Initial teacher education

Initial teacher education encompasses undergraduate and postgraduate courses in higher education that eventually lead to a qualification to teach.

The Department for Employment and Learning has responsibility for the administration and funding of initial teacher education in Northern Ireland. The Department appoints governors to the Boards of Governors of both St Mary’s University College and Stranmillis University College.

The policy relating to all stages of teacher education, including initial teacher education, is the responsibility of the Department of Education. The Department of Education also determines student intake allocations to the higher education institutions in Northern Ireland.

In the 2003/04 academic year over 2000 students were enrolled on initial teacher education courses.

Courses in initial teacher education are provided at:

  • Queen’s University, Belfast
  • St Mary’s University College
  • Stranmillis University College
  • University of Ulster
  • Open University

For more information on courses of initial teacher education, please visit the Department of Education website.

Study of Initial Teacher Education

Following the first Teacher Education Conference, held in April 2003, it was agreed by key stakeholders, including the Department for Employment and Learning and Department of Education, that a series of studies was required to assist with the development of options for teacher education in Northern Ireland. The studies were to be undertaken, or commissioned, by the two Departments.

The study commissioned by the Department for Employment and Learning examined four separate, but inter-linked, strands within teacher education in Northern Ireland. The four strands were:

Consequences of diversification on Initial Teacher Education;

  • Consequences of demographic trends and other factors on Teacher Education;
  • The cost of Initial Teacher Education in Northern Ireland; and
  • The quality and use made of the Initial Teacher Education Estate.

The study was completed by David Taylor, former Director of Inspection at OFSTED, in November 2004. The report should be read in context with the other studies commissioned by the Department of Education.

The Department for Employment and Learning, together with the Department of Education, co-hosted the third Teacher Education in a Climate of Change Conference on 21 and 22 November 2005. The Conference was part of the major review of teacher education to ensure that the profession is best placed to cope with the changes facing the education sector in the coming years. The Conference provided a key opportunity for delegates to inform the two Departments’ development of final proposals for the future of teacher education in Northern Ireland, prior to formal public consultation early in 2006. The Minister’s speech, workshop papers and summations from the Conference can be accessed on the Department of Education’s website at: http://www.deni.gov.uk/index/teachers_pg/4-teachers-teachereducationreview_pg/4-in-a-climate-of-change.htm external link

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