The National College of Industrial Relations in Dublin runs a number of off-campus mainstream management and industrial relations courses. For example, the diploma in management and industrial relations is available at 19 outreach centres including all major cities and a number of locations around Dublin and Kildare. This course can be completed part-time over one or two years. It offers a good introduction to key skills such as human resources, organisational behaviour, industrial relations and the law, finance, and management theory and practice.

Another outreach option is the diploma in first-line management (supervision). Subjects covered include the role of the supervisor, work and the law, world-class manufacturing, health and safety and interviewing skills. It can be completed part-time over one or two years.

Neither diplomas has specific entry requirements. Work/life experience is likely to carry more weight than academic qualifications when applications are being assessed. If there are enough people within a single organisation interested in doing these courses, the NCIR will look at offering them in-house. The NCIR also offers its certificate in managing organisations in the voluntary sector and its diploma in the psychology of criminal behaviour on an offcampus basis.

For those able to study at the Dublin campus, the NCIR has a number of part-time and evening work-related courses. These include a national diploma in business studies, a BA in industrial relations and personnel management and a certificate course in business and trade union studies. A national diploma in personnel management by distance learning is also available. For information phone NCIR's academic affairs office at (01) 406 0500 or email: info@college.ncir.ie