A former primary teacher, Annette Dolan (left), has been appointed as assistant general secretary of the TUI. She will join the all-male team of top union officials - general secretary Jim Dorney, deputy general secretary Peter McMenamin and assistant general secretary Declan Glynn.

Dolan will focus on second-level and further education and will also help in negotiations with bodies such as the Department of Education and Science, school management boards and employers.

An official with the INTO for the past five years, Dolan was seconded to the child abuse prevention programme in the Southern Health Board region in 1993. A graduate of St Patrick's College of Education, Drumcondra, Dublin and NUI Galway, she holds B Ed and M Ed degrees.