ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING TTnet / Trainers Network Workshop ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING Nora MT Byrne 28 th February 2008

ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING Purpose To give: An overview of certification in Ireland An overview of the FETAC Quality Assurance agreement process An overview of current ISO Standards Future ISO standard

ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING Establishment of : NQAI - The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland was established on 26 February 2001 under the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act The Authority is an agency of the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. It has responsibility for developing and maintaining the National Framework of Qualifications. Aim: –wide recognition of outcomes of learning –improved access for learners to quality learning opportunities ( Awarding Councils –FETAC ( –HETAC (

ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING The National Framework of Qualifications – (

ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING The Certification Process Standards for the Awards – Learning outcomes setting out the knowledge, skill and competence Programme – Delivery, duration, learner profile, context, value added Award – Parchment issued by Awarding Council to a learner who has been assessed as having achieved a standard

ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING Learning Providers Organisation or individual that has agreed its Quality Assurance with an Awarding Body Is a registered learning provider Provides programmes leading to awards Design / modify programmes to fit the learning outcomes and assessment methods outlined in a module descriptor

ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING FETAC Provider Quality Assurance Providers register with FETAC via agreement on policies and procedures in how their programmes and services will be quality assured Registered learning providers have access to FETAC awards (up to level 6) FETAC monitor and evaluate effectiveness of a provider’s quality assurance system Review of agreement – maximum period 5 years

ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING FETAC Quality Assurance Requirements QA agreement required (Section 18 Qualifications Act) Relates to all providers of education and training offering FETAC awards Agreement process operative since January 2005 All providers can register - public and private Policy and procedures for –Communications –Equality –Staff recruitment/development –Assessment –Access,Transfer & Progression –Protection for Learners –Self evaluation –Subcontracting –Programme design & development

ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING Guidelines Criteria Policies and Procedures for Quality Assurance Agreement Process Registered Provider Award(s) & Standards Programme Validation Process Provider FETAC Key Verification & Certification Delivery & Assessment National Monitoring Internal Monitoring & Self Evaluation

ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING ISO – International Organisation for Standardization ISO 9000 Family of Standards ISO Quality Management - Guidelines for Training Instrument to improve performance of in-service training Covers the development, implementation, maintenance, improvement of strategies and systems of training that affect the quality of the products supplied by an organisation.

ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING ISO – International Organisation for Standardization ISO 9000 Family of Standards Learning Service Providers – International new standard under development

ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING ISO Standard for Educational Services Scope:Suitable framework for preparing standards in the field of educational services Standards in specific areas of non-public training and education Initial focus:- vocational (further) education - in-company training

ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING Why vocational education and training? There is a special need for specific vocational training Advancement of knowledge becomes more and more a key to successful corporate management Lifelong learning and vocational training are now decisive factors determining competitiveness Companies must use new ways of imparting knowledge to meet the challenges of ever shorter innovation and knowledge cycles

ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING Why vocational education and training? A number of factors determine the quality of further education and training: the extent to which it builds on existing knowledge the degree to which it is tailored to company needs and practice the successful transfer of the acquired knowledge or skills to the place of work. Thus, quality assurance requires maximum cooperation between educational establishments and companies or students. Standards ensure this interaction

ASSURING QUALITY IN THE PROVISION OF TRAINING Enjoy your time in Ireland, Thank You