Donegal ETB Hosts Quality Assurance Meeting with QQI

We were delighted to welcome colleagues from Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) to our offices last Friday for discussions on our QQI quality assurance system. QQI certification is one of the main certification awards we provide to learners in our Further Education and Training (FET) Service. QQI is an independent State agency, established in 2012, responsible for promoting quality and accountability in education and training services in Ireland. Some of it’s work includes:

  • promote, maintain and develop the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), a 10-level framework for the development, recognition and awarding of qualifications in Ireland;
  • approve programmes offered at a variety of schools, colleges and further and higher education and training institutions. These programmes lead to qualifications (QQI awards) listed in the NFQ, which are recognised internationally;
  • regulate and promote the quality of programmes offered by schools and colleges leading to qualifications in the NFQ for the benefit of learners, employers and other interested parties;
  • inform the public about quality assured education and training programmes and qualifications through a database of programmes and a register of providers;
  • advise the Minister for Education and Skills about national policy on quality assurance and improvement in education and training.

Those who attended from QQI included Dr Padraig Walsh, Chief Executive, Dr Bryan Maguire, Director of Quality Assurance and Andrina Wafer, Head of Access and Lifelong Learning. They are pictured here meeting with our Chief Executive Anne McHugh, Director of FET Cróna Gallagher, AEOs Martina Needham and Charles Gorney and Assistant Training Centre Manger Colm Richardson.