Fórsa’s claim for a higher minimum qualification for special needs assistants (SNAs) had its first outing in the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) earlier this week.

The union wants the qualification requirement raised from the current three D-grade Junior Certificate passes to a QQI Level Six award.

The union says Ireland is out of step with countries like the UK, USA and Australia, where minimum qualifications are significantly higher. It also pointed to comparable grades in Ireland, where social care workers and healthcare assistants must achieve a minimum QQI Level Seven.

In its statement to the WRC, Fórsa said a number of official and union surveys had demonstrated that most SNAs have qualifications beyond the minimum required.

Most recently, an April 2021 UCD evaluation of a new national training programme found that 98% of the 500 SNAs who’d taken the course had progressed beyond the minimum qualification. Almost two-thirds had achieved a Level Six QQI award or more.

The issue was raised in a number of motions to the union’s Education Division conference earlier this month, where speakers gave glowing reports of the over-subscribed UCD course.

The WRC has asked education employers to give a written response to the union’s claim within a month. A further hearing is likely at that stage.

Read Fórsa’s submission HERE.