Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss Irelands national apprenticeship programme, introduced in 1993, in the context of the country's evolving economic and social policies. Design/methodology/approach: A critical analysis is undertaken of the industrial climate in Ireland, which prevented the introduction of a national apprenticeship…

Higher education has responded positively and in a variety of ways to changing business and industrial needs, using imagination to establish cooperative relationships. In Ireland, identifying industry's workforce needs was central to successful cooperation. Bridging the two very different cultures has also required creation of an appropriate…

Recalls events of the Twelfth Annual Conference of the Reading Association of Ireland. Sees a sense of connection between Irish educational policymakers, teachers, students, and the literary community that should be fostered in Canada. Reaffirms the two-way relationship between teaching and the community. (SD)

An examination of service delivery in early childhood education in Ireland reveals that the lack of a national policy has led to a great variation in services, little possibility for assessing and regulating quality, and a very limited choice for many children and their families. This article describes Ireland's system for early education…

The six articles in this first issue comprise a critical discourse about theories, practices, and research with the intent of realizing the potential of adult learning to bring about social change. "Adult Education and Empowerment for Individual and Community Development" (Jack Mezirow) outlines and updates the author's transformation…

Previously ignored, lifelong learning became a governing principle of Irish educational policy in 2000. Participation trends in education were assessed including early school leaving by males, poor educational levels of older adults, low literacy levels throughout the population, and educational barriers experienced by women. Resulting government…