Take, for example, the career of accountancy. The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (ICAI) is the largest of the accountancy bodies on the island, with over 15,000 members north and south of the border. Of its intake every year, about 98% are graduates, with 22% of these already possessing postgraduate qualifications.

These graduates are drawn primarily from traditional business academic backgrounds, such as accountancy, commerce and business studies - and a relevant degree, or a postgrad qualification, will lead to significant exemptions from ICAI examinations for those on the road to becoming a Chartered Accountant.

"Accountancy is a very popular career choice, " said Faye Cousins, marketing manager at ICAI. "Even if there is a downturn in the economy, there will still be a strong need for accountants."

Much of the education/training provided by ICAI comes through its Centre for Accounting Studies, where students (mostly graduates) who are working through a training contract at one of the training firms (the big four, plus a large number of smaller accountancy practices) have to pass at least one set on exams en route to becoming a Chartered Accountant (CA). Examination is an important part of becoming a chartered accountant, coupled with at least three years experience in a training firm. Business and accountancy graduates are exempted from the first round of exams (CAP 1), while Masters graduates also have exemptions from CAP 2. But no matter what qualifications a person has from university, they will still need the three years experience and the final examinations before they can call themselves Chartered Accountants.

In addition to its CA training, ICAI also provides a number of diploma and ordinary CPD courses which constantly add to a Chartered Accountant's learning. Some are run by the ICAI itself, and others are offered in conjunction with educational establishments. ICAI also partners with mainstream educational establishments such as UCD, DCU, NUI Galway, University of Ulster, DIT, WIT and Letterkenny IT to provide a Masters Programme in accountancy or finance, depending on the nomenclature used by the college in question. These are useful to ordinary graduates, as well as to prospective Chartered Accountants who will be looking for exemptions from their CAP 2 exams.

Of course ICAI is only one professional body which offers postgraduate education, training and development, and accountancy is only one profession. Many of the qualifications which are obtainable through professional bodies are accredited not only by the industry itself, but by reputable educational establishments such as HETAC and other accrediting bodies. But a feature of a professional qualification is that it may well be portable overseas - because even if the Irish professional body is not an international organisation, there is a good chance that it will have links to similar bodies operating in different jurisdictions - thereby making a professional qualification one of the most important learning outcomes possible for a person who may be looking to continue his or her career outside of Ireland.