Circular 32/92 was introduced in December 1992 to assist Vocational Education Committees in the process of assessment of qualifications of teachers who may not have had a traditional teaching qualification but were involved in the delivery of the Vocational Preparation Training Programmes. Its use was subsequently extended to non-mainstream posts in Vocational Education Committees. A Qualifications Committee and an appeals process was agreed under PCW.
The Committee set out, in CL 47/00, the qualification requirements for appointment to the posts in Beauty Therapy, Hairdressing, Arts Administration and Veterinary Studies and PPT04/04 outlined qualifications for Complementary Therapy.
The Teaching Council has taken over the role of designated authority for the recognition and registration of all teachers since its establishment on 28 March 2006. Registration is now governed by the Teaching Council's own Regulations for Registration, which set out the required qualifications for registration as a teacher in the various sectors, including the sectors previously governed by 32/92. The Council's Regulations, for the most part, continue the status quo that existed hitherto. The Regulations also bring greater uniformity to the requirements for entry to the teaching profession at primary, post-primary and further education levels. Among the new provisions in the regulations is a requirement that, from April 2013, all new teachers in the VEC and further education sectors will be required to have an approved teacher education qualification.
