Laura Carrigan Deirdre Stritch

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Laura Carrigan / Deirdre Stritch National
Qualifications Authority of Ireland1 October
2008
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Roles

• Laura Carrigan (lcarrigan_at_nqai.ie)
• Manager of qualifications recognition service
• Day to day responsibility for operations
• Working in conjunction with wider team to develop
  the service
• Deirdre Stritch (dstritch_at_nqai.ie)
• Project Officer
• Responsible, with colleagues, for implementation
  of the National Framework of Qualifications
• Responsible, with colleagues, for development and
  enhancement of qualifications recognition
  service.

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The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland
(NQAI)

• Established under the Qualifications (Education
  and Training) Act 1999
• to develop and maintain a national framework of
  qualifications
• a system for coordinating comparing awards
• to promote access, transfer and progression
  incl. arrangements for credit accumulation and
  transfer

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Purpose of the Qualifications Act

• The Qualifications Act sought to address inter
  alia
• Difficulties in recognising qualifications
• Irish learners travelling abroad
• Holders of international qualifications
  travelling to Ireland

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Development and Role of National Framework of
Qualifications

• NFQ introduced in 2003 as a system of ten levels,
  based on standards of knowledge, skill and
  competence incorporates awards made for all
  kinds of learning, wherever gained. 
• A system for coordinating and comparing awards
• Greatly assists the process for recognition of
  qualifications
• Acts as a reference point for assessing broad
  comparability of qualifications
• This level of comparability may be sufficient for
  purposes of entry into labour market or entry
  into education

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The National Framework of Qualifications
award-types and awarding bodies
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Qualifications Recognition - Role of NQAI

• Qualifications recognition service facilitates
  the recognition of foreign qualifications in
  Ireland and provides information regarding
  foreign education systems using the Framework
  as the basis for comparison
• Provides information on Irish education and
  training system, promotes recognition of Irish
  qualifications abroad
• On behalf of State, represents Ireland on
  European network of centres ENIC/NARIC (higher
  education)
• Acts as National Reference Point (NRP) for
  Vocational Education and Training

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Qualifications Recognition Role of NQAI cont.

• Qualifications Authority facilitates recognition
  of qualifications
• for academic purposes access to further
  learning
• for access to unregulated work
• Issues comparability statements to applicants -
  advice not legally binding
• education institutions establish own admission
  requirements, but the service may assist
  providers in determining if an applicant holds
  the qualifications deemed necessary for entry
• Qualifications pertaining to professions where
  professional practice is regulated i.e. medicine,
  law, teaching etc are directed to the relevant
  Competent Authority - list is available from
  www.qualificationsrecognition.ie

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Qualifications recognition - policy approach

• Broad policy approach, captured in National
  Policy Approach to the Recognition of
  International Awards in Ireland (June 2004)
• National Action Plan published in 2006
• Ireland a signatory to the Lisbon Convention
  qualifications recognition service aims to
  operate within the spirit of the convention
• a fair recognition of qualifications is a key
  element of the right to education and a
  responsibility of society
• Where a direct comparison cannot be made with an
  Irish award type or level on the Framework, as
  much information as possible is provided on the
  qualification in question.

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Application process / comparability basis

• Service available to individuals, public bodies
  and employers free of charge
• Applicant completes an application form and
  submits necessary documentation
• Parchment / Certificate in original language
• Translation of same
• Complete list of transcripts in original language
• Translation of same
• Evidence of undergraduate qualification if
  applicable
• Evidence of name change if applicable
• Authority evaluates award, or refers to existing
  comparison, and establishes comparability

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Application process / comparability basis

• Service is non-discriminatory
• Procedures in place to assess the qualifications
  of refugees, even in cases where the
  qualifications obtained cannot be proven through
  documentary evidence.
• Status of the applicant not disclosed in advice
  issued.

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Application process / comparability basis (cont.)

