PS3159F - Request for Tenderers to Establish a Single Supplier Framework Agreement for the Provision of Guidance Counsellor Training for the Department of Education

The Department of Education seeks to support the provision of post-graduate training course for guidance counselling in the Munster region. A grant of up to €100,000 per cycle (€300,000 in total) to support this programme will be made available at the outset of course provision each cycle. Delivery of the course should be over an eighteen month to twenty-four-month period. This is on the basis that the programme would be provided for a minimum of 3 cycles (Department will provide funding towards 3 cycles only). The training course must meet all requirements as outlined in the existing Programme Recognition Framework. Reference to a structured supervised placement is noted within this RFT document, it is advised that for the purpose of this proposed training programme, that a placement of 25 days (full-time) in the teachers’ own school, is appropriate and preferred. As this training programme will only be provided to post-primary teachers who are registered through route 2 with the Teaching Council, a part-time delivery, outside of school time, is required. The purpose of this RFT is to increase provision of training of guidance counsellors in the Munster region, in order to meet the substantial demand for guidance counsellors within the post-primary system as outlined. Therefore, this RFT is designed so that new providers are encouraged to apply, and existing providers may also apply, for example, to increase their provision through an outreach programme.