News Releases 2001
LAUNCH OF CONSULTATION LEADING TO A NATIONAL FRAMEWORK OF QUALIFICATIONS
"There is a need for as much agreement as possible about the approach to be undertaken by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland in developing a national framework of qualifications"
announced the Authority Chairperson, Mr. Dick Langford, today at the launch of the Authority's first publication titled Towards a National Framework of Qualifications - a Discussion Document.
Speaking at the launch, he said that the document is the beginning of a process that will have far-reaching effects for the development of a lifelong learning society in Ireland.
"We have been set the task of developing a national framework of qualifications. We feel it is vital that all those involved in learning should participate with us in this work, and be able to contribute in a meaningful way. We have set out the issues that need to be taken into account as we proceed, and we have put forward some ideas about how to develop a national framework of qualifications and how it might work. Now we need to hear from all of our partners in this initiative - the learners, the many providers of education and training, the awarding bodies and the business people and employers."
The Qualifications Act places responsibilities on the Authority as part of the national strategy for the development of a society of lifelong learning. This strategy is being implemented in a context of dramatic change in lifestyle and in the world of work. Mr. Langford added:
"In fulfilling this role, the work of the Authority is likely to have significant and far-reaching effects on many aspects of education and training in Ireland in the years ahead. The establishment of a national framework of qualifications offers us an opportunity to address many of the issues in responding to a rapidly changing world. It also enables us to promote the diversity required for a learning society."
The document launched today represents the beginning of a short but intensive consultation process, culminating in a Forum to be held on 14th February 2002. All interested organisations are invited to respond to the issues and ideas in the document, and the Authority is committed to making all submissions received available on its website.
"We hope to initiate an open and constructive discussion on these important issues", said Mr. Langford. "All feedback from those with an interest in this work will be welcomed and valued".
The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland was established by the Minister for Education and Science, Dr. Michael Woods, T.D., earlier in the year. It has a membership drawn from a wide range of stakeholders, including nominees of the universities, learners and the social partners. The Authority's main task is to establish and maintain a national framework of qualifications. Awards to be included in this framework are those of public bodies in the State, namely the Further Education and Training Awards Council, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, the Dublin Institute of Technology and the universities, and the Junior Certificate and the Leaving Certificate of the Department of Education and Science. It may also include awards from private bodies in the State, such as professional bodies, and from international bodies making awards to learners in the State. The Authority is also to establish the overall standards of further and higher education and training awards, other than in the universities. The Authority also has a key role of facilitating continuous lifelong learning through the promotion of access, transfer and progression for all learners at all levels of further and higher education and training. The Authority will also liaise internationally to facilitate the recognition of Irish awards abroad and of international awards in Ireland.
Copies of the Discussion Document are available free of charge from the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland.
For further information, please contact:
Claire Byrne
Information Officer
National Qualifications Authority of Ireland
6-9 Trinity Street
Dublin 2
Phone - 6127088
Fax - 6127095
Mobile - 087 4158481
Email - cbyrne@nqai.ie
National Qualifications Authority of Ireland
Towards a National Framework of Qualifications - A Discussion Document
Publication, 29th November 2001
Summary
The discussion document is designed to set out the issues on which the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland is seeking the views of its partners in learning. It will provide a basis for informed discussion about the implementation of the functions of the Authority set out in the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act, 1999, and in particular, about the development of a national framework of qualifications. The document contains three parts, outlining the background, presenting the issues and describing how the consultation will take place.
Part I - Background
The Qualifications Act is intended to support the development of a society of lifelong learning. This first part of the document sets out the context for the establishment of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland and describes the conceptual and legislative background for the work of the Authority. The objects of the Act are summarised (Chapter 2). The Act establishes three new bodies with distinct functions, the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, the Further Education and Training Awards Council and the Higher Education and Training Awards Council. These bodies, together with the providers of education and training and the other stakeholders who also have responsibilities, will need to work cohesively to implement the Qualifications Act, in a common mission to meet the needs of learners and society (Chapter 3).
Part II - Issues for Discussion
This section is the main body of the document. It comprises ten Chapters that discuss and explore the issues and implications of the actions to be performed by the Authority. At the end of each Chapter, a set of questions is posed: the Authority is seeking the support of its partners in learning in answering these questions.
Chapter 4 - the Qualifications Act sets three primary tasks for the Authority: (a) to establish and maintain a national framework of qualifications; (b) to establish, and promote the maintenance of, the standards of the awards of the Further Education and Training Awards Council and the Higher Education and Training Awards Council and the Dublin Institute of Technology and (c) to promote and facilitate access, transfer and progression. This Chapter introduces the subsequent Chapters, which discuss and explore the issues and implications of the actions to be performed by the Authority.
Chapter 5 suggests a set of broad principles that would underpin the establishment of a national framework of qualifications. These principles form a starting point and reference for the development of operational policies and strategies for the Authority, and for the design criteria of the framework itself. Seven principles are discussed: transparency, simplicity, quality, equality, relevance, comprehensiveness and flexibility.
Chapter 6 discusses how the Authority will go about its work. It suggests processes to be adopted by the Authority itself in undertaking the task of developing a framework of qualifications and in implementing the other provisions of the Qualifications Act. Eight process guidelines are suggested for the work of the Authority: consultation, inclusiveness, quality process, realism, integrity, efficiency, international linking, and recognition of stakeholders' autonomy and roles.
Chapter 7 begins the exploration of policies and criteria for the development of the national framework of qualifications. Award standards are the expected outcomes of learning, inclusive of all education and training. Levels of awards need to be defined in terms of the knowledge, skill and competence to be acquired by learners. The related ideas of knowledge, skill and competence are themselves explored. Various approaches are discussed to setting policies and criteria for awards and award levels. Elements included in these approaches are entry arrangements, duration, development of learners, national currency and credibility, international comparability, stability of award standards, assessment methodology, validation of programmes, permanence of awards, titles of awards, and employability. An important topic discussed is the relationship between generic award levels and award levels within specific areas. Different grouping factors for the definition of such areas are explored, including economic sectors, occupations, fields of learning, and subjects. International models of level descriptors are briefly considered.
Chapter 8 continues the exploration of policies and criteria for the development of the national framework of qualifications. It raises the issue of the need for the design of the framework of qualifications to contribute to the promotion and facilitation of opportunities for access, transfer and progression into and throughout further and higher education and training. Design features discussed include learning units, multiple access points to programmes, modular award structures, portal awards and possibilities for updating learning.
Chapter 9 - in this Chapter, the concepts that relate to the terms "further education and training" and "higher education and training" are discussed. In the context of the Act, it will be necessary to develop a workable differentiation between these two entities, so that, for example, the awards Councils can identify their proper areas of operation. The issues of relating further education and training and higher education and training to award levels are introduced against the background of existing practice and the concepts underlying the general work on the framework.
Chapter 10 addresses the issues involved in the inclusion in the framework of the awards made by various bodies. The framework is intended to open up the recognition of learning wherever it takes place and to be as comprehensive and inclusive of awards as possible. It will include all awards of public bodies in the State, namely the Further Education and Training Awards Council, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, the Dublin Institute of Technology, the universities, and the Junior Certificate and the Leaving Certificate of the Department of Education and Science. The document also discusses the inclusion of awards from private bodies in the State, such as professional bodies, and from international bodies making awards to learners in the State. Finally, it explores issues related to linking the framework to awards made to learners outside the State. The requirements of the Act and international obligations are set out and possible approaches are discussed.
In Chapter 11, the document proceeds to the second objective set out for the Authority in the Qualifications Act: this concerns the establishing of the overall standards of the awards of the Further Education and Training Awards Council, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council and the Dublin Institute of Technology. The concepts here are linked to those relating to the development of the framework. The chapter discusses the role of the Authority in setting the overarching procedures for the Further Education and Training Awards Council and the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, as well as its role in the review of the awards Councils and appeals of certain specific decisions of the awards Councils. The Authority's functions in relation to quality assurance in the Dublin Institute of Technology are also discussed.
In Chapter 12, the document addresses the issues raised by the third objective of the Authority: the promotion and facilitation of access, transfer and progression. Among the issues raised are accreditation of prior and experiential learning, recognition of learning units, the distinction between eligibility and entitlement, capacity to succeed, portal awards, the need to build on a learner's most recent award, the accommodation of variety in outcome descriptions, the involvement of under-represented groups of learners, the desirability of multiple access points and modularity, the need for progression both within and between providers and awarding bodies, and the need for updating learning. It proceeds to explore a range of possible actions the Authority could take in response to these issues. These include consideration of the nature of the procedures for access, transfer and progression that are to be set by the Authority. In this regard the following elements are discussed: procedures for entry arrangements, systems for credit accumulation, accreditation of prior (and experiential) learning, the development of progression routes and protocols for providing information. The potential roles of the Authority in leading cultural change and in brokering progression linkages are discussed.
Chapter 13 - recognising that the preceding Chapters may not have exhausted the issues of relevance to stakeholders, the Authority invites further discussion in relation to the performance of its functions in specific terms that may be relevant to learners, employers and providers.
Part III - Consultation and Next Steps
The document concludes by outlining a consultation process that is to take place in the coming months. Submissions are invited on the document and the consultation process will culminate in a public seminar in February 2002. This seminar will provide an opportunity for individuals and groups to meet and exchange views on the document and on each other's submissions. A proposed schedule of actions following the consultation will lead to the publication in March 2002 of the principles and the policies and criteria for the national framework of qualifications. Following this, the aim is to publish an outline framework, together with associated procedures to promote access, transfer and progression, by mid-2002.
