Leaving Cert Subjects
Leaving Cert | Leaving Cert Applied (LCA)
Practical Group
These subjects are 'hands-on' and involve working with tools and machinery on physical things like wood, metals and plastic. They may involve designing, planning and building things.
Science Group
These subjects demonstrate how to explore nature using carefully planned methods, and teach the basic methods and findings of scientific investigation.
Artistic & Creative Group
These subjects involve developing creativity and the appreciation of the work of others. This involves learning the methods and techniques of the subject and producing your own work using these skills.
Humanities Group
These subjects explore the ways in which humans live and communicate in the world. Human life is examined by looking at our past, our present and into our future. These subjects help people to express themselves clearly and develop their reasoning ability.
Social Group
These subjects explore common issues faced by all people living in society. They develop the skills and knowledge used to manage personal resources and guide human behaviour.
Liz Christy, Textile Design/Handweaver
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
The subjects I took at shool all influenced me in different ways. English is very necessary in how I represent myself, Maths is oh so important in so many ways from yarn calculations to understanding numeric’s in business.
Art was very influential in my career path. I was introduced to Impressionism and Monet who is a major inspiration in my current work and marketing mix.
I wish I was better at Irish and I would use it in my business marketing. History influenced how I relate to current affairs, Home Economics is vital in developing my needlecraft skills which is an important aspect of my business.
Biology, well I do enjoy gardening as a hobby and my husband is a student psychiatric nurse so a knowledge of biology has come in useful over the years.
Colm Daly, Hotel Manager
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
In school, I studied a mix of practical and academic subjects, including Home Economics, Technical Drawing, Woodwork, LCVP, Science, Irish, French, English, and Maths. Each of these has influenced my career in different ways:
• Technical Drawing helped me develop spatial awareness and attention to detail, which I now use when looking at hotel layouts, elevations, and fire plans.
• Home Economics gave me a strong foundation in food safety, kitchen management, and practical organisation, which has been invaluable in food & beverage operations.
• Business-related subjects, including LCVP, Maths, and Science, developed my analytical thinking, problem-solving, and management skills, which are key in running a hotel successfully.
• Languages and communication subjects like English, Irish, and French have helped me communicate effectively with teams and guests from diverse backgrounds. All of these subjects combined to give me a broad skill set that prepared me for a career in hospitality management, where I use practical, analytical, and people skills every day.
Kieran Magee, Farm Manager - Dry Stock
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
All the subjects I choose had a practical aspect to them,e.g. Woodwork, Metalwork, Technical graphics and of course the usuals. I suppose looking back on it I was always working with my hands and that's what I enjoyed.
The likes of Woodwork and Metalwork are skills which are used every day when out in the yard or down the back of a field fixing a broken machine. If I went back to pick better subjects I probably would have added Agricultural Science into the bunch, but other than that I'd stick with the same.