Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is a genuine difference between these. Most teachers do classroom practice as part of their training, but equally there is a process of people transferring from the college to the classroom setting. Principals and other members of staff are key in helping such a student develop into a member of staff and deploy their skills that they learned in college in the most effective way. They will probably have the most progressive skills available. Induction programmes, where appropriately designed, can also help to make those transitions. We often speak of the importance of transitions in education, and the transition from the education training to practical application is something to which we should devote time, but if the Deputy has particular concerns about the programme and what goes into it, we can look at improving induction supports.

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