CAO 2022; Stats, Options and Decisions.

 ©2022 Mary Hickey Career Consultant 2021 saw a record high for CAO Applications with a figure of 85,000 noted.  This figure has dropped by 1.5% in 2022 with a figure of 78,000 recorded.  These figures account for the full cohort of applicants comprising of; school leavers, further education (QQI), mature students and international students including […]

CAO – Change of Mind – All You Need to Know

CAO Change of Mind Facility

All You Need to Know About the CAO Change of Mind Facility The CAO Change of Mind Facility opened on May 5th and will remain open until 5:00pm on July 1st. The Central Applications Office (CAO) has begun emailing all applicants who applied to CAO by 1 February this year. The email instructs applicants to […]

Major Changes in the Irish College System.

Changes in the Irish College System

Over the past 12 months, there has been major overhaul and significant changes in the Irish College System.   As a result, 12 major IT Colleges across Ireland have amalgamated into 5 large Technological Universities.   The 5 new entities are as follows;   New College Name Former Name Technological University of Dublin – TUD […]

Will the Leaving Cert Points rise again next year?

This is a question we at Whitney Career Guidance are being asked a lot of late. Before I answer that question here is a brief overview of what has been happening with Leaving Cert points over the past 5 years. During the period 2017-2019 Leaving Cert points held steady, but there was the usual amount […]

Spotlight on Students entering 6th Year in 2020.

©2020 Mary Hickey and Seamus Whitney Seamus recently spoke on South East Radio about the stress and uncertainty that students entering 6th year in 2020 are currently experiencing. To address this I have compiled a short blog that should be of interest to students and parents of this cohort. The theme that is arising from […]

What do I want to be when I Grow Up?

©2020 Mary Hickey What do you want to be when you grow up? What do you want to be when you grow up?  This question is often posed to children during primary school.  Responses to this question often include; a fireman, a camogie star, a farmer etc.  A recent family outing reminded me of this.  […]

Timeline for Leaving Certificate 2020

There are many queries coming in from parents and students regarding the timeline for CAO 2020. So to give some clarity on the situation I have put together this short blog. The most immediate and important task for Leaving Certificate Students to complete now is to confirm or opt in to receive Calculated Grades. Even […]