Picture: Liam Burke/Press 22
MARY Immaculate College and Institute of Technology Tralee have joined forces to deliver a new part-time BA in Early Childhood Practice programme.
The level 7 degree programme will be jointly delivered over four semesters by both the Faculty of Education at Mary Immaculate College and the Department of Social Sciences at the Institute of Technology Tralee.
The BA in Early Childhood Practice has been designed specifically to upskill staff currently working in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) field, who have a level 6 qualification in childcare.
“The launch of the BA in Early Childhood Practice is a wonderful example of the collaborative work between IT Tralee and Mary Immaculate College. The Institute is delighted to jointly deliver this programme, which showcases both organisations’ blended learning formats, providing our learners with flexible and innovative routes to achieving a third level qualification while also recognising their work, family and life commitments,” commented Dr Oliver Murphy, President of IT Tralee.
Also present at the launch was Dr Emer Ring, head of the Department of Reflective Pedagogy and Early Childhood Studies at MIC, who referred to the emphasis on “providing for a highly-qualified workforce in early childhood education” in recent Government policy initiatives.
Dr Ring welcomed the opportunity to provide early years educators with this graduate pathway to enable them to build further on their knowledge, experience and expertise in the field.
Altogether 25 students have registered on the course, which will be delivered in a blended format, with the greater part of the programme being delivered online.
