DES:

Minister for Special Education and Inclusion, Josepha Madigan TD today announced the launch of a new National Training Programme for Special Needs Assistants. This is the first dedicated national training programme for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs). It will be delivered by UCD and funded by the Department of Education at no cost to the SNA.

The new online programme for SNAs will begin in January 2021 and will consist of five modules delivered over a ten-month period covering inclusion, communications and language, a range of special needs and information on caring for students with additional care needs. In total, there are 3,500 places available on the programme over the next four years.

The need for SNA training was identified by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in its recent review of the SNA scheme. Read press release