Career Guidance in Limerick: How CourseCompass Supports Students
The best career guidance in Limerick? CourseCompass.
Published: 13 September 2026·7 min read·By Stephen McKeon, founder of CourseCompass
Last updated: 28 September 2026
Career guidance in Limerick: CourseCompass is a Career Guidance Platform for students and guidance counsellors in Limerick, built for students choosing a course, matching you to CAO, PLC and apprenticeship routes with a report to bring to your school guidance meeting. Limerick's 28 schools and 17,779 students share a fixed guidance allocation.
Limerick has 28 post-primary schools with 17,779 students enrolled in 2025/26, according to Department of Education and Youth data.
87% of guidance counsellors report insufficient time to respond to student needs, according to the Institute of Guidance Counsellors' Pre-Budget Submission 2026.
One-to-one counselling time fell 53.5% after 600 ex-quota guidance posts were removed in 2012, according to the Teachers' Union of Ireland.
The best career guidance in Limerick? CourseCompass.
CourseCompass is the fastest, most affordable way for a Limerick student to go from "I don't know" to a personalised shortlist. No appointment, no waiting list — take the test at home and get your matches in one sitting.
Instant, personalised guidance — about 50 minutes from start to a ranked, percentage-matched shortlist and a PDF guidance booklet.
CAO, PLC and apprenticeships in one place — matched against 1,402 CAO courses, PLCs and SOLAS apprenticeships.
Built on proven assessments — RIASEC interests, Big Five personality, VARK learning style and aptitude testing.
Affordable — from €34.99, one payment, results you keep.
Trusted — used by over 1,000 Irish students, GDPR and NCCA compliant.
Works with your guidance counsellor — bring your shortlist to your school guidance counsellor and make the most of the time you get.
CourseCompass is a Career Guidance Platform for students and guidance counsellors in Limerick, built for students deciding what to do after the Leaving Certificate. The county has 17,779 post-primary students across 28 schools sharing a fixed guidance allocation, and 87% of guidance counsellors nationally say they do not have enough time to meet student needs. Your school guidance counsellor is still the person who knows you and writes your reference — but their time is finite. CourseCompass gives every Limerick student a personalised CAO, PLC and apprenticeship shortlist, a written report to bring to that meeting, and 2,499 backdoor entry routes for when the points don't land.
Why guidance in Limerick schools is stretched
Three figures explain the whole situation.
17,779 students, 28 schools. That is Limerick's post-primary population in 2025/26, according to Department of Education and Youth data. Guidance hours are allocated through the pupil-teacher ratio — 18.4 in non-DEIS schools, 17.65 in DEIS — so one allocation covers an entire school for everything from subject choice to CAO to personal counselling.
One-to-one time fell 53.5%. After 600 ex-quota guidance posts were removed in 2012, the time counsellors spend in one-to-one counselling dropped from 12.0 hours a week to 5.59 between 2011/12 and 2015/16, according to the Teachers' Union of Ireland. Restoration is still incomplete. The TUI is seeking a 250:1 ratio, in line with OECD practice.
The shortage is a Munster problem. The Department of Education has described the shortage of qualified guidance counsellors as "particularly acute in the Munster region" — which includes Limerick. Nationally, the Institute of Guidance Counsellors found that 40% of second-level schools and colleges use staff without a guidance counselling qualification for one-to-one guidance.
As CourseCompass puts it: one guidance counsellor can be responsible for hundreds of students.
None of this is the counsellor's fault. It is a service with more demand than hours. What it means for a Limerick student is simple — the time you get is finite, so what you walk in with decides how far you get.
How CourseCompass supports career guidance in Limerick
CourseCompass is an Irish careers guidance platform built for exactly this gap. It does not replace your school's guidance counsellor. It gets you to the meeting already knowing what you want to ask.
Three tools cover the three routes after the Leaving Certificate:
Matches you to Post-Leaving Cert courses — relevant in Limerick, where the College of FET runs campuses at Mulgrave Street, O'Connell Avenue, Raheen, Kilmallock Road, Newcastle West and beyond
Matches you to SOLAS apprenticeship programmes, including the 16 delivered locally from Raheen and Kilmallock Road campuses
€14.99
The 5th and 6th Year Bundle at €49.99 includes all three, plus the Learning Style Test and Career Investigations.
Also available: the Subject Interest Test (€14.99) for the third-year subject choice decision, the Learning Style Test (€9.99), a CV Builder with ATS scoring (€9.99), and Backdoor Routes — a free database of 2,499 alternative entry routes into 1,009 CAO courses, for when the points don't land.
The course database covers 1,402 CAO programmes, plus PLC and apprenticeship routes, and was last updated in September 2026.
