A study commissioned by the Higher Education Authority has reportedly highlighted how a class divide in education is permeating into the professions.
Reports this morning say the research has found that jobs in law, medicine, architecture, dentistry and pharmacy are more likely to be filled by people from the higher social classes.
It has also found that just over 15% of students from skilled and unskilled working families achieved five or more honours in the Leaving Cert, compared to well over 40% of students from professional backgrounds.
I looked around the HEA website and saw nothing about this study, but a news-story about it can be read here.
Reports this morning say the research has found that jobs in law, medicine, architecture, dentistry and pharmacy are more likely to be filled by people from the higher social classes.
It has also found that just over 15% of students from skilled and unskilled working families achieved five or more honours in the Leaving Cert, compared to well over 40% of students from professional backgrounds.
I looked around the HEA website and saw nothing about this study, but a news-story about it can be read here.
2 comments:
This report “Discipline Choices and Trends for High Points CAO Acceptors, 2006” has been published by the Statistics Section of the HE on the HEA website, here:
http://www.hea.ie/uploads/pdf/HEA_HighPoints_WEBFINAL.pdf
I hope the link can be successfully copied as I forget the HTML tricks.
There is also a news release about the reports's findings in the HEA news section here:
http://www.hea.ie/index.cfm/page/news/category/134/section/details/id/317
According to John Walshe in the Irish Independent, the report does not examine the reasons why children from professional and managerial backgrounds stay in school and then do better in the Leaving Cert than children from what used to be called working class backgrounds.
According to general secretary of the Irish Vocational Education Association, Michael Moriarty, "a culture of expectation was part of the explanation". This is something that I have suggested in previous posts on this blog.
See the Irish Independent article here: http://www.independent.ie/education/latest-news/poorer-students-locked-out-of-top-job-spots-925562.html
I'll give my own review of the new HEA report when I get the chance to read it properly. Unfortunately the HEA news release only discussed the subject choices of high-points students.
The report only focuses on high-points students on the premise that "the retention of our high achieving students in the Irish higher education system is a vital
contributory factor to Ireland’s continuing and long-term economic success". I can see the logic in this.
The highest proportion (23.7%) of 450+ acceptors accepted places on Technology courses in 2006. Technology includes Science, Computing, Engineering/Construction and Architecture.
This is heartening given projected future skills needs in areas such as ICT, biotech and pharma.
I am still quite curious though as to whether the choice of third-level course made at this juncture represents the fundamental preferences (pecuniary and non-pecuniary) of the student.
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