Further Education and Training in Ireland: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and Future Hopes

Significant change was envisioned for adult and further education in Ireland with the establishment of an official Further Education and Training (FET) sector in 2013. This presentation draws on selected findings from ongoing research (2015 – present) which considers the impact of various sectoral changes, including the current ‘Tutor conversion process’, on the professional identities and working lives of FET practitioners.

The research is underpinned by a critical realist ontology. Data collection methods include consultation events, on-line surveys and narrative interviews. Research findings greatly add to the limited knowledge available about Irish FET practitioners.

The presentation will draw attention to ‘the good’, the positive outcomes of sectoral changes as identified by research participants, such as a more cohesive, national offering of FET opportunities to adult learners. It will also consider ‘the bad’ and ‘the ugly’, the negative aspects of the changes as highlighted in the research data. These include the loss of valued ethoses and practices and the continuation of unsatisfactory employment contracts, terms and conditions for specific cohorts of FET practitioners. It will also look to ‘the future hopes’ of FET practitioners for themselves, their learners and the Irish FET sector.

The scenarios played out in the Irish context over the last decade are not unique in the international context. The complexity of Irish FET mirrors that found in comparable sectors internationally, including those in the UK, Finland and Australia.