Qualifications Recognition at the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland Deirdre Stritch 21 No

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Qualifications Recognition at the National
Qualifications Authority of Ireland Deirdre
Stritch21 November 2008
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Role

• 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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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
• Comparability made following research liaison
  with other bodies, including ENIC/NARICs
• 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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Demand for Recognition Service

• Examples of our recognition clients
• individuals, county councils for recruitment,
  involvement in Garda recruitment, provide info to
  HEIs
• 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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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 Recognition
  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
• Recognition
• Assessment of the place and value of a
  qualification from one education system in the
  context of another education system

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Lisbon Recognition Convention - I

• Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications
  concerning Higher Education in the European
  Region
• Convention and subsequent Riga Guidelines part of
  Bologna Process for creation of European Higher
  Education Area by 2010
• Requires
• To assess a qualification fairly means to
  adequately position it in the grid of
  qualifications of the receiving country
• outcome is dependent on the features of both
  higher education systems
• Recognition (Lisbon Convention)
• recognise comparable level qualifications if
  there are no substantial differences
• consider differences only with a view of purpose

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Lisbon Recognition Convention - II

• Recognition decisions are to be made on the basis
  of appropriate information on the qualifications
  for which recognition is sought
• The body making the assessment is responsible for
  demonstrating that an application does not
  fulfill the relevant requirements
• A substantial difference must be demonstrated in
  the case of a refusal
• The institutions having issued the qualification
  have a duty to provide relevant information to
  the applicant/institution/competent authority
• National information centre shall facilitate
  access to information on the higher education
  system and qualifications

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Information needed for recognition

• Entry requirements
• Formal duration and study load (credits)
• Structure and contents (e.g. thesis included?)
• Formal rights (academic/professional)
• Function of the program
• Placing the program in the education system

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Consideration of substantial differences

• Should be studied in the light of the elements of
  a qualification
• Basic assumption the existence of a substantial
  difference is an exception rather than a rule
• Is the difference substantial in relation to
  function and purpose of the qualification?
• A difference in formal terms only not sufficient
• Substantial differences in the quality can be
  reason for partial recognition or
  non-recognition, but onus on the recognising body
  to prove the difference
• have to establish whether or not the particular
  foreign qualification has substantial differences
  with regard to the purpose for which applicant
  wishes to have it recognised
• NQAI policy 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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(No Transcript)
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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.qualrec.ie
• Irish Framework aligned to Bologna Framework and
  shortly aligned to EQF
• 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 16
  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
• To increase communication / awareness of service

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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.qualrec.ie