployment assistance or unemployment benefit, or who are signing for credits for at least six months. A limited number of places are normally made available to lone parents, deserted and separated spouses, widows and widowers and persons in receipt of disability allowance.

If you participate in VTOS, allowances equal to social welfare payments, including secondary benefits, will be paid to you. You will also benefit from meal allowances, travel allowances (if you are over three miles from the college) and your course-related costs will be covered. Any of the Colleges will be happy to provide you with any further information that you may require.

If you are an adult who does not meet the requirements set out above and if you are still interested in pursuing a course, you should contact one of the colleges to seek advice on how they may be able to accommodate your needs.

Admissions procedures vary from College to College. While some details are given in the appropriate sections of this booklet anybody interested in applying for a course in one of the colleges should consult a copy of the college prospectus or telephone the college concerned. Applicants for courses should be prepared to attend for interview since this is generally a requirement for all courses with the exception of Secretarial Courses in the Cork College of Commerce. Some courses may also require attendance for aptitude tests or audition or the presentation of a portfolio. Details on these should be sought from individual colleges.

A variety of assessment procedures are used in assessing courses. Naturally they will vary somewhat from course to course. They include, written examinations, written assignments, case studies, presentations, performances and portfolios. Students take NCVA written examinations and/or the examinations of other examining or professional bodies at the end of the academic year. Sometimes courses may have an element of continuous assessment.

The Colleges can make a list of accommodation available to you, if you require it, once you have obtained a place on one of their courses. You should note that there are a number of purpose-built student accommodation facilities within a reasonable distance of each college. Local newspapers and flat-finding agencies will also help you to find suitable accommodation.

Study - planning for success: Success in any course has both a college dimension and a student dimension. The dedication and commitment of the teaching staff will create an atmosphere in which a vocationally oriented learning environment is created. This dedication and commitment must be matched by that of students. It goes without saying that in order to benefit from your course you must make your own personal commitment. Above all you must be prepared to invest time. Time invested in your course means time invested in your future. To obtain the maximum benefit you will need to ensure that you attend regularly and punctually, give quality time to study, complete assignments, presentations, portfolios and any other tasks pertaining to your course, and be willing to meet deadlines in relation to them.

Any course in which you will participate will require determined effort on your part to ensure success. It is presumed that you will attend your classes and know what is going on in your course. This is the first requirement for success. You must follow this with a commitment to study in terms of time and effort. Study does not simply happen; you will have to make a firm decision about doing it. You will need to decide early on in your course, what needs to be done, when it needs to be done why it needs be done and how it ought to be done for maximum effect. Remember that when you come to doing examinations, assignments, presentations or portfolios knowledge is your best friend. It is also worth remembering that today's employer is far more likely to want to employ you for your knowledge than for your sweat.

When you read your textbook you are reading for information, so it is a good idea to try to have some questions formulated in your mind before you begin. These questions could spring from issues on a topic that was raised by a teacher or by students in class, from your own background knowledge or from your survey of the text or the chapter. One good way of generating questions is to read the first and last paragraphs of a chapter and then the first and last sentence of each intervening paragraph before you begin to read in detail. This will give you a good insight into the content of the chapter in a well-written book. Sometimes questions are posed in the opening paragraph of a chapter. If they are, make a conscious effort to remember them and look for answers to them as you read. Today, many texts have chapter conclusions and chapter summaries. When they are provided you should read them before you read the chapter. By doing so you will get an insight into what the chapter is all about. Your reading should be very much an active rather than a passive process. Passive reading is fine for novels, newspapers and magazines but it is practically useless for study purposes.

When you read, make notes, but do not just transcribe material from the book. Train yourself in note making by reading a paragraph, closing the book, making notes, checking your notes against the paragraph by reading it again, closing the book again and filling in any gaps in your knowledge. This is a much better method than just writing straight from the book because, as you read, you are forcing yourself to think and to recall. This is a tremendous aid to memory and it reinforces what you have learned. You will find that after a while you will be able to read a number of paragraphs or even a whole chapter, close the book, make your notes and review them. This method will also ensure those serious gaps in your knowledge and understanding will be dealt with as they arise. Perhaps, more important, it will alert you immediately to areas where your understanding needs to be supported. You will then be in a position to seek help and support from your teachers. This is what active reading involves.

Use your notes to revise your course from time to time. It would be beneficial to do this on a planned basis, say, every month or six weeks. This type of review should be done to reinforce your learning. Try to answer a question by giving yourself a ‘mini-exam’ for, say, 30 minutes. First read your notes and the relevant chapter, if necessary. Then, with notes and text closed, answer the question by putting down the main points in sequence (i.e. 1, 2, 3, etc.). When you have completed this, go back and check for any gaps in the material that you have written. If you find some fill them in ... if you find a lot, check your understanding of the material. The main advantage of doing this is that it helps you to organise your thoughts, your material and your approach as well as checking your understanding. It presents you with a great advantage when it comes to doing your examinations. Examinations usually provide the finale to your course of study. Sometimes good students may not do as well in the examinations as in their classwork because they haven't learned to plan their time very well. This is why the ‘mini-exam’ approach to revision can be so useful.

Students attending Post Leaving Certificate courses may be eligible for a maintenance grant. Qualification depends on family income and the number of dependant children. Independent mature students may qualify on the basis of their own income if they are over 23 years of age. Many VTOS students may also qualify.

In 1998/99 the grant for students whose home was less than 15 miles from the college which they attended was £660 while for those over 15 miles from the college it was £1,625.

Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa is a College of Further Education from which young people setting out on their studies and mature students seeking to build a new career through re-training can benefit through the quality education and training programmes on offer. The College offers a range of thirty-five courses at various levels which allows students to choose a level most appropriate to them. Its close working links with industry ensures that students are trained to meet employers’ needs. It also endeavours to develop links with other institutions providing further progression pathways to higher qualifications.

Student canteen, Accommodation service, Computer facilities, Guidance and Counselling service, free crèche facilities, Study areas

Sports: Athletics, Aerobics, Boating/Sailing, Golf, Karate, Fencing, Outdoor Pursuits, Rugby, Soccer, Swimming,

Horse Riding, Tennis, Gaelic Football, Hurling,

Societies: Chess, European Society, Film/Video, Modern Language, Tourism, Student Discos, Outdoor Pursuits, Music Society

Two student canteens, Accommodation service, Airline Training, Computer facilities, Guidance and Counselling service

Reading hall, Crèche facilities, Work Experience, European links, Model office, Careers and Appointments Service

Its aims are to:

enhance the educational, personal and social development of each student

provide students with the best opportunities for obtaining employment

equip students for life and work at local, national and European levels