The National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) is a system used to describe levels of educational qualifications in Ireland. Responsibility for maintaining and developing the framework lies with Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).
Launched in 2003, the NFQ was developed by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland as a means of comparing training and qualifications between institutions of education at all levels. It encompasses learning at primary and second level, as well as acting as a benchmark for required standards for graduates of courses offered by QQI, and universities. [1] The framework consists of 10 "Levels", ranging from Certificates at Level 1 which signify initial learning to degrees at doctoral level. A 'fan diagram' [2] is used to illustrate the progression of the levels. [3]
EQF level | EHEA cycle | NFQ level | Major award types |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Level 1 Certificate | |
2 | Level 2 Certificate | ||
2 | 3 | Level 3 Certificate Junior Certificate | |
3 | 4 | Level 4 Certificate Leaving Certificate | |
4 | 5 | Level 5 Certificate Leaving Certificate | |
5 | 6 | Advanced Certificate | |
Short cycle within 1st | Higher Certificate | ||
6 | 1st | 7 | Ordinary bachelor's degree |
8 | Honours bachelor's degree Higher Diploma | ||
7 | 2nd | 9 | Master's Degree Post-Graduate Diploma |
8 | 3rd | 10 | Doctoral Degree Higher Doctorate |
Further education in the United Kingdom and Ireland is additional education to that received at secondary school that is distinct from the higher education (HE) offered in universities and other academic institutions. It may be at any level in compulsory secondary education, from entry to higher level qualifications such as awards, certificates, diplomas and other vocational, competency-based qualifications through awarding organisations including City and Guilds, Edexcel (BTEC) and OCR. FE colleges may also offer HE qualifications such as HNC, HND, foundation degree or PGCE. The colleges are also a large service provider for apprenticeships where most of the training takes place at the apprentices' workplace, supplemented with day release into college.
The Institute of Technology, Carlow was an institute of technology, located in Carlow, Ireland. The institute had campuses in Carlow, Wexford, and Wicklow, as well as a part-time provision elsewhere in Ireland. Along with the Waterford Institute of Technology, the institute was dissolved on 1 May 2022 and was succeeded by the South East Technological University.
The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland or NQAI was set up in 2001 under the Qualifications Act, 1999 to develop and promote the implementation of a National Framework of Qualifications across education and training in Ireland. NQAI was dissolved and its functions were passed to Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) on 6 November 2012.
The Further Education and Training Awards Council or FETAC was a statutory qualification-awarding body for further education in Ireland. It was established on 11 June 2001 under the Qualifications Act 1999. FETAC was dissolved and its functions were passed to Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) on 6 November 2012.
A graduate diploma is generally a qualification taken after completion of a first degree, although the level of study varies in different countries from being at the same level as the final year of a bachelor's degree to being at a level between a master's degree and a doctorate. In some countries the graduate diploma and postgraduate diploma are synonymous, while in others the postgraduate diploma is a higher qualification.
The National Diploma (NDip) was a three-year ab initio specialised higher education qualification in a technology discipline offered by an Institute of Technology or other HETAC designated institution in Ireland.
A postgraduate diploma is a postgraduate qualification at the level of a master's degree, awarded after a university degree, which supplements the original degree and awards them with a graduate diploma. The minimum requirement of completing a Bachelor's degree is necessary to start the Postgraduate course. The duration of a Postgraduate course can vary from 1 year to 2 years.
The Higher Certificate is a third level education award at level 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications in the Republic of Ireland. The Higher Certificate is awarded by various Institutes of Technology. A Higher Certificate academic programme is three years of full-time study. Students can complete an additional (add-on) year to obtain the ordinary bachelor's degree, and may then complete a further add-on year to obtain the Honours bachelor's degree. The Higher Certificate is, in effect, a three-year undergraduate degree. The Higher Certificate should not be confused with the Advanced Certificate which is a two-year Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) program of further education, typically delivered by community colleges, and is also awarded at level 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications and can be used to gain entry to a third level undergraduate program.
Griffith College Dublin (GCD) is one of the longest-established private third level colleges in Dublin, Ireland.
Griffith College Cork (GCC) is a private third level college which merged with Skerry's College Cork in 2005. Griffith College Cork runs degree and diploma programmes in Business, Law, Computing, Media & Journalism, Pharmaceutical Management, and Professional Accountancy as well as evening courses in Marketing Management, Business Management, Human Resource Management and Digital Marketing. Pharmaceutical Management is an MSc in International Pharmaceutical Business Management. It will be offered on a full and part-time basis.
Blackrock Further Education Institute is a college of further education in Dublin which was established in 1982. In 2014 it moved to the refurbished Blackrock Town Hall, Library and Technical Institute complex. It provides both higher educational qualifications as well as technical/vocational education and training in areas including Beauty Therapy, Creative Multimedia, Marketing, Auctioneering and Estate Agency Practice, Accountancy and Design. Blackrock Further Education Institute is located in Blackrock, 17 kilometres (11 mi) from Dublin City Centre.
The Higher Education Colleges Association (HECA) is a representative