One third of CAO Round 1 offers across South East are from Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT)

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WIT to add courses to CAO’s Available Places list to give people the opportunity to apply for courses in Construction and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and meet the south east region’s needs

One third of offers made to CAO applicants in the south east today (Round 1 Offers) were from WIT. The majority of WIT’s first year students will be from the south east. Two thirds, or 66%, of WIT’s Round 1 offers have gone to CAO applicants across the south east counties of Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, Tipperary (north and south), and Carlow. This is in addition to offers already made in Round A and Round 0.

The breakdown by county is as follows:

  • One fifth (22%) of WIT’s CAO Round 1 offers today were made to applicants in Waterford city and county. More than half (55%) of people in Waterford who received an offer of a college place today have an offer to study at WIT.
  • 15% of WIT’s CAO Round 1 offers today were made to applicants in Co Wexford. Close to one third (30%) of people in Co Wexford who received an offer of a college place today have an offer to study at WIT.
  • One eighth (12%) of WIT’s CAO Round 1 offers today were made to applicants in Co Tipperary. One fifth (20%) of people in Co Tipperary who received an offer of a college place today have an offer to study at WIT.
  • One eighth (12%) of WIT’s CAO Round 1 offers today were made to applicants in Co Kilkenny. One third (33%) of people in Co Kilkenny who received an offer of a college place today have an offer to study at WIT.
  • 3% of WIT’s CAO Round 1 offers today were made to applicants in Co Carlow. 16% of people in Co Carlow who received an offer of a college place today have an offer to study at WIT.

WIT has developed a number of initiatives to support applicants in making the transition to third level. This includes three Ask WIT events offering support online, over the phone and a drop-in centre.

The Institute is to join colleges nationwide by giving people the opportunity to apply to a number of courses through the CAO’s Available Places list. Application for available places opens on the CAO website on Tuesday, 23 August at midday. The final deadline for applying for one of WIT’s available places is Monday, 5 September at 10am. Details can be found at www.wit.ie/availableplaces.

WIT Vice President for Academic Affairs and Registrar Dr Derek O’Byrne stressed that making the right choices is vital at this time. “One of the key indicators for success is that a student embarks on a course that is right for them. Also we would like to encourage students in the south east to complete STEM programmes to ensure we have a strong graduate output in these fields, to help fill job vacancies and meet regional needs,” he said.

“More than 100 courses are available to apply for on the CAO’s Available Places list and this year we have included five courses on this list across our Schools of Engineering and Science & Computing. This gives people who are interested in exploring opportunities in STEM the chance to apply for one of these courses.”

WIT’s ‘Available Places’ courses include the Internet of Things course which is now in its second year, Computer Forensics and Security – a course where students have contracts for employment signed before they finish the course, as well as Physics for Modern Technology and Electronic Engineering.

Construction Management is also on the list – giving people who are interested in the construction industry the opportunity to re-think their options and obtain a qualification in an area which is experiencing a shortage of qualified personnel.

“Available places are an opportunity for both CAO applicants and people who have not already applied through the CAO to apply for a course that they meet the minimum entry requirements for, have researched thoroughly and have decided it is a good fit for them,” added Dr O’Byrne.

Dr O’Byrne advises people to do their research and to contact WIT with any questions they may have about their options and offers. “Many queries our ‘Ask WIT’ team have received are from applicants who have their course preference in the wrong order, for example, a person who has been offered their first choice and were hoping to get offered their second choice.”