External Review of Further Education and Training Quality Assurance System Underway

Donegal ETB is currently undertaking an external review of the quality assurance (QA) system of its Further Education and Training (FET) Service as required by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) through their Inaugural Review of Quality Assurance in Education and Training Boards policy.

A huge part of the review process involves the development and submission of a Self-Evaluation Report (SER). This report will be a reflective and critical evaluation with input from members of Donegal ETB’s community, which includes students, staff at all levels of the organisation and external stakeholders. It will outline how effectively the ETB’s FET Service assures and enhances the quality of its teaching, learning and service activities to support the achievement of its strategic goals. This report forms the core document for consideration by the review team in advance of, and during, the main review visit.

To support the production of the report, the FET Service has been engaged in an inclusive consultation process to evaluate its quality assurance system, with the first draft of its report developed by January 2021. The consultation process has involved the input and feedback of more than 300 stakeholders, both internal and external, from across the FET Service to ensure their voices, thoughts and experiences were captured. This has included students, staff, employers, community groups and other partner organisations and stakeholders.

Following the development of the first draft of the SER, a further consultation phase will now take place in February. This will involve further engagement with stakeholders to ensure the report is an accurate and true reflection of the quality assurance system and how it is experienced by individuals and groups who are involved with the ETB’s FET Service.

The ETB’s FET quality assurance staff have been hugely appreciative of stakeholders for participating in the consultation process to date. The report will be made available once it has been submitted to QQI after 26 February.

Image of groups of people sitting at tables
Student consultations.