Laura Carrigan / Deirdre Stritch National Qualifications Authority of Ireland 1 October 2008

1. Laura Carrigan / Deirdre Stritch National Qualifications Authority of Ireland1 October 2008

2. Roles • Laura Carrigan (lcarrigan@nqai.ie) • Manager of qualifications recognition service • Day to day responsibility for operations • Working in conjunction with wider team to develop the service • Deirdre Stritch (dstritch@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.

3. 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

4. Purpose of the Qualifications Act The Qualifications Act sought to address inter alia • Difficulties in recognising qualifications • Irish learners travelling abroad • Holders of international qualifications travelling to Ireland

5. Development and Role of National Framework of Qualifications • NFQ introduced in 2003 as a system of ten levels, based on standards of knowledge, skill and competence; incorporates awards made for all kinds of learning, wherever gained.  • A system for coordinating and comparing awards • Greatly assists the process for recognition of qualifications: • Acts as a reference point for assessing broad comparability of qualifications • This level of comparability may be sufficient for purposes of entry into labour market or entry into education

6. The National Framework of Qualifications – award-types and awarding bodies

7. 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

8. Qualifications Recognition Role of NQAI cont. • Qualifications Authority facilitates recognition of qualifications: • for academic purposes – access to further learning • for access to unregulated work • 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

9. 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 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” • 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.

10. Application process / comparability basis • Service available to individuals, public bodies and employers free of charge • Applicant completes an application form and submits necessary documentation • Parchment / Certificate in original language • Translation of same • Complete list of transcripts in original language • Translation of same • Evidence of undergraduate qualification if applicable • Evidence of name change if applicable • Authority evaluates award, or refers to existing comparison, and establishes comparability

11. Application process / comparability basis • Service is non-discriminatory • Procedures in place to assess the qualifications of refugees, even in cases where the qualifications obtained cannot be proven through documentary evidence. • Status of the applicant not disclosed in advice issued.

12. Application process / comparability basis (cont.) • Deal with applications on a case-by-case basis • 12 week time period • Applicants are issued with a statement of comparability which compares their award to an Irish award-type, e.g. “… is comparable to an Honours Bachelor Degree which is placed at Level 8 on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications” • Comparisons are not made on basis of grading or classification within award

13. Demand for Recognition Service • Aprx 15% of Irish labour force from outside Ireland and rising • 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

14. Breakdown of 2008 figures • So far in 2008, processed 1,592 applications and commented on 1,149 of these • 76% of applications received relate to higher education awards • 14% relate to further education awards • 6% relate to school awards

15. Breakdown of figures • Of the higher education applications received nearly 50% were seeking recognition for the purposes of employment • 24% intended to continue studying • The remaining applications either concerned salary increments, grant applications or did not specify a reason for recognition • The majority of awards related to the following areas; Economics, Teaching and Engineering

16. Qualifications recognition developments to date • Many specific comparabilities already established / advice on comparability of qualifications provided to date available on www.qualificationsrecognition.ie • 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)

17. Developmental areas for qualifications recognition service • To make increased, and more detailed, information regarding foreign education and training systems and qualifications systems accessible online – 14 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 • There has been increased communication between the NQAI and higher education admission officers with the aim of working towards a consistent national approach to recognition. Hosting conference 21 November to address this topic. • To increase communication / awareness of service e.g., workshops in November 2008

18. European Developments • Irish Framework does not stand alone or in avacuum. European meta-frameworks developed in order to inter alia: • Facilitate recognition of qualifications • Promote mobility of learners and workers • Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area (est. by European Higher Education Ministers in Bergen in May 2005 – the ‘Bologna Framework’) • Bologna Framework and NFQ aligned November 2006 • European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF)– recommendation approved by European Council and Parliament April 2008 • Anticipated EQF and NFQ aligned spring 2009

19. Why two meta-Frameworks? • Distinct but complementary purposes • ‘Bologna’ Framework: represents adoption of Framework concept into Bologna process to build European Higher Education Area by 2010 • Builds upon existing thinking on ‘comparability’ of qualifications in EHEA and upon existing thinking on credit • ‘Cycles’; ECTS credit • Confined to higher education, but extends beyond EU • EQF: strongly linked into Lisbon process • An attempt to bring Bologna (Higher) and Copenhagen (Vocational) processes together • Extends beyond higher education, but confined to EUA • Both meta-frameworks function as translation devices or common languages to describe and compare qualifications across Member States’ diverse education and training systems

20. European Meta-Framework Summary • In both cases • Primacy of the National Framework of Qualifications • Quality assurance required in national arrangements • Qualifications relate to national frameworks and frameworks talk to each other through meta-frameworks • a dialogue based on commonly understood notions of learning outcomes • Countries self-certify the link of their national frameworks to European frameworks following established criteria and procedures

21. Alignment of Frameworks

22. 1 9 2 4 3 5 6 1 7 5 3 6 4 2 8 1 8 7 6 4 2 3 5 Country A EQF Country B Qualifications (A) Qualifications (B)

23. Future Opportunities • the establishment of the Office for Integration and the appointment of the Minister has provided a welcome opportunity for the qualifications recognition activities of the Qualifications Authority to be effectively integrated with other parallel activities providing services to migrant learners and workers. • Looking forward to continue working with the Office of the Minister for Integration to communicate relevant information about qualifications recognition to all foreign-national groups.

24. Further Information • National Qualifications Authority of Ireland: www.nqai.ie • National Framework of Qualifications www.nfq.ie • Qualifications recognition service: www.qualificationsrecognition.ie