The Comenius programme: sub-programme of the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme focusing on the first phase of education, from pre-school and primary to secondary schools.

Léargas: the Irish national agency for the Comenius programme.

Department of Education and Skills

Education Ireland

European Youth Portal - offers information on studying, working and holidaying in another EU country as well as an opportunity to say or ask something about European issues.

Travelling in Europe: the EU's official website for people travelling in the 27 countries of the EU, it offers practical advice and helpful tips on a wealth of subjects, from what documents you need, to getting healthcare and using your mobile phone.

Youth in Action: the EU Programme for young people aged 15-28 (in some cases 13-30). It promotes mobility within and beyond the EU borders, non-formal learning and intercultural dialogue, and encourages the inclusion of all young people, regardless of their educational, social and cultural background.

Europack: an online teacher's resource specially designed to meet the needs of Irish Teachers in Transition year and Senior Cycle. Europack provides teachers with easy to download material, resources, and information on the history, member states, and functioning of the European Union in an interactive and engaging manner.

The Erasmus programme: sub-programme of the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme enabling two hundred thousand students to study and work abroad each year, as well as supporting co-operation actions between higher education institutions across Europe

Higher Education Authority (HEA): the Irish contact point for the Erasmus programme.

Department of Education and Skills

Education Ireland

The National University of Ireland (NUI) is Ireland's largest university. The NUI is a federal university with four Constituent Universities:

• NUI Dublin,
• NUI Cork,
• NUI Galway
• NUI Maynooth.

There are also five recognised colleges of the University

• Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
• National College of Art and Design
• Shannon College of Hotel Management
• Institute of Public Administration
• Milltown Institute.

Trinity College Dublin

Dublin City University

University of Limerick

Institutes of Technology - there are thirteen Institutes of Technology located around Ireland offering a comprehensive range of courses from two-year Higher Certificate, three-year Ordinary Bachelor Degree and three to five-year Honours Bachelor Degrees as well as a range of postgraduate programmes at Postgraduate Diploma, Masters and Doctoral level.

National Qualifications Authority of Ireland: responsible for developing and maintaining the National Framework of Qualifications.

Further Education and Training Awards Council: responsible for and promoting quality awards in further education and training; validating the quality of programmes; setting national standards; and establishing working partnerships

Association for Higher Education Access and Disability: promotes full access to and participation in third level education for students with disabilities in Ireland.

European Youth Portal - offers information on studying, working and holidaying in another EU country as well as an opportunity to say or ask something about European issues.

Travelling in Europe: the EU's official website for people travelling in the 27 countries of the EU, it offers practical advice and helpful tips on a wealth of subjects, from what documents you need, to getting healthcare and using your mobile phone.

Youth in Action: the EU Programme for young people aged 15-28 (in some cases 13-30). It promotes mobility within and beyond the EU borders, non-formal learning and intercultural dialogue, and encourages the inclusion of all young people, regardless of their educational, social and cultural background.

Europass is a new initiative which aims to help people make their skills and qualifications clearly and easily understood in Europe, thus facilitating the mobility of both learners and workers.  The Europass documents have been designed in such a way as to help people chronicle their skills and competences in a coherent manner, whether they are planning to enroll in an education or training programme, looking for a job, or getting experience abroad. 

Ploteus: EU portal to learning opportunities throughout the European Space. It aims to help students, job seekers, workers, parents, guidance counsellors and teachers to find out information about studying in Europe.

European Commission Traineeships Office - information on in-service training (stages) for young university graduates

The European Commission launched on 25 May 2011 a website that will give experts a better insight into how qualifications in different countries compare with each other.

The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) portal is part of an EU initiative to make national qualifications more transparent across Europe, promoting workers' and learners' mobility between countries and encouraging lifelong learning.

The scheme is currently being rolled out across Europe as countries relate their national qualifications systems to the eight-level European framework.

A search function that will provide access to national databases with information on qualifications is also planned.

European Qualifications Framework portal: http://ec.europa.eu/eqf/home_en.htm