55% of Cork students likely to emigrate

Calls have been made for the Government to better resource essential career guidance for secondary school students.

It comes as a new survey found that Cork’s strong job prospects make it a bright spot, but rising costs still push over half of students (55%) to consider emigration.

The Studyclix Cork report found:

Emigration: 55% of Cork students likely to emigrate, above national average of 54%

Cost of living: 41% say it’s a major factor, significantly above the national average (34%)

Work: 45% optimistic about working locally, higher than the national average (40%)

Living at home: 67% plan to stay at home during college, compared to 55% nationally

An estimated 60,000 sixth-year students across the country will have submitted their Central Applications Office (CAO) applications to undergraduate courses by today, 6 February, underlining the pressure on students to make key choices on their learning and career paths.

Luke Saunders, a former secondary school teacher and co-founder of Studyclix, believes the survey results shows the level of uncertainty in young people adding that it comes as “no surprise” given cuts to guidance counsellor hours in recent years. The survey also highlighted some students are turning to private guidance counsellors due to the lack of support in schools.

Luke said: “The guidance counsellor is a vital member of school staff, with responsibilities for teaching careers classes, helping students with CAO and UCAS forms, supporting student with mental health issues.

“The fallout of the 2008 economic recession saw dramatic cuts to guidance counsellor hours in many small schools, with guidance counsellors also forced to take on a certain number of subject teaching hours. It’s no surprise that most students feel they do not have enough time with their guidance counsellor.”

He added: “This has created a situation in which students are embarking on the wrong college courses, leading to drop outs. The government should invest in giving schools a greater allocation of guidance counsellor time so that counsellors can provide sufficient support to students.”