Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

A lot of the time people from disadvantaged backgrounds and minority groups tend to take caring courses. That is not to stereotype, but a lot of people tend to take caring courses and nursing courses as well. A person might go down that route and be told they would have a qualification at the end of it, only for that course, no matter which, not to be accredited. What is being done to protect students who find out maybe after a year that their course is not accredited? Second, and this might be off the point for the witnesses, I have done some work with Ballyfermot College of Further Education. A lot of the post-leaving certificate, PLC, colleges in Inchicore, Ballyfermot and Crumlin provide good access for people from disadvantaged communities. In one sense, education is a way out for people from some economically disadvantaged backgrounds. I am trying to work with the board of management and the Department to get an accredited nursing course in Ballyfermot College of Further Education, for example. It would be a QQI level 6 and then people could go on to UCD or DCU to finish the rest of the course. Is that doable for some of the PLC colleges? It creates that access. People are not in big universities, and are not afraid then of stepping into a college like Ballyfermot College of Further Education. I would like to hear the witnesses' thoughts on that.