New wine for new wineskins National Association of VTOS Coordinators 15 April 2016 Andrina Wafer

General update Suite of policies Quality Assurance (core) Validation Awards Work to come Assessment, credit, access, transfer and progression, recognition of prior learning…

Acknowledging context ETBs- diversity, challenges ETBI- multiple relationships SOLAS- research, planning, funding, re- engineering, enabling DES- systemic approach to quality Making it work Clarity- roles, responsibilities, boundaries- MoU Communications, communications, communications!

General Update Quality Assurance- ETB Core and sectoral guidelines Core- 12 elements – GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT OF QUALITY – DOCUMENTED APPROACH TO QUALITY ASSURANCE – PROGRAMMES OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING – STAFF RECRUITMENT, MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT – TEACHING AND LEARNING – ASSESSMENT OF LEARNERS – SUPPORTS FOR LEARNERS – MANAGEMENT NFORMATION AND DATA – PUBLIC INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION – MONITORING AND REVIEW – OTHER PARTIES INVOLVED IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING – SELF-EVALUATION, MONITORING AND REVIEW

Quo Vadis?

Next steps Self evaluation Effectiveness of the range policies and procedures- do they address the right things? Are they making a difference? Effectiveness of the implementation of the procedures- are we able to follow them through? Resources? Infrastructure? Range of systems- lots to learn from Range of experience- people to learn from Range of strengths- centre based to ETB based- nurturing progress Motivation to change- current situation is unsustainable!

Supporting progress ETBI – Executive Leadership Forum and structures – QQI QA Forum Implementation Planning – Collaboration: QQI and ETBI- timeline to 2017, all together/ stages, review 2018 EQAVET- self evaluation initiative, 4 workshops QQI ‘wraparound’ – site visits to learn from international practice – International speakers visiting – Peer learning activities – Enhancement events

Progression National Transitions Steering Group FET Strategy: Pathways – HELS restatement – Audit of implementation – Helpful characteristics – Mapping local pathways National Access Plan, National Access Office IUA, IOTI, DARE FET2HE Regional Partnership UCC domain to domain initiative

Progression challenges Consistency of assessment – QQI circulate grade distribution information – Review of EA process and training at ETB level Competitive context – Centre V centre – Centre V ETB – Culture of status/cache – Branding, honest marketing – Courage to challenge- invest, collaborate- but extend confidence Access and recruitment – Level 5- open access – Level 4 – Competition for candidates- IoTs and Level 5 Course provision matched to national need – Courses for teachers, for learners, for progression? – Sharing understanding

RPL EU Recommendation 2012 – Citizens have access to RPL service by 2018 – States can prioritise cohorts, sectors according to national need National Skills Strategy CEDEFOP European Guidelines DES Co-ordination role RPL Practitioner Network Ireland Erasmus+ Call for Funding- Making Adult Skills Visible- Skills audits for people with few/no qualifications / low skilled/refugees and asylum seekers- Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Hungary- and Ireland? Research proposal- QQI - CIT matching HE research with practice in FET, ETB to be on steering group

European Guidelines for validating non-formal and informal learning 4 step process – Identification – Documentation, mentoring – Assessment – Certification Not all for all Data and recording a challenge Guidance- infrastructure

National Skills Strategy 2025

Policy review- where are we? RPL Green Paper Restatement of required procedures for providers- NQAI 2003, QQI Principles and operational guidelines for RPL- NQAI, Assumes continuous review and improvement- ETBs have flexibility to do more, to change CEDEFOP Guidelines

Further Education and Training RPL Strands- FETAC legacy context - ALL Providers with approved QA procedures Access, transfer and progression - Validated programmes - Recognition of other awards/exemptions - Apply to offer RPL for named award

Process undertaken Provider to devise and submit Policy and Procedures for RPL Evaluation – meeting with provider Recommendation to Council Provider approved to offer RPL for specific named awards

RPL Process - Information and advice - Application stage - Criteria for participation - Selection to participate - Standards checklist - Assessment - Certification

Examples Failte Ireland Citizens Information Board Manual Handling Instructors Skillnets - retail

