Six men who have successfully completed the first City and Guilds certified gamekeeping course in the State will graduate in Co Offaly today.
Until now all those trained to work in or run the State's commercial game-shooting reserves had to travel to Britain to acquire the necessary skills.
However, a community development group at Cloghan, near Blue Ball in Co Offaly, decided two years ago to set up a course, recognising the potential for trained gamekeepers to make a living in the area, given its proximity to hundreds of acres of cutaway bog.
"Commercial shoots are not terribly profitable, but a community like Cloghan could employ two or three people," the course co-ordinator, Dr Brendan Kavanagh, said.
People would usually pay £15 to £20 for each bird shot on a commercial shooting range, income which could be reinvested in the local economy, he added.
Participants in the course, which was funded by FAS, were trained in a number of areas including preparing equipment and facilities for game shooting, assisting in the maintenance of game populations in their natural habitats, predator control, the prevention of trespass and poaching, and establishing and maintaining breeding stock.
Dr Kavanagh, a zoologist in the biology division of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, drew up the programme.
It was modelled on a City and Guilds course in the UK, and now the City and Guilds has given accreditation to the course.
Paddy Kelly from Birr, who will graduate today, has already secured a job. He will work on the Wild Grey Partridge Conservation Project at Boora Parklands in the midlands, mainly in the area of predator control.
Another graduate, Kevin Dolan from Berrinlough, Birr, is still looking for work. He believes his search has been hampered by the recent foot-and-mouth crisis. "This year a lot of estates did not know if they would be able to invite in people to shoot because of foot-and-mouth restrictions and so they have not advertised for staff," he said.