Dr. Katriona O'Sullivan:

I apologise. My point is that the LCA, in its current offering, is actually very positive. The students really enjoy the social and skills-focused elements of the LCA. Teachers talk about how the programmes are really important for certain students. However, there is no consistency across the offerings and across school types, with affluent schools never offering the LCA. Based on this work I recommend that the content is adjusted to support students to progress onto further education and higher education. I recommend that LCA includes a math and language element to it so that students can actually access further education, and that higher education and further education programmes are asked to consider LCA in their entry requirements. I recommend a change to the grading structure of LCA, with students' work being assessed rather than graded by attendance only. I recommend that higher education institutes, HEIs, and further education institutes, FEIs, are encouraged to consider LCA as a path into their institutions.

In a time where there is a call for a skills focused curriculum it would seem that the LCA content could be utilised and adapted to inform the current academic track. I recommend that the leaving certificate as it stands explores the models of LCA which are

currently working in terms of moving some students into employment and adapt that content to the current curriculum.