Guidance Academic Year 2025 / 2026

Hello everyone and welcome to the Firhouse ETSS Guidance page. This will be updated regularly. If there are any queries in relation to careers please encourage your child to come and talk to me or indeed parents can contact me through Julie on VSmail.

Eoin Houlihan

Guidance Counsellor

GUIDANCE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT TO FOLLOW

Classroom Guidance

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRxGfdGD-d9/?igsh=bmkyanoxNmo2dDJz

CAO application process

CAO is now open for registration. The most important thing right now is that students register and if they are DARE or HEAR that this is ticked on their application online.

1. Registration before 20th January = €35
2. Between 20th January and 1st February = €50
3. Only restricted courses to be inputted by 1st February 2026
4. All other courses on students choices and closing date for CAO = 1st July 2026
5. DARE and HEARonline application 1st March (completed by students themselves)
6. DARE and HEARsupporting documentation = 10th March 2026

Please click or copy and paste this link to bring you to the CAO parents sectionhttps://www.cao.ie/?page=parents

Please copy and paste this link for the CAO digital handbook https://www.cao.ie/handbook.php

Please copy and paste this link for DARE and HEAR https://www.cao.ie/index.php?page=accessroutes

CAO presentation Firhouse CAO.pdf

UCAS

Applying to universities in the UK including Northern Ireland

Application process is now open

15th October - Deadline for courses in

• Medicine
• Veterinary medicine/science
• Dentistry
• Oxford
• Cambridge

14th January - Deadline for all other courses

Please click or copy and paste the link below to find out more information about the application process.

https://www.ucas.com/applying/applying-to-university/filling-in-your-ucas-undergraduate-application#_3

University speakers to our school

This will be updated as we go through the term. More universities have still to confirm dates

College Open days and other events

Colleges of Further Education and Training & PLC

Please see below the open days and evenings.

World Skills

https://worldskillsireland.ie/

On Friday 19th of September a group of students will be brought to this event.

It is a free event and students must email Eoin if they wish to attend

Campus Tour - Ulster University

On Friday 14th of November there is a planned university campus tour being organised for 5th and 6th years.

This trip will only go ahead if there is a minimum of 15 students who wish to go

Details:

• Meet at Dublin Connolly train station at 07:15
• Arrive in Belfast at 09:45 - walk to the Belfast campus (c. 10 minute walk)
• Campus tour
• Lunch - students to bring or buy lunch themselves
• Return on the 15:00 train arrive in Dublin Connolly at 17:05
• Cost €18.00 - Please bring this into Eoin by Wednesday 22nd of October

This link will bring you to the undergraduate courses available at the university https://tinyurl.com/mdkae2k6

TRINITY SCHOOL OF LAW - INFORMATION EVENT

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27TH

Trinity School of Law is holding a law- specific information event on Saturday 27th September 2025. This event is designed especially for students who are curious about the subject and considering applying to study for an undergraduate degree in law at university. This event is intended for fifth, sixth year and/or mature students.

The event will consist of seminars led by academic staff and researchers - experts in everything from constitutional law to human rights. There will also be the opportunity to talk to current Trinity law students about their experiences, how they chose their course, and what life is like as part of the Trinity Law School community, as well opportunities to discover more about studying abroad, careers in law and much more.

Click here for more information and registration details. Spaces are limited and booking is essential

Study Medicine in Ireland

Please click or copy and paste the following link if you are interested in studying medicine in Ireland. This is for 2025 applicant entry, however it is a good guide explaining the process.

https://www2.cao.ie/downloads/documents/2025/UGMedEntry2025.pdf

CAO

The application process for entering Irish universities

CAO is currently processing the application process for 2025 applicants. It will not be available for registration for 2026 applicants until the 5th of November. Students will be learning about the process during their Guidance classes each Monday. Information will also be shared here and updated regularly.

DARE (Disability Access Route to Education)

&

HEAR (Higher Education Access Route)

Both these processes will be explained to students during Guidance classes. More information will follow here but for now any parent/guardian wishing to learn more about the process please click or copy and paste the following link https://accesscollege.ie/

National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI)

TheNational Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) is delighted to share their upcoming open day designed to support students in exploring careers at sea and ashore in the maritime, energy and supply chain sectors.

NMCI Open Day – Thursday, November 6, 2025

• Meet lecturers, cadets, and industry representatives.

