Course Types & Levels

Entry Level

Leading to awards at levels 1-3 on the NFQ
Courses can be Part-time and full-time
  • Short Courses/Upskilling
  • Adult Literacy and Numeracy
  • Courses for Early School Leavers
Entry requirements

No formal education entry requirements

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Working Up from Levels 1 to 3

Catherine left school at the age of 15 and had no formal qualifications before deciding to study for a Level 5 Business and Administration course. With the help of ETB tutors, Catherine came to realise that she had dyslexia and switched to the Learning for Living (adult literacy) programme to build up her reading and writing skills, working her way up from Level 1 to 3. Catherine now has Junior Certificate qualifications in English, Maths and CSPE (Citizenship). “I would say the Learning for Living was the best door I ever opened in my life. The tutors have patience, kindness and understanding,” said Catherine.

Catherine McLaughlin / Adult Literacy, Levels 1-3

Did you know? If you are in receipt of State Benefit payment, you may be eligible to participate in our courses for free of charge. 

Intermediate Level

Leading to awards at levels 3 & 4 of the NFQ
Courses can be Part-time and full-time
  • Back to Education
  • Progression Courses
  • Courses for Early School Leavers
  • Entry Level Employment Focussed Courses
Entry requirements

NFQ Level 3 / Junior Certificate / Relevant life experience

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Early school leaving to a college degree with Youthreach

“When I turned 16 I’d had enough with secondary school. I’d simply lost all interest in education and with the ever-looming Leaving Certificate approaching I felt rather than try and fail, I’d be better off not trying at all. I left school with no real plan of what to do next. Youthreach was recommended to me and I started enjoying learning for the first time in years. It was encouraging because when they put faith in you, you felt motivated to try harder; you were encouraged to nurture skills you had. I’m now a 3rd year in Cloud Computing degree student in LYIT. Youthreach was a huge step for me in redeveloping an interest in education and I know I would never have got the same opportunities if I had stayed in mainstream school.”

Stephen Coyle / Youthreach (Levels 3 & 4)

Advanced Level

Courses can be Part-time and full-time
  • Specific Skills Courses
  • Post Leaving Certificate Courses (PLC)
  • Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS)
  • Apprenticeships & Traineeships
Entry requirements

NFQ Level 4 / Junior Certificate (some apprenticeships) / Leaving Certificate / Relevant life experience

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From Computer Engineering to Leaving Cert to BioScience

Colin left education after primary school, so he had a lot of ground to cover when he began studying with Donegal ETB. Having previously worked as a computer engineer, he was motivated to gain the qualification after meeting a major job hurdle: “I was applying for an apprenticeship programme when the first box that came up was that you had to have your Leaving Cert. That propelled me to go back to be prepared for anything like that that came up again,” he said. Colin’s studies led him to discover that he had a flair for Biology, and so he is switching career paths from computing to Bioscience this new semester in LYIT.

Colin Chambers / Leaving Certificate for Adults

Need some advice on choosing the correct path to education? Our ‘Adult Guidance’ service can help you!