New St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean has started out on his two-year Uefa Pro Licence course.
The Perth boss spent three days with the SFA’s coach education department in Edinburgh last week.
And next up will be a trip to Bucharest at the end of the month for the Under-21 European Championship before Saints’ 2023/24 season begins.
Dougie Imrie and Marvin Bartley are the other two current SPFL managers on the course.
More than 130 applications were received for this year’s intake, with 20 candidates selected.
The Uefa Pro-Licence, which follows completion of the A-Licence, is the highest coaching certification available in Europe.
Our Coach Education department held the first meeting with this year's UEFA Pro Licence students last week, as they begin an exciting two years of learning on and off the pitch.
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— Scottish FA (@ScottishFA) June 12, 2023
SFA Head of Coach Education and Development, Greig Paterson, said: “We are excited to get down to work with this group over the next two years as they continue their coaching journey with us.
“It is fantastic to see so many of the new candidates already being given management opportunities within Scotland, while the fact we also have high-quality students from outside of the country is testament to the best-in-class offering available with the Scottish FA.
“The candidates also come from different roles and backgrounds and we anticipate them challenging each other positivity over the course of the next two years.”
The 20 people in the group are –
Brian Kerr, unattached
Chris Burke, Head of Coaching, Kilmarnock
Chris Doig, Assistant manager, Grimsby Town
Christophe Berra, unattached
Colin Stewart, First Team Goalkeeping Coach, Rangers
Don Cowie, Assistant Manager, Ross County
Dougie Imrie, Manager, Morton
Gil Sousa, Technical Director, FC Baniyas
James Grady, Head Coach, Scotland Under-15s
Jens Wissing, Assistant Manager, SL Benfica
Leanne Crichton, First Team Coach / Player, Motherwell Women
Marvin Bartley, Manager, Queen of the South
Neil McFarlane, Under-23 Head Coach, Brentford
Owen Coyle (Jr), unattached
Paul Brownlie, Head Coach, Motherwell Women
Paul Nuijten, Head of Youth, Queen’s Park
Richard Foster, Head of Coaching, Motherwell
Steven MacLean, Manager, St Johnstone
Steven Whittaker, Assistant Manager, Fleetwood Town
Stuart Glennie, Head Coach, Scotland Under-16s.
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