Skillnets Certification Briefing

1
(No Transcript)
2
Skillnets Certification Briefing
July 4 5, 2007
3
Objectives of this Session

• To help you understand
• Changing role of industry and education
• Value and importance of recognition and
  accreditation of learning in the workplace
• Certification the Skillnets perspective
• National Framework of Qualifications
• What who are the Awarding Bodies
• Process for seeking national awards

4
Why Certify?

• Address the challenges and concerns faced by
  companies
• Developing/updating relevant and current
  qualifications
• Increasing accessible, affordable and timely
  learning interventions
• Identified as a key contributor to increased
  retention and performance of employees
• Address the needs of learners to have learning
  recognised to develop career paths
• NQAI, FETAC and HETAC examining strategies for
• recognition of prior learning,
• accreditation of work-place training

5
Context Changing Face of Ireland

• Unemployment
• mid 1980s 17
• 2006 lt4.5
• Gap between economy - education closing
• Closing gap creating a knowledge space
• Greater dependence on education, training and
  learning
• Changing demographics industry impact
• Industry and academia need to change and
  accommodate

6
Accommodating Academia Industry

• Growing desire for all learning to be recognised
• Past education providers set the parameters
• Now employers and learners engage
• Education and training play a key role in
  enterprise
• Accreditation framework becomes the property of
  Irish society (not just educational providers)

7
Interest in Certification within Industry

• Skillnets Client Satisfaction Survey 2006
• How important is training certification to your
  organisation?
• Very Interested 34
• Somewhat Interested 36

8
What to Certify?

• Longer term training events that focus on
• Building skills, knowledge and competencies
• Developing career paths and progression
• Continuous personal and professional development
• Learning leading to benefits for a larger
  audience
• Learning leading to a standard and/or
  qualification

9
What not to Certify?

• Short, sharp training interventions
• Where time and cost may not warrant investment
• Where certification already exists

10
Context A Diffuse System of Qualifications

• Separation of Education and Training
• across a range of Departments
• Separation of previous qualifications systems
• schools
• further education
• training
• Sector based
• higher education I.T.s, Universities
• International developments

11
Qualifications Act 1999
12
Role of National Qualifications Authority of
Ireland (NQAI)

• Establish and maintain a national framework of
  qualifications
• Promote and facilitate access, transfer and
  progression
• Achieved through the National Framework of
  Qualifications (NFQ) .

13
The National Framework of Qualificationswww.nfq.i
e
14
Outcomes Approach

• NOT ABOUT
• Where learning took place
• Whether any formal programme was followed
• What time has been spent

15
Outcomes Approach

• IS ABOUT
• What a learner knows and can do including
  outcomes of informal and non-formal learning
• Knowledge
• Know-how and skill
• Competence
• More than traditional understandings of outcomes
• Developmental dimension

16

Roisin Sweeney FETAC Development officer
17
Context for Certification National Framework of
Qualificationswww.nfq.ie
18
The Certification Process
Standards for the Awards Statements of knowledge,
skill or competence, expressed as outcomes,
independent of learning context
Programme Mode(s) of delivery,
duration, learner profile, context, value added
Assessment
Award
19
Standards, Awards, Programmes, Providers

• A standard is a collection of learning outcomes
  setting out the knowledge, skill and competence
  required for an award
• An award is a certificate issued by FETAC to a
  learner who has been assessed as having achieved
  a standard
• A programme is a learning experience designed and
  offered by a provider based on predetermined
  national standards and leading to a FETAC award
• A provider is one or more centres offering one or
  more programmes and having a common quality
  assurance system

20
Sample
21
FETAC Quality Assured Provider - Registered
Centre Process
22
Recommendations

• Seek out FETAC registered providers for current
  list see http//www.fetac.ie/qa/ProviderQAList.ht
  m
• If your network intends to register as a provider
  for Quality Assurance agreement process see
  http//www.fetac.ie/qa/default.htm
• Look at http//www.fetac.ie/guide/modules.htm
• Download samples of modules
• Review learning outcomes assessment techniques

23
Recommendations

• If you are starting from scratch, design the
  training programme around 1 or several modules
• If you have an existing programme, compare it to
  the learning outcomes assessment in module(s)
• If there are gaps need to fill them
• If the programme covers more than the
  modulesthen you can offer certification for part
  of your programme

24
By Skillnets
25
Context for Certification National Framework of
Qualificationswww.nfq.ie
26
National Framework of QualificationsMajor
Award-Types

• Level Award-Type
• 10 Doctoral Degree
• 9 Masters Degree Postgraduate Diploma
• 8 Honours Bachelor Degree Higher Diploma
• 7 Ordinary Bachelor Degree
• 6 Higher Certificate

27
Implications for HETAC

• HETAC is required to determine standards of
  knowledge, skill or competence for all named
  awards
• Standards will be based on generic descriptors
  provided by NQAI
• Emphasis will be on learning outcomes and learner
  capability
• Existing programmes to be re-examined in light of
  standards

28
HETAC Accreditation Process
29
Example CPD Diploma in Managing Business
Networks

• Skillnets Dublin Institute of Technology May
  2006
• Identified Programme Content
• Transferred content to 5 Modules
• Agreed Learning Outcomes
• Agreed Credit value for each Module
• Agreed Assessment Methods
• Agreed process for programme management and
  external examination

30
The Skillnets Perspective

• Is Certification mandatory ?
• No
• Is Certification Desirable ?
• Yes
• Low Basic Skills Factor
• Certification requirement
• training must lead toward certification at
  level 1-5 under the NFQ, or an equivalent level
  of independent certification, which can be
  clearly substantiated

31
Cost of Certification
32
Cost of Certification
33
Questions Answers Session
34
Final Questions Please complete your evaluation
of this session Remember we are here to
help!