Childcare, plumbing and other practical subjects should be added to the Leaving Cert curriculum, according to Barnardos.
It will tell an Oireachtas committee today the exams are currently weighted in favour of well-off children.
The charity says only 26% of school-leavers in disadvantaged areas go to college.
Chief executive Suzanne Connolly says the Leaving Cert needs to be reformed to better engage these children.
"There's carpentry, but it could be at a greater level.
"Things that are practical in terms of people who want to become electricians or plumbers, or things like childcare.
"It doesn't have to be as it is at the moment, which is quite academic based subjects which is about learning about a variety of facts, as opposed to the practical implementation of task based professions."
