This article offers an overview of further education and training (FET) in Ireland and details a year of incredible growth and transformation for the sector. It describes the key achievements in FET and apprenticeship in 2023 and looks ahead to 2024 as we deliver our final year of the current FET strategy: Future FET: Transforming Learning.

The ongoing structural reforms in further education and training (FET) and the implementation of SOLAS policies present an exciting phase in the transformation of FET in Ireland. Connecting a broad range of adult education and training programmes together under the umbrella of FET in Education and Training Boards (ETBs) involves a fusion of differing principles, philosophies, and practice approaches. This article considers this transformation from an adult education perspective.

Lifelong learning is integral to government strategy on education, and there is great diversity of courses available, though also barriers to participation. This article explores the health benefits of lifelong learning among older adults, and the different forms of intelligence that it fosters. It concludes by outlining the opportunities that our new understanding presents for the FET sector and tertiary education.

The introduction of the new tertiary degree route from further education and training to higher education was a historic reform by the Minster and his department. The purpose was to provide another route to degree-level education that is not dependent on Leaving Cert results, points, or lottery access based on QQI results. Tertiary degrees offer students seamless transition from further to higher education, underpinned by collaborative programme design and teaching collaboration in shared spaces and shared student experiences.

This article looks at the understudied topic of academic integrity in further education and training and tertiary education in Ireland. It highlights the educational and personal importance of integrity, and it describes how a culture of integrity could be instilled and advanced in the sector.

This article explores the impact that an effective and robust external authentication process can have on assessment and on teaching and learning practice. It also considers its influence on the creation of a culture of engagement in the learning environment of further education and training.

The United Nations SDG Summit in 2023 marked the midway point of the Sustainable Development Goals, just 15% of which have been achieved to date. This article sounds a note of optimism and pragmatism, urging focus on action that will help transform education in Ireland and beyond. It stresses the need to make global citizenship education and education for sustainable development central to government policy.

Research findings by AHEAD suggest that blended learning can be beneficial for disabled students, primarily because of the autonomy, agency, and choice it offers. Many students with disabilities prospered during ‘lockdown learning’, and the return to in-person learning has affected this. The benefits and innovative teaching practices that became normative during lockdown learning should be incorporated into how Ireland responds to the continuous increase in disabled students accessing tertiary education.

Women are increasingly embracing apprenticeship opportunities and forging new paths in the world of engineering. This short article shines a light on two such women, the first female graduates of the OEM Engineering Apprenticeship in Ireland. It highlights women’s strengths in a male-dominated discipline, the challenges they face, and the importance of opening up engineering as a career option for more young women.

The OEM (original equipment manufacturing) Engineering Apprenticeship is currently in its fifth year and is going from strength to strength. This article describes its origins and development to date, and outlines its key attractions for school leavers, industry workers, and employers.