Fur ther education represents the vocational, technical and practice -ba sed forms of education, which is now repositioned in a neoliberal era driven by a performance -based and market -orientated vision of education in the Republic of Ireland and elsewhere. The implacable drive of neoliberal economics in everyday practice is evident in the current economic and training discou rses of further education, aimed at upgrading the employability of low skilled and marginalized sectors of the population. The article p rovides an overview of shifts in educational policy and practices that align Irish further education w ith what has occurred in the UK and elsewhere through processes of professionalization and performativity. Analysis of the potential impa ct on notions of professional identity in the sector help s to articulate the principles, pedagogies and philosophies that will be vital when contesting the performance cultures of New Manag erialism that seem likely to ensue. We explore the implications in terms of the poli cy discourses, organizational structure and professional practices of further education. We contend that changes in these areas have profound impacts on the learning and knowledge base of further education, constraining its social justice and transformativ e capacity for the learners at the heart of further education...