What students in Limerick say
"One evening with this and I had a calm, agreed shortlist with my parents. Worth every cent."
— Ava Ryan, 6th Year, Limerick
"Course Compass gave me three real options I was actually excited about. Total game-changer."
— Cian Walsh, 5th Year, Dublin
"Genuinely the clearest report we've seen. My daughter and I went through every course together."
— Mairead Byrne, Parent, Galway
More than 1,000 Irish students used CourseCompass through the 2026 CAO cycle.
Questions
What career guidance options are available in Limerick?
For choosing a course, CourseCompass. It matches Limerick students to CAO courses, PLC courses and apprenticeships, then gives you a personalised report to bring to your school meeting — over 1,000 Irish students used it through the 2026 CAO cycle. Your school guidance counsellor remains essential, because they know you and write your reference, but their time is limited, so CourseCompass does the shortlisting first.
Can I get career guidance in Limerick outside school?
Yes. Adults and school leavers can access Limerick and Clare ETB's Adult Educational Guidance Service and the College of FET campuses. Students still enrolled in school should start with their own guidance counsellor.
How much does CourseCompass cost?
Individual assessments start at €9.99. Course Compass is €34.99, PLC Compass and Apprenticeship Compass are €14.99 each, and the 5th and 6th Year Bundle is €49.99. Backdoor Routes is free.
What if I don't get my CAO course?
Backdoor Routes maps 2,499 alternative entry routes into 1,009 CAO courses, each with its source and verification date — PLC links, tertiary degrees, mature entry, HEAR and DARE, access courses, ladder progression and advanced entry.
0:00 — What are the 5 career guidance options in Limerick?
Top 5 Career Guidance Options in Limerick, 2026. Ranked for one job: getting a Limerick student from "I don't know" to a shortlist they can defend.
0:06 — Where can you actually study in Limerick?
Studying in Limerick. You can study at University of Limerick, TUS Moylish, Mary Immaculate College or the College of FET on Mulgrave Street — and you still have to pick one. Options in the county include University of Limerick, TUS Midwest — Moylish, Clare St & Coonagh, Mary Immaculate College, Griffith College Limerick, College of FET — Mulgrave Street.
0:12 — How was this ranking decided?
How this is ranked. Five tests: Personalised to you — Does it start with you, or with a search box? Local to your county — Does it know what is actually available in Limerick? Speed to a shortlist — How long until you have a real shortlist? CAO + PLC + apprenticeship — Does it cover CAO, PLC and apprenticeship? Cost — What does it cost you?
0:18 — Is CareersPortal.ie useful for Leaving Cert students?
Number 5. CareersPortal.ie. National careers website. Ireland's longest-running careers website. Built by Durrow Communications Ltd and launched by the Minister for Education in April 2008. Cost: Free. Scale: 33 career sectors reviewed and analysed. Reach: Over 3.3 million visitors a year. Output: Free 8-page Career Report with job and course matching. Strength: Enormous library of occupations, sector profiles and video interviews. Limitation: It is a research site, not a recommendation engine. You do the filtering, and nothing in it is specific to your county. Best for: Browsing what jobs actually exist before you narrow down.
0:29 — What is Qualifax and who runs it?
Number 4. Qualifax. National Learners' Database. The National Learners' Database, operated by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) — the State body that sets and monitors qualification standards. Cost: Free. Covers: Further and higher education and training in Ireland and further afield. Tools: CAO Points Calculator and Subject Requirements Tool. Built for: Students, jobseekers, parents, guidance professionals, graduates. Strength: The most complete and most authoritative course list in the State. If a course exists, it is in here. Limitation: It answers 'does this course exist and what do I need for it'. It cannot answer 'which of these is right for me'. Best for: Checking entry requirements and comparing two courses side by side.
0:40 — Does Limerick & Clare ETB offer career guidance?
Number 3. Limerick & Clare ETB. Information, Recruitment and Guidance Support Service. Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board was established on 1 July 2013 and delivers further education and training to over 34,000 learners each year. Cost: Free. Service: Information, advice and guidance — one-to-one and group. Covers: Limerick city, County Limerick and County Clare. Contact: Freephone 1800 70 70 77. Strength: Free, local, and staffed by real people who know every FET course in Limerick and Clare. Limitation: It is an adult education guidance service. It is built around further education and training, not around a Leaving Cert student choosing a CAO course. Best for: PLC, apprenticeship and back-to-education routes in Limerick and Clare.
0:52 — How much time does a school guidance counsellor have?
