"There are obviously significant benefits in terms of the quality of training that people get through PLCs, " said Michael Moriarty, general secretary of IVEA, which is responsible for the overwhelming majority of PLC provision in Ireland. "But there is also a host of educational benefits . . . for example, people who are disappointed with their Leaving Cert results can opt for a PLC programme and can progress onto third level through an Institute of Technology."

The relevance of PLC to the wider educational community can be seen through the sheer numbers that are now involved . . . every year, more than 30,000 people choose PLC as a route to a better career. But there remains the perennial question of how to make PLC more relevant to an even wider section of society.

"The entire educational sector needs to establish an Educational Business Forum, " claimed Moriarty.

"This is to ensure that the courses that exist remain relevant to the evolving needs of Irish society and business.

There are higher skills needs in the country now than at any time in the past, and so PLC courses need, more than ever, to be relevant to the business community. But, already, by undertaking a PLC course, people can enter service industries at a higher level than they could without the same education and training."

All of this is being done in an era where higher skills are becoming crucial for the continued success of Ireland's economy.

"Every report that I have read calls for upskilling, " said Moriarty. "We, in the VEC sector, want to play our part in delivering skills enhancement. But we need to look at the UK and other models, because every other state has mainstreamed skills enhancement. This is especially important for Ireland, in that we have been shedding the low-skilled jobs and we are in the process of creating a skilled workforce. But a new attitude at state level is being applied to the PLC sector, which is bringing the sector into the sunshine . . . at long last, the state is recognising the critical role that PLCs can and will play in upskilling the workforce."