• Deal with applications on a case-by-case basis
• 12 week time period
• Applicants are issued with a statement of
  comparability which compares their award to an
  Irish award-type, e.g.
• is comparable to an Honours Bachelor Degree
  which is placed at Level 8 on the Irish National
  Framework of Qualifications
• Comparisons are not made on basis of grading or
  classification within award

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Demand for Recognition Service

• Aprx 15 of Irish labour force from outside
  Ireland and rising
• Volume of applicants steadily increasing
• 320 recognition applications in 2003 and 500
  queries ? 1800 applications in 2007 and approx.
  7,700 queries
• In 2007
• 60 of applications from within EU
• Approx. 13 from Asia
• approx. 11 from Russian Federation and rest of
  Europe and
• Approx10 from Africa

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Breakdown of 2008 figures

• So far in 2008, processed 1,592 applications and
  commented on 1,149 of these
• 76 of applications received relate to higher
  education awards
• 14 relate to further education awards
• 6 relate to school awards

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Breakdown of figures

• Of the higher education applications received
  nearly 50 were seeking recognition for the
  purposes of employment
• 24 intended to continue studying
• The remaining applications either concerned
  salary increments, grant applications or did not
  specify a reason for recognition
• The majority of awards related to the following
  areas Economics, Teaching and Engineering

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Qualifications recognition developments to date

• Many specific comparabilities already established
  / advice on comparability of qualifications
  provided to date available on www.qualificationsre
  cognition.ie
• Qualifications can cross boundaries, a guide to
  comparing qualifications in the UK and Ireland
• Currently developing country education profiles
  which will be published on our website
• Developments in qualifications recognition
  agreements with other countries (alignment with
  New Zealand qualifications system has commenced)

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Developmental areas for qualifications
recognition service

• To make increased, and more detailed, information
  regarding foreign education and training systems
  and qualifications systems accessible online 14
  countries published to date
• To make all comparability statements, which have
  been established to date, publicly available
• To build up external resources to inform the
  service
• There has been increased communication between
  the NQAI and higher education admission officers
  with the aim of working towards a consistent
  national approach to recognition. Hosting
  conference 21 November to address this topic.
• To increase communication / awareness of service
  e.g., workshops in November 2008

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European Developments

• Irish Framework does not stand alone or in a
  vacuum. European meta-frameworks developed in
  order to inter alia
• Facilitate recognition of qualifications
• Promote mobility of learners and workers
• Framework for Qualifications of the European
  Higher Education Area (est. by European Higher
  Education Ministers in Bergen in May 2005 the
  Bologna Framework)
• Bologna Framework and NFQ aligned November 2006
• European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong
  Learning (EQF) recommendation approved by
  European Council and Parliament April 2008
• Anticipated EQF and NFQ aligned spring 2009

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Why two meta-Frameworks?

• Distinct but complementary purposes
• Bologna Framework represents adoption of
  Framework concept into Bologna process to build
  European Higher Education Area by 2010
• Builds upon existing thinking on comparability
  of qualifications in EHEA and upon existing
  thinking on credit
• Cycles ECTS credit
• Confined to higher education, but extends beyond
  EU
• EQF strongly linked into Lisbon process
• An attempt to bring Bologna (Higher) and
  Copenhagen (Vocational) processes together
• Extends beyond higher education, but confined to
  EUA
• Both meta-frameworks function as translation
  devices or common languages to describe and
  compare qualifications across Member States
  diverse education and training systems

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European Meta-Framework Summary

• In both cases
• Primacy of the National Framework of
  Qualifications
• Quality assurance required in national
  arrangements
• Qualifications relate to national frameworks and
  frameworks talk to each other through
  meta-frameworks
• a dialogue based on commonly understood notions
  of learning outcomes
• Countries self-certify the link of their national
  frameworks to European frameworks following
  established criteria and procedures

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Alignment of Frameworks
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EQF
Country A
Country B
Qualifications (A)
Qualifications (B)
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Future Opportunities

• the establishment of the Office for Integration
  and the appointment of the Minister has provided
  a welcome opportunity for the qualifications
  recognition activities of the Qualifications
  Authority to be effectively integrated with other
  parallel activities providing services to migrant
  learners and workers.
• Looking forward to continue working with the
  Office of the Minister for Integration to
  communicate relevant information about
  qualifications recognition to all
  foreign-national groups.

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Further Information

• National Qualifications Authority of Ireland
  www.nqai.ie
• National Framework of Qualifications www.nfq.ie
• Qualifications recognition service
  www.qualificationsrecognition.ie