Upcoming Courses
County Tipperary Chamber Skillnet continues to evolve our online training offerings and our funded training supports to companies within the Tipperary Region via funding from Skillnet Ireland.
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We specialise in facilitating training in the areas of Management Development, Leadership, Professional Skills, amongst other courses. We also provide a wide range of funded or co-funded QQI accredited training courses, personal and professional development programmes, seminars and workshops.
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Please Note: Skillnet subsidise available to Republic of Ireland businesses only, and not available to state or semi-state bodies.
START DATE: Monday, September 16th
VENUE: Blended / Online
Course Delivery:
- Blended Online Learning – Live online lectures, 2 evenings per week, enrolling for 16th of September
- Part-Time – On campus, evening delivery, 2 evenings per week 6.30-9.30pm, enrolling for 16th of September
- Full-Time Classroom – On campus, 3 full days per week, with 2 additional placement days, enrolling for 9th of September
Course Structure:
The BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Education and Care is designed to meet the needs of learners wishing to enter the early years workforce, or for those, already working in the sector, to upskill to an Early Childhood Education & Care degree qualification. The programme will cater to a variety of adult learners, ranging from school leavers with no previous experience in the Early Years sector to more mature adults with relevant life and/or work experience.
The programme offers the learner the opportunity to gain the necessary skills and theoretical framework from which to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding of the role and work of an Early Childhood professional. The programme design combines a core of foundational, educational and personal development modules as well as the opportunity to engage in specific areas of specialism. Each module in its own right examines and explores the unique characteristics of the Early Learning and Care (ELC) sector. The programme aims to produce reflective practitioners who place children’s concerns at the core of their practice. They assume a facilitative role with their adopted theories and specialist knowledge. The overarching objective of this programme is the development of the professional educators of the future.
Years 1 & 2 – Introduces the learner to the key concepts and theories involved in Early Childhood Education and Care while simultaneously equipping them with the skills and competencies to lead a room in an early childhood education and care setting. On completion of the Higher Certificate in ECEC the learner will be able to assess the holistic needs of the children in their care and create developmentally appropriate plans to further the child’s learning and care, as well as interacting appropriately with various stakeholders. On completion of this award, students are eligible to apply to progress onto the BA in Early Childhood Education and Care (Ord).
Year 3 – Will equip the learner with specialized knowledge to lead and manage in the field of early childhood education and care. Learners will be enabled to critically analyse and critique existing bodies of knowledge and build on them with new knowledge. They will make connections between various modules and theories, concepts, and discourses enabling them to create emergent individual and whole group curriculum plans, design Individual Education Plans (IEPs), utilize inspection tools & the Corrective Action Preventative Action (CAPA) forms, reflect on their own professional practice, lead, and work within a team of professionals. As leaders in their services, they will also be equipped with the skills to professionally advocate for themselves, their colleagues, and the children and families they work in partnership with. On completion of this award, students are eligible to apply to progress onto the BA in Early Childhood Education and Care (Hons).
Year 4 – Enables learners to develop a deeper knowledge of ECEC discourses, theories, concepts, and practices whilst simultaneously mastering the skills needed to conduct an individual research project at the cutting edge of social science. The learner will also be enabled to specialize in one of several areas: Special Educational Needs, Equality & Diversity, Training & Mentoring, Birth to Three Pedagogy, and Arts & Creativity. Through communities of practice the learners will advance their already existing skills of learning, reflecting, and sharing practice and funds of knowledge and will have the opportunity to lead a community of practice of their own making. This programme will equip learner with the skills necessary to lead an Early Learning and Care service, create policy and specialised practice, and to mentor, support and facilitate fellow colleagues within a team who seek advice in their area of specialism.
Smart Assessment:
This degree is designed in such a way as to maximise critical thinking and create an understanding of the interrelatedness of theory, practice, and information that informs early childhood professionals in their day-to-day practice. It is also designed to allow the learner access to as much information as possible but without overloading them with coursework. The smart assessment model allows for one piece of submitted work to be assessed twice for two different modules.
Areas of chosen specialism are offered in tandem with practice and research in stage three to encourage a continuation of research in this area during the learner’s future career. It is envisaged that this programme would produce professionals that are responsible for separate specialist areas in a service who can advise their team of colleagues or the communities of practice as and when needed, similar to the Ateliarista in Reggio Emilia. The specialist areas are focused in placement and the research project enabling the learner to master a specific area within their specialism which they have a particular interest.
The curriculum was also structured to include global conversations and examine and critique global practices. This was purposefully chosen because Early Childhood Education and Care is a global phenomenon that happens to look very different in practice depending on where in the globe you practice, and what the cultural, societal, economic, and environmental factors are in place.
Work Placement
The curriculum of the BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Education and Care is one which is heavily focused on practice placement
This module is the spine or central module in the degree programme.
All other modules will incorporate exercises, assessments, and reflections from their module into the placement module. Likewise, the placement module will incorporate all the learning from other modules into an ethical, rights-based practice.
Before entering their placement, learners will be required to take the Children First e-learning module developed and designed by Tusla the Child and Family Agency will be taken as part of the course in self-directed learning hours while they wait for their Garda Vetting to process.
300 hours in total over one Academic year will be spent in two early childhood education and care settings, divided as follows:
One setting will be used as an anchor setting where the learner will spend 260 hours.
The second setting should be a setting which is distinctly different from the first (to be agreed by the placement supervisor) and 40 hours must be spent there by the student.
Please Note that previous experience in a relevant field obtained prior to commencement of the programme/academic year cannot be counted towards the 300 hour requirement.
Location and Start Date:
Blended Online
Blended Online – starting week commencing 16th of September
Part Time:
Dublin City Centre – starting week commencing 16th of September
Full Time:
Our Campus is located in Wicklow House, South Great George’s Street, Dublin 2. The full-time iteration of this programme is scheduled to commence on the 9th of September.
Course Fee Information
Blended Learning:
Year 1- €2,500
Year 2 – €2,750
Year 3 – €3,500
Year 4 – €3,800
(Fees revised annually)
Part-Time Pricing:
Year 1- €3,250
Year 2 – €3,250
Year 3 – €3,500
Year 4 – €3,850
(Fees revised annually)
Full-Time Pricing:
Irish/EU Residents – €4,250 Per year
Non EU Overseas – €6,300 Year one, €4,250 per year thereafter
Email sharon@countytipperarychamber.com to check your eligibility.
Training Cancellation Policy
Training courses which are cancelled over 7 days in advance of scheduled training date shall incur no cancellation fee. Training courses which are cancelled within 7 days of scheduled training date shall incur a cancellation fee equal to 50% of the cost. Registrants who give less than 24 hours notice or fail to attend training will be charged 100% of the full fee.
