The Teaching Council, the professional standards and regulatory body for the teaching profession, has awarded professional accreditation to five programmes of teacher education designed for teachers in the further education sector. These are the first such programmes to be approved in the State.
With effect from 1 April 2013, applicants for registration for the further education sector must have attained a Council approved further education teacher education qualification in addition to meeting degree qualification requirements. This is in line with Regulation 5 of the Teaching Council Registration Regulations which aim to achieve consistent standards in qualifications required to be a registered teacher across three sectors – Primary, Post-Primary and Further Education.
The programmes now accredited are:
The purpose of the qualifications is to provide teachers with the necessary knowledge, skills and competences to be able to carry out their teaching role and responsibilities. Graduates of these programmes will be eligible to apply for registration as a teacher with the Teaching Council for the purpose of teaching in the further education sector.
Commenting on the accreditation of these programmes, Council Chairperson, Micheál Ó Gríofa, said:
The approval of these programmes is hugely significant as it will bring greater uniformity to the teaching profession across all sectors. It is particularly significant for the Further Education sector and I have no doubt that it will contribute to higher standards of teaching, knowledge, skill and competence in that sector. I commend the colleges and universities for their innovative response to the Council’s new requirements and I wish to assure them of the Council’s support as they move from design to delivery of the programmes.
For further information about registration, please click here.
Information on each of the above programmes may be found on the provider’s website.