• Explore state-of-the-art facilities and simulators.

• Learn about career pathways in the maritime, sustainable energy, and supply chain sectors.

Location: NMCI, Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork

Time: 10am – 2:30pm

More information can be found here https://careersportal.ie/colleges/college.php?college_id=66&client_id=322

Tertiary Degrees - Ballyfermot College

2 new Tertiary Degree Programmes running in City of Dublin FET College, Southwest Campus, Ballyfermot. These are both Level 8 BA Hons Degrees;

1. BA Hons in Politics, Society & Media conferred by TUD Media Dept; BA (Honours) in Politics, Society and Media - Ballyfermot Southwest Campus | City of Dublin FET College
2. BA Hons in Business with Psychology conferred by IADT; Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Business + Psychology - Ballyfermot Southwest Campus | City of Dublin FET College

All the information you need is in the link.

Trinity Access Parents Info Evening:

Alternative Routes to College

This is a practical session for parents/guardians of 6th Year students about alternative routes to college.

Tallaght LibraryWednesday, October 8th, 6:30-7:30pm

TAP staff will give an overview of FET routes (PLCs), and the TAP Foundation Course as pathways to degree courses. There will be information on sources of funding such as SUSI grants and the HEAR scheme, and the application process.

Book a free ticket here: Trinity Access Parents Info Evening: Alternative Routes to College Tickets, Wed, Oct 8, 2025 at 6:30 PM | Eventbrite

Taking Ukrainian as a Leaving Certificate Exam

2025 marks the first year that Ukrainian was offered as a non-curricular examination paper for the Leaving Certificate. I am pleased to inform you that to support students interested in taking this paper, we will host an online information session which will focus on key points such as what the exam involves, who can take it, how to register, and where to find past papers and marking schemes.

It will take place on Wednesday, 8 October at 7:00pm to learn more. The session will be delivered simultaneously in both English and Ukrainian.

This session is being provided free-of-charge and is open to all 5^th and 6^th year students in Ireland who may wish to take this examination paper.

Please see below the link to our website where students can find more information and a link to registration. https://languagesconnect.ie/non-curricular-leaving-certificate-ukrainian/

UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business

Open Evening

The UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business will hold an in-person Open Evening on Tuesday, 14 th October 2025 at 5.30pm.

This event is an opportunity for sixth-year students interested in studying Business at UCD to learn about the range of programmes on offer and to speak with academic staff,
professional staff and students about life as a student in one of Europe’s leading business
schools.

Students, Parents, Guardians, Business Studies Teachers and Guidance Counsellors are welcome to attend, and we would be delighted if you would join us on the evening.

The programmes that will be discussed on the evening are:

• Commerce
• Commerce International
• Economics and Finance
• Business and Law

In addition to information talks on each of the individual programmes, information on
Careers, Scholarships and Awards, the Quinn Internship Programme, Study Abroad
opportunities and the Business Mentoring Programme will also be available.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED - Places are limited and last year’s event was fully
booked, so early registration is advised. REGISTER HERE.

Other open evenings in UCD

Please see a list below of upcoming events for October 2025. These events are for students, parents and teachers & guidance counsellors.

• 16 October:UCD Arts & Humanities Open Evening

• 21 October:UCD Law Open Evening

• 22 October:UCD Agriculture, Food Science and Human Nutrition Open Evening

TUD Access Foundation Programme

The Access Foundation Programme (AFP) is a preparation for higher education programme.

The programme prepares students personally and academically to pursue undergraduate programmes across all disciplines in TU Dublin including Science and Health, IT and Computing, Engineering and Built Environment, Social Science, Business, Hospitality, Arts and Tourism.

The programme is designed to provide an entry route into TU Dublin for (i) mature students and (ii) young adults who have experienced socio-economic and educational disadvantage. Please copy and paste or click the link below to find out more.

https://www.tudublin.ie/media/website/study/undergraduate/entry-pathways/documents/Access_Foundation_Programme_Candidate-Brief-TU699-2025-26.pdf

CAO Students / Parents online information session

An online information evening for Students and Parents, in association with the Institute of Guidance Counsellors and Admissions Officers from Higher Education Institutions, will take place on

• Tuesday, 21 of October at 6pm.
• Registration for this event will open on 1st of October at noon at www.cao.ie/webinar

The School of Mathematics and Statistics, TU Dublin