A new system of awards in the further education and training sector is expected to be announced this autumn as part of the ongoing restructuring of the qualifications system here.
Discussions on the new system, which will affect thousands of students on FÁS, CERT, Teagasc, apprenticeship and PLC courses, are at an advanced stage.
When complete, the new system will allow a direct link to be established between these programmes and the 10-point scale operated by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI).
This aims to make it easier for students, employers and third-level institutions to judge the value of courses and awards.
But it is thought unlikely that it will lead to ordinary degrees for plumbers, bricklayers, painters, printers, electricians, fitters, carpenters and other tradespeople.
This is because the Further Education and Training Awards Council , which awards qualifications in the sector, can only make awards up to level six on the NQAI's scale
However, equivalence with an ordinary degree can only occur at level seven on this scale.
Yesterday, The Irish Times revealed that from this September, higher education diplomas will no longer be awarded but will instead be replaced by ordinary-level degrees.
But the news that a similar system for awarding degrees in the further education sector will be finalised soon could have even wider implications, as it will apply to even larger numbers of students on a wide range of courses here.
Every student currently enrolled on a certificate or diploma course is to receive a letter in the next few weeks explaining what the changes to the awards system will entail.
Employers and trade unions last night moved to dispel fears that employees might use the new classification of diplomas as ordinary degrees to seek pay increases.
Ms Caroline Nash, of the employers' group IBEC, said it had no concerns that individuals who previously possessed diplomas would seek to claim that the reclassification of degrees justified a pay rise.
"There is no way that somebody can just walk into their boss and say 'give me more money' - because their skills have not changed," she said.
"The name will change but the competencies won't . . . so in that context it won't have cost implications (for businesses)."
Mr Peter Rigney, of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, said that while some roles required applicants to have a degree, these frequently also specificially required applicants with higher-level degrees.
Any claims for increased pay would have to be looked at on a case-by-case basis, he said.