THROUGHOUT the 1980s and `90s, Irish business has been coping with the radical changes brought about by the development of a global marketplace. Management and unions alike have had to come to terms with new approaches to the organisation of work and intense competitive pressures.

It is in the light of such developments that the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) decided to put together a course which would equip its members (and others) with the skills to cope in such a changing environment. The result is a joint initiative between ICTU and UCD, which has produced the degree in trade union and business studies.

The four year course is taught by distance learning, so participants can study without interrupting their employment. There are approximately 65 students on the programme from all around the country, and from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Admission is open to those fulfilling the matriculation requirements of the National University of Ireland and to those who qualify on grounds of mature years (aged over 23), so it is not necessary to have a Leaving Certificate to be accepted. she closing date for applications for the autumn 1997 intake is May 2nd.

Michael Spillane, a laboratory assistant with Waterford Foods, is a student on the course, even though he left school after the Intermediate Certificate. "At the time an Inter Cert was good enough to get me the job I wanted with Waterford Foods and I didn't really think beyond that," he says. "But the situation is very different now and qualifications have become far more important no matter what job one is doing.

"With my children almost reared, I decided that I would like to do some study for myself, and I had a taste of what the degree would be like when I did a certificate course in business and trade union studies. This prepared me well for the course I think I would have struggled a bit without it behind me.

"The course content is very interesting and challenging and I am enjoying it very much. I also think it has been very good for my kids, who are at second and third level themselves, to see me studying. It has helped them develop their study skills and deepened their understanding of the need for education and training in today's world," Spillane says.

GERALDINE Costello also left school after Inter Cert and has been active in the electrical and engineering union, AEEU, for the past 15 years. She is now a branch officer with the union. "I decided to do the course to get a better understanding of the many issues involved in modern industrial relations practice from both a union and an employer's perspective.

This is my first attempt at formal study since I left school and I was a little apprehensive to begin with, but I think being a mature student has a number of advantages. For example, you're doing the course because you really want to, so your incentive is strong. The course content is interesting because it's relevant to your every, day work, and I think older students have the maturity to discipline themselves to study and to block out distractions," she says.

"The fact that the course is taught by distance learning is very suitable for me because of the hours I work, but I also found the support of a study group very valuable," she continues. "For example, when preparing assignments it can be very beneficial to hear the views of the" people in the group who often have very different perspectives on the 5am topic." Irene Shelley works on a job share basis in the consultancy administration section of the ESB. A mother of two young daughters, she says the combination of job sharing and distance learning is ideal.

"I can get the children off to school and then have a block of free time in which to study, which is terrific," she says.

"I had often thought about doing some third level study, but evening lectures are not really suitable when your children are young whereas I find studying in my own time much more feasible.

"I think the course is very well organised and you know exactly what you should be studying at a particular point.

"I hadn't studied since Leaving Cert and I was nervous about what would be expected of us. Now, having gone through it once, we know what it will be like in June.

"I think as a mature student you're probably slower to learn, but you cope better than when you were younger and I think because you're interested in the subject matter it's also easier."