SNA training welcome but overdue
by Niall Shanahan
 
Fórsa’s head of education, Andy Pike, said the available capacity was insufficient to meet the growing need for continuing professionalisation for the country’s 17,000 SNAs.
Fórsa’s head of education, Andy Pike, said the available capacity was insufficient to meet the growing need for continuing professionalisation for the country’s 17,000 SNAs.

Fórsa, which represents more than 11,000 special needs assistants (SNAs), has welcomed this week’s announcement of a new national training programme for SNAs.

 

The union described the measure, unveiled by special education minister Josepha Madigan, as a “very small and overdue step forward”. But the union criticised the minister’s failure to provide an accredited programme of training.

 

The new programme gets underway in January 2021. It consists of five modules, which will be delivered over a ten-month period, Some 3,500 places will be made available over four years.

 

Fórsa’s head of education, Andy Pike, said the available capacity was insufficient to meet the growing need for continuing professionalisation for the country’s 17,000 SNAs.

 

"Training is always welcome and much needed and we recognise the fact that, 16 years after the statutory SNA scheme was established, the education department has finally moved to provide limited professional training for a small number of SNAs over the next three years.

 

“But, this training programme should be accredited at QQI level six. The fact that the department has refused to accredit the training programme is a significant shortfall, which undermines the value of the programme,” he said.

 

Andy said the union would challenge the decision not to accredit the training. “We believe that the case for the provision of a level six qualification for SNAs is undeniable, and it’s high time the derisory SNA entry requirements were modernised to reflect the complexities of the work SNAs are asked to carry out in our schools,” he said.

 

He added that the national training programme marks the first step along the road to professionalising the role of the SNA. “Unfortunately this very small first step represents a missed opportunity to recognise the value of SNAs to students and schools.”

 

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