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This article begins with an overview of the post-compulsory education system in Ireland, looking at the provision of vocational education and training (VET), the impact of the European Social Fund (ESF) on VET, social partnership at the national level and some relevant aspects of the post-primary curriculum. It then goes on to discuss the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA), which was introduced in 1995 to provide young people with an alternative to the established Leaving Certificate. It is structured around three elements (vocational preparation, vocational education and general education) and on its completion, participants either go on to do Post-Leaving Certificate VET courses or enter the labour market. The case of LCA highlights many key issues in Irish education policy and practice and five of these issues are discussed in this article: partnership; fragmentation; inflexibility; parity of esteem; and education in a 'third place'. In conclusion, the author states that the LCA has the potential, Trojan horse style, to help integrate young people into a training pathway. However, it may also be regarded as merely a way of achieving equilibrium in response to the demands of the economy for increased retention rates.