An Cosantóir

| 21 Value Added: Change for the 21st Century by Comdt Peter Ott, SO Training and Education Branch A unique event took place in Carlow on 31st October with the single largest presentation of third-level academic awards to members of the Defence Forces. Dr Patricia Mulcahy, the president of IT Carlow, conferred awards on 184 enlisted personnel who had successfully completed programmes validated by the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) in September 2012. Dr Mulcahy noted that those being conferred would walk away with a qualification that was embedded on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). This was timely and valuable recognition for the high quality of taught and work-based learning received in the Irish Defence Forces; particularly in the areas of leadership and management. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter TD, was an IT Carlow guest on the day and advised all present that the ceremony was evidence of the transformational effect that training and education was delivering for the Defence Forces. He congratulated IT Carlow on being named the Sunday Times Institute of Technology of the Year for 2014, and thanked the Institute for their innovative approach and determination in bringing the Leadership, Management and Defence Studies (LMDS) programmes to fruition. The minister spoke about the Hunt Report, from which government had identified increased participation in third-level education as a key element in Ireland's economic recovery and future progress; the Defence Forces partnership with IT Carlow feeds directly into such national policy. The Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Conor O'Boyle, also addressed the gains for the organisation from this departure: "The greatest asset we have in the Defence Forces is our people… [this ceremony] validates our principle of lifelong learning and I am particularly grateful to IT Carlow for their significant contribution to our ongoing partnership and the huge benefits it brings to the Defence Forces and the state." Very noticeable among the VIPs on the day were the block of Defence Forces instructors, who sat as a unit to the right-hand side of the president of IT Carlow. The LMDS programmes do not deliver an award to this group but no student present would have achieved anything without them, and the knowledge, skill and competence resident within our organisation's instructor cohort was a critical element in establishing the legitimacy of the programmes. The minister noted this and complimented them for their continued good efforts. Under the collaborative validation agreement, four programmes have been approved, spanning the career progression of enlisted personnel from induction to senior NCO level. The career courses are the main vehicles for the delivery of the awards associated with Level 6, and Level 7 on the NFQ. While these courses carry the bulk of academic credits towards the awards, a further 60 DF courses contribute a variety of totals to the overall effort. These include skills courses and associated specialist modules such as the various corps' standard NCO course. Significantly, a strong emphasis is placed on experiential learning which is captured through the completion of a workbased learning portfolio. www.military.ie the defence forces magazine

• Cover