For the individual, there is no better way to climb up the career ladder than with a professional qualification and an increasing number of people are now seeing the benefits of taking on a part-time diploma, degree or master's course.

For the economy, the more educated the workforce is, the better.

"The relationship between economic growth and education is pretty well established, " says Michael Mulreany, head of education at the Institute of Public Administration (IPA).

"Employers are starting to look increasingly for the competencies that come out of bachelor level courses, competencies such as managing key relationships in organisations. Also, all the international surveys tell us education is related to higher productivity levels."

Research carried out by the IPA, which offers courses to both public and private sector employees, highlights the benefits for individuals.

According to Mulreany, the majority of employees who partake in professional education will progress their careers.

"Everything we learn from the marketplace would indicate this, " he says. "We survey our students on a three-year basis and ask them how they've proceeded since they graduated. We find that a highly significant number of people get promoted and they nearly all put it down to the fact they have received higher education."

The IPA offers a variety of courses, from diplomas and degrees in public management to a doctorate in governance, which is jointly offered by Queen's University, Belfast.

"The people who take our courses are generally people who want to progress their careers. For example, if you come along to us as a health professional and you want to proceed within your career, you can take a management qualification, " says Mulreany.

The majority of courses at the IPA are part-time and designed around people's needs to enable them to continue working. The bulk of the courses are run by distance education, whereby students attend weekend seminars five times a year, but many are also taken at local centres and Institutes of Technology throughout the country.

About 70pc of the IPA's students are public sector employees. However, the benefits of professional education are not only confined to the public sector. Many of those in the accountancy profession return to colleges throughout the country to gain higher qualifications.

The universities also offer distance learning and parttime courses. For example, National University of Ireland, Galway has launched a new degree in community and family studies. This is a four-year part-time course aimed at those who wish to 'further develop and enhance their understanding, knowledge and skills relevant to family and community work practice'. The college has various degrees and masters available for those who wish to advance their careers.

When people decide to do part-time courses, they must not only decide which course is best for them, but also which course layout suits them. There are evening, Saturday-only and block-release courses, where students attend college on one of their working days and one of their free days at the weekends.

Paul Hederman, director of in-company education and training programmes at the National College of Ireland (NCI), says it is a matter of preference and priorities. He says where companies organise training during working hours, it is quite a significant investment for them.

While individuals will no doubt experience the benefits of professional education, organisations can also benefit hugely, according to Hederman.

"There's no doubt that professional education and ongoing learning is extremely important. It's particularly important for personal career progression but also for organisations, " he says.

As well as offering courses to individuals, the NCI organises courses for companies that want their employees to receive further training. A series of tailormade management development programmes are offered to both public and private sector organisations, and can lead to qualifications at certificate, diploma and bachelor degree level.