The Transition Year programme is intended to facilitate the integrated development of the spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical, social and vocational capacities of each individual student through a structured learning experience. The general aim of the Transition Year is the preparation of young people for their roles as autonomous, participative and responsible members of society. The programme, therefore, aims to provide young people with the skills and support necessary to develop their own individual talents, aptitudes and abilities with regard to future educational and/or vocational preparation.

Emphasis is placed on

(a) Education for maturity, and spiritual and personal development, including
social awareness and increased social competence.

(b) The promotion of general, technical and academic skills with an emphasis
on self-directed learning.

(c) Education through experience of working life as a basis for personal
development and maturity.

Aims of Programme

(a) To provide an opportunity for all students to mature intellectually, socially,
physically and spiritually.

(b) To consolidate and develop the learning experience of the student which has taken place during the Junior Cycle.

(c) To develop study habits more suited to Senior Cycle and Third Level
and to encourage the development of self-directed learning in all students so as to enable them to achieve at 3rd Level.

(d) To foster a growing sense of responsibility in the student for his/her
own life so that he/she may become a responsible socially conscious citizen, able to cope successfully with the demands of society and of life.

(e) To encourage students to value inter-personal relationships and to
inculcate this through team-work and project work.

(f) To introduce the student actively to the world of work so that they will
learn to work with others and develop a good working relationship
with others and learn to engage in dialogue with others in a respectful
way.

Main Components of Programme

Academic Studies
Aspects of the following subject areas are included:
Gaeilge, English, Mathematics, French, Spanish, German, History, Geography, Science (including modules of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Applied Maths), Business Studies (including modules of Economics, Accounting and Business), Home Economics, Metalwork, Woodwork and Psychology.
Study, homework and regular evaluation are required. In the area of languages, the emphasis is on literacy and fluency, with elements of literature which are not prescribed for the Leaving Certificate programme.

General Education
Modules are also provided in Music, Art, Drama, Dance, Social and Health Education, Religion, Personal Development, Mini-Company, Physical Education and Tourism Awareness, a Law Module, an Environment Module, sign language, GAA Coaching course, Jananese and Outdoor Education.
Students have opportunities in I.T. with the provision of the 'Mouse' Computer Course.

Careers Education
This section includes Work Shadowing one day each week for 13/14 weeks. During this period, students will spend 3/4 days in each of 4 workplaces where they will shadow a member of some particular profession or workforce.
Students also have one class period of Guidance each week during which they receive a comprehensive preparation for the world of work. This will include interview preparation, compiling a C.V., writing letters, study skills and an overview of Third Level, subject choices for Fifth Year and careers information.
Institute of Technology Tralee - "Taster Courses" during which each student will experience two hours, on five consecutive weeks, of Business, Chemistry, Electronics, CAD and Instrumentation.

Food Safety Course: This course, which is joint funded by the European Commission and the Food Safety Promotion Board, aims to provide students with training in the basic principles of food hygiene and covers the risks of food poisoning, how food poisoning can be prevented and basic hygiene practices.
The course consists of 10 x 80 min sessions and a terminal exam. Successful candidates are awarded a certificate by the Environmental Health Officers Association.

Activities

Students are encouraged to enter in a wide range of competitions, from Leadership and Community Involvement awards, to the Young Social Innovators Awards, and the Gaisce Awards (Bronze Medallion). There is also a range of competitions from web design to magazine design, film making and student drama. Other activities and projects include Builda Bank, Special Olympics, Disability Theatre, Creative Writing, Dance and a Fashion Show.

The year begins with a team Building day in Cappanalea. Tours and outings are organised on a regular basis for instance to the University of Limerick Activity Centre in Killaloe, the cinema, field study trips, sports events, hill walks, museums, the UCD Conway Institute, the Young Scientists Exhibition, the Cork Circuit Court and the Gaeltacht.

There is an optional School Tour in the second term - destinations vary from year to year. Students participate in the Rosemary Smith Driving Course.

There is an End of Year ceremony in Síamsa Tíre at which certificates and awards are presented. The guest speaker on the night is somebody whose involvement in the business world or in public life befits a Transition Year function. A magazine produced by the students is also available on the night. The students in their art, woodwork and metalwork classes make all sets and scenery required for the production - highlighting the inter-disciplinary nature of the Transition Year Course.