Ministers McEntee and Moynihan announce €1.9 million contract for the National Training Programme for Special Needs Assistants
Minister for Education Helen McEntee and Minister of State with responsibility for Special Education and Inclusion Michael Moynihan have confirmed that a contract has been awarded to Atlantic Technological University (ATU) for continued provision of the national training programme for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) from September 2025.
Further to a procurement process by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) on behalf of the Department of Education, ATU emerged as the successful tenderer to continue delivery of the course. A total of 2,962 SNAs have completed the course to date, while a further 881 are enrolled for the current academic year. The course, which was first made available to SNAs in 2021, is accredited as a Level 6 Special Purpose award on the National Framework of Qualification (NFQ).
Published by The Department of Education, 20th February 2025