Exemptions in FET 3 main features: – Exemptions can be claimed when a provider has verified that a learner will achieve a Compound Award i.e. a Major (Certificate) / Special Purpose (Specific Purpose Certificate)/ Supplemental (Supplemental Certificate) – Any award presented for exemption purposes must have been achieved in the five years prior to the submission of a learner for certification of the compound award – Provider must carry out due diligence checks to ensure that the previous qualification is genuine

QQI recognises awards previously awarded by FETAC Some of these awards are mapped to Common Award System (CAS) components This mapping is based on sufficient comparability between the learning outcomes of the two components. QQI has published lists of these mappings. See QHelp, Providers, Certification Queries, Common Award System (CAS) Exemptions QHelp, Providers, Certification Queries, Common Award System (CAS) Exemptions CAS components achieved by exemption will be neutral in the calculation of the grade of the compound award. Where a FETAC component is not mapped to a CAS component, then direct exemption using that FETAC component is not possible.

Procedure to claim exemption on awards previously awarded by FETAC The provider informs the learner which, if any, of his/her existing components can be used towards the new major, special purpose or supplemental award s/he is working towards For each existing component held, the learner presents the original FET certificate / transcript to the centre. The centre takes a copy of the certificate(s) / transcript(s) and completes the Exemption Claim Form The centre places the copy and the signed form in the learner’s portfolio where they are available for internal verification and external authentication

Procedure to claim exemption on awards previously awarded by FETAC When entering the learner’s results on QBS, the centre should enter the learner for the new common award component (e.g. 5N1773 Early Childhood Education and Play) but should specify that an exemption is being used and should also identify the existing component (D20007 Early Childhood Education) from the list of alternates provided in QBS. Reminder: CAS components achieved by exemption will be neutral in the calculation of the grade of the compound award.

Other awards on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) Holders of HET major awards at Levels 6 to 10 of the NFQ can be exempted from Communications at levels 5 and 6. Holders of awards made by the State Examinations Commission e.g. Junior Certificate, Leaving Certificate can be exempted from the relevant component. For the list of eligible exemptions see QSearch, Exemptions.QSearch, Exemptions

Awards that are not part of the NFQ QQI recognises the value of awards made by another awarding body where the awarding body is – nationally recognised in its own country – operating a quality assured awarding process A learner holding an award which, though not part of the NFQ, is deemed appropriate by the assessing provider can seek recognition of that award through (1) exemption from a CAS component(s) or (2) through RPL Note: Due to a 2015 court ruling QQI is limited in what can be recognised within the NFQ until legislative changes are made

Awards that are not part of the NFQ 1 e.g. ECDL, MOS, CACHE, higher education awards etc., an exemption against a CAS component can be claimed through QBS. Conditions: – claimed for the purpose of and at the time of achieving a compound i.e. major or special purpose award. – The provider has carried out due diligence checks to ensure that the previous qualification is genuine and that it is an appropriate basis for the requested exemption. – Only awards which are no more than five years old, as dated on the certificate, may be used to claim an exemption. CAS components achieved by exemption will be neutral in the calculation of the grade of the compound award. NOTE: Due to a 2015 court ruling, these are the only non NFQ awards which can be used for exemption purposes. Where a learner holding an award that is not on the published list seeks recognition of that award from a provider, the provider must use RPL.

Awards that are not part of the NFQ 2 RPL – primarily a form of assessment. – is demanding on both the provider and learner. – provider must have a documented policy and procedures if it intends to assess learners in this way. – provider must have the capacity to guide a learner through the RPL process of gathering sufficient, reliable and appropriate evidence to demonstrate achievement of learning outcomes. – it will be possible for the provider to give the learner a grade for the work assessed through RPL but the normal procedures for quality assuring validity of assessment outcomes must apply.

Summary – Exemptions can be claimed when a learner will achieve a Compound Award i.e. a Major / Special Purpose / Supplemental award – 5 year currency – Due diligence by provider – In future, when legislation issue has been rectified, recognition within the Framework may grow

Issues for VTOS Non national / awards not on the NFQ- ICT and Cisco mapping Managing expectation- Adults with tacit knowledge, hard to evidence- experience doesn’t equal learning Invest in documentation- or progression and support? Data- records- interest, options, possibilities Appetite? Priority? Benefits? Adding value?

‘Traveller, there is no path The path is made by walking’ Antonio Machado