BA Honours in Adult and Workforce Education at National College of Ireland

The Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in Adult and Workforce Education is ideal for all those looking to advance their career in adult education, workforce education and learning and development. This four-year, honours degree provides a path to competence and professional employment in adult and workforce education settings. It will give you a strong core of foundation modules in education and in your own personal development as an educator, and also offers distinct specialist modules that deal with the unique characteristics of the adult and workforce education sectors.

The overall goal of the course is the development of professional educators for the future who are specialists in adult or workforce learning contexts. The course will equip you with the theoretical knowledge, practical and personal skills to manage in and adapt to dynamic learning environments. It has an exciting mix of theory and practice. It includes insights from areas such as psychology, sociology, teaching skills, communications, play, creativity, innovation and technology. The programme also includes a professional placement allowing you to gain relevant real experience in the sector.

This highly practical degree will give you real insight into the processes that identify, develop, enhance and support the individual as they develop themselves within the organisation or educational setting. You will become a highly effective learning agent with the necessary skills, knowledge and dispositions to nurture and develop talent in a variety of learning and development contexts.

Who is the course for?

It is ideally suited to those within adult and workforce settings or those pursuing employment in the field of education and training. You might be a trainer in an education setting, working in adult and community education, a vocational trainer, an instructor within a training body, an educational consultant or someone wishing to pursue a career as a trainer in the community, voluntary, adult or continuing education sector. You may be a private trainer or a future trainer in the industrial, not-for-profit, public sector, commercial sector or a future trainer of international workers within an organisation.

Career Prospects

Graduates will have the opportunity to acquire the necessary skills to either gain employment in an adult or workforce education setting or to progress your existing career as an adult or workforce education practitioner. There has been a significant increase in the amount of job opportunities in the learning and development/education sectors. A recent search of Irish job websites has identified roles, both nationally and internationally, for positions described as; Learning Specialist, Instructional Designer, Training and Development Co-ordinator, Organisational Development Specialist and Learning and Development Specialist. These roles call for you to have a broad range of context-related skills, as well as inter- and intra-personal skills which are promoted throughout this programme.

Award and Progression

The Bachelor of Arts Honours in Adult and Workforce Education is awarded by QQI at level 8 (240 ECTS) on the National Framework of Qualifications. Students who successfully complete this course may progress to the Postgraduate Diploma in Arts in Learning and Teaching, including the further education strand of this award for initial teacher education in the further education sector, and/or the Master of Arts in Learning and Teaching.

The programme includes three related exit awards, offering learners the chance to select the programme that best suits their learning objectives:

BA (Ordinary) in Adult and Workforce Education (180 credits)
Higher Certificate in Adult and Workforce Education (120 credits)
Certificate in Education (60 credits)

Students may exit at different stages and receive the appropriate award.

Duration

This course runs over 4 calendar years; 2 semesters of 13 weeks per year.

Indicative Schedule

Monday and Wednesday evenings, and some Saturdays per semester.