O'Dea backs course for counsellors

THE Minister in charge of adult education, Mr Willie O'Dea, has announced funding for a new course to train guidance counsellors…

THE Minister in charge of adult education, Mr Willie O'Dea, has announced funding for a new course to train guidance counsellors for adults wishing to return to education.

He said the lack of a guidance system was "a glaring deficiency in adult education. People who want to come back into education after many years outside the system are faced with a bewildering variety of options." The 20-month course will begin in the Marino Institute of Education in Dublin next October and will lead to a certificate from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.