Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (ETB) is proud to be a key partner in the launch of Ireland’s first tertiary degree pathway into primary teaching, announced today in collaboration with Mary Immaculate College (MIC) and Tipperary Education and Training Board.
The pathway has been developed in close collaboration with the National Tertiary Office, aligning with national priorities to strengthen progression from further education into higher education and to support workforce needs in education.
The innovative five-year programme provides a new and more flexible route into the Bachelor of Education (Primary Teaching), opening access to the profession beyond the traditional Leaving Certificate pathway.
The initiative was formally announced by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless TD, and Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton TD.
A central aim of the programme is to widen participation in initial teacher education and support learners from under-represented groups, including mature students, socio-economically disadvantaged learners, people with disabilities, care-experienced young people, Travellers, Roma, migrants and refugees. While open to all eligible applicants, priority will be given at shortlisting stage to candidates from these groups.
The pathway aligns with national priorities to strengthen progression routes from further education and training into higher education and to support workforce development in the education sector.
Speaking on behalf of Limerick and Clare ETB, Chief Executive Bernadette Cullen said the initiative reflects the organisation’s commitment to widening access and opportunity: “This collaboration promotes diversity in initial teacher education, widens access, and enhances opportunities for learners across the region. It reflects our core values of excellence, equality, community, care and respect, and our commitment to opening real pathways into teaching for people who may not previously have had access to this opportunity.”
Limerick and Clare ETB, through its Further Education and Training provision, will deliver Year 1 of the programme from Mulgrave Street Campus in Limerick City. This foundational year will focus on building academic confidence, study skills, and preparation for degree-level learning.
Successful students will achieve a QQI Level 5 Major Award in Education Studies, Primary Pathway and then progress directly to Mary Immaculate College to complete the four-year Bachelor of Education programme.
Mary Immaculate College will be the first higher education institution in Ireland to offer a tertiary pathway of this kind into primary teacher education. The programme has been developed in close collaboration with the National Tertiary Office and is designed to strengthen progression from further education into higher education.
Professor Dermot Nestor, President of Mary Immaculate College, said the partnership broadens opportunity within the profession: “This collaboration opens opportunities for people of different backgrounds, with different voices and different stories, to find their way into primary teaching.”
The initiative aims to contribute to a more diverse and representative teaching workforce, ensuring that primary classrooms reflect the communities they serve.
Minister Hildegarde Naughton TD described the programme as a transformative step in teacher education, opening wider and more inclusive pathways into the profession.
Applications for the tertiary pathway will open on April 29, with a closing date of May 28. The programme will commence in September 2026.
Visit https://collegeoffet.ie/tertiary for more details on this exciting new pathway and other tertiary programmes options at Limerick and Clare ETB.
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