Sweden has a long tradition in educating school principals. As early as the 1960s, state involvement in the training of school leaders was introduced, with courses in a number of pedagogical and administrative areas. In 1976, the Swedish government decided on a two-year national training program for all principals in the school system. Today´s 3-year national in-service principal training program is administered by seven universities and compulsory for all newly appointed principals. Besides that, universities offer a one-year recruitment course for teachers as aspiring principals, as well as courses in various topics to experienced principals. The municipalities and school owners offer in-service training in cooperation with universities and consultants mostly with the aim to increase organizational quality. A new government initiative wants to promote professional development programs to increase the possibility to individual professional development in addition to courses to provide organizational development. There is a widespread belief that learning is crucial for development and quality among all professions. At the same time there is a challenge how to transform the new insights into action. Another challenge is that the various actors within the governing body do not agree on what topics or learning should be prioritized. While in Ireland the spectrum of professional supports available for educational leaders has often been regarded as ad-hoc, in more recent times, become central in the practical preparation and development of individuals in leadership roles (CSL Report, 2015). Current requirements for principal leadership in Ireland do not include mandatory leadership qualifications or previous experience. In an attempt to respond to the urgent need of more diverse supports, newly developed programmes for the induction of newly appointed principals (Misneach) and a developmental programme for school leadership teams (Forbairt) are provided for principals by Oide, a new service organisation which integrated previous professional learning support services into one body since September 2023. Oide also provide learning opportunities and supports throughout the academic school year where school leaders can choose to participate from the wide range of services available that include mentoring, coaching, induction, curriculum, pedagogy, leadership practice and school improvement. Other formalised school leadership development programmes available in Ireland include a postgraduate programme in school leadership (PDSL) and a master’s in educational leadership at third level Universities. Both postgraduate programmes are available for principal leaders or aspiring school leaders.

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