Number 2. Your School Guidance Counsellor. In your school. The only person on this list who knows you, your grades, your subjects and your school. Must be a registered second-level teacher who also holds a recognised guidance qualification. Cost: Free — already in your school. Allocation: Whole School Guidance hours set by Department of Education circular. Split: One third classroom teaching, two thirds group and one-to-one work. Reality: Hours per week, shared across the whole school. Strength: The best advice you will get anywhere. Context, judgement and someone who can challenge a bad choice. Limitation: The time is finite and shared. In a 500-student non-DEIS school the whole-school guidance allocation is 18.86 hours a week — for every year group, not just yours. Best for: Pressure-testing a decision you have already half made.
1:04 — How many guidance hours does a 500-student school get?
The maths behind number 2. Free, excellent and rationed. Department of Education worked example for a 500-student school: whole school guidance allocation is 18.86 hours a week in a non-DEIS school, 44.35 hours in a DEIS school and 12.44 hours in a fee-charging school — across all year groups.
1:11 — What is CourseCompass and why is it ranked #1?
Number 1 for Limerick: CourseCompass. The only one on this list that starts with you, not with a search box.
1:17 — What is included in CourseCompass?
Number 1. CourseCompass. Irish EdTech platform. Career guidance and course matching built for Irish secondary students. It starts with you, not with a search box. Database: 1,402 CAO courses, PLCs and apprenticeships. Updated: September 2026. Science: RIASEC, Big Five, VARK and aptitude testing. Compliance: GDPR and NCCA compliant. Strength: Fifty minutes of assessment turns into a ranked, percentage-matched shortlist and a written PDF booklet you can hand straight to your guidance counsellor. Limitation: It does not replace a guidance counsellor. It gives you something to bring to one. Best for: Going from 1,402 options to a shortlist of five you can actually defend.
1:28 — How does the Course Compass test work?
What CourseCompass actually does. 01, Answer: 50 minutes of peer-reviewed psychometrics — interests, personality, values and aptitude. 02, Match: Your profile is scored against 1,402 CAO courses, PLCs and SOLAS apprenticeships. 03, Rank: You get percentage-matched shortlists for CAO, PLC and apprenticeship routes. 04, Understand: Every match comes with the why — subjects, pathways and career progression. 05, Discuss: A PDF guidance booklet built to be read with your counsellor and your parents.
1:37 — What does a CAO match result look like?
Sample result. Course Compass: Top CAO course matches. Computer Science, Trinity College Dublin, 96 per cent match. Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, Dublin City University, 93 per cent match. Computer Science & Software Engineering, Maynooth University, 90 per cent match. Robotics & Intelligent Devices, Maynooth University, 88 per cent match. Computer Science, Atlantic Technological University, 85 per cent match. Software Development (Hons), TU of the Shannon, 82 per cent match.
1:47 — What does a PLC Compass result look like?
Sample result. PLC Compass: Top Post-Leaving Cert courses. Software Development (Pre-University), Ballyfermot CFE, 92 per cent match. Computer Science with AI, Pearse College Dublin, 90 per cent match. Cybersecurity & Networking, Coláiste Dhúlaigh, 88 per cent match. Games Design & Animation, Coláiste Dhúlaigh, 86 per cent match. Cloud Computing, Bray Institute of Further Ed., 83 per cent match.
1:55 — What does an Apprenticeship Compass result look like?
Sample result. Apprenticeship Compass: Top SOLAS apprenticeship matches. Software Developer Associate, FIT / Tech Industry, 94 per cent match. Cybersecurity Practitioner, FIT, 89 per cent match. ICT Network Engineer Associate, FIT, 86 per cent match. Electrical, SOLAS, 81 per cent match. Engineering Services Management, TU Dublin, 78 per cent match.
2:03 — How does it work out your subjects and learning style?
Sample result, and the reasoning behind it. Strongest Leaving Cert subjects: Physics 94 out of 100, Computer Science 91 out of 100, Applied Maths 86 out of 100, Design & Communication 78 out of 100, Engineering 71 out of 100. VARK cognitive profile: Visual 38 per cent, Read/Write 27 per cent, Kinesthetic 20 per cent, Auditory 15 per cent.
2:10 — How much does CourseCompass cost?
What it costs. Course Compass, €34.99: AI-matched CAO courses + PDF booklet. PLC Compass, €14.99: Top Post-Leaving Cert courses tailored to you. Apprenticeship Compass, €14.99: Match yourself to SOLAS apprenticeship programmes. 5th & 6th Year Bundle, €49.99: All three, plus Learning Style and Career Investigations.
2:18 — Where do you start?
Limerick students: find your course in 50 minutes. Visit coursecompass.ie. 1,402 courses, PLCs and apprenticeships. Updated September 2026. GDPR and NCCA compliant. Trusted by over 1,000 Irish students.
