Third Level Graduates

The area with the highest rates of completed third-level education in Ireland is Dun-Laoghaire-Rathdown. A total of 61.1pc of the population in the area boast completion of third-level education. Galway City came in second with 55.2pc, while Dublin City and Fingal came in joint-third with 48.7pc of their populations completing third-level. Both Longford and Wexford were tied as the areas with the lowest level of people who completed third-level education, at 32.5pc a piece. Education levels have sharply risen over the last 25 years, with 42pc of the population having a third-level qualification compared with 13.6pc in 1991. The latest Census report on Education, Skills and the Irish language a continued decline in the number of early school leavers, but a slight drop in the number of people able to speak our native tongue. Just over 1.7m said they could speak Irish, or 39.8pc of the population, a slight drop on 2011 of 0.7pc. Fewer than one in 50 speak Irish on a daily basis. "This report shows a continuing decline in the numbers of early school leavers and increases in the numbers with third level qualifications," CSO senior statistician Deirdre Cullen said. "It examines and analyses changes in these areas, as well as the relationships between the level of education completed and employment and economic status. "It also looks at our use of the national language, including our ability to speak Irish, as well as where and how often the language is spoken." The Census also reveals:

• Women tend to be better educated than men, with 43.2pc of women and 40.7pc of men having a third-level qualification.
• The average age of completion of full-time education is rising to 19.9 years, up from 19.1 in 2011. The youngest age of completion are in Monaghan, Cavan, Wexford and Donegal.
• Those with an Arts degree ten to have the highest unemployment rate. The lowest unemployment rate is in Education graduates. There are more people with doctorates.

The report also examines use of the Irish language and finds that the highest percentage of people able to speak Irish was in Galway at 49pc, followed by Clare, Cork County and Mayo. The lowest percentages were in Dublin City, Louth and South Dublin, followed by Cavan. One in four who profess to be able to speak Irish never use it. Source: https://www.independent.ie