SUBMISSIONS INVITED ON THE INCLUSION OF PROFESSIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL AWARDS IN THE NATIONAL FRAMEWORK OF QUALIFICATIONS
14 May 2002
"The issue of the inclusion of professional and international awards in the national framework of qualifications is an important issue for the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland"
said the Authority Chairperson, Mr. Dick Langford, on the publication today by the Authority of Towards a National Framework of Qualifications - Inclusion of Professional and International Awards - A Discussion Paper.
The paper has been prepared with a view to discussing how to include awards from private bodies in the State, such as professional bodies, and from international bodies of various kinds making awards to learners in the State in the national framework of qualifications. The paper puts forward some ideas on how the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland might approach the performance of this function. The paper describes the nature of professional and international awarding bodies and outlines some possible ways to include their awards in the framework. Submissions are invited on this paper by the end of August 2002. All submissions will be made publicly available.
Mr. Seán Ó Foghlú, chief executive of the Authority added:
"It is the Authority's goal that the framework will become the single, nationally and internationally accepted entity, through which all learning achievements may be measured and related to each other in a coherent way and which defines the relationship between all education and training awards. In order to achieve this, we need to explore ways for the inclusion of professional and international awards in the framework."
Copies of the publication are available free of charge from the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland and on the website of the Authority.
Background to National Qualifications Authority of Ireland
The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland was established in 2001 by the Minister for Education and Science, Dr. Michael Woods, T.D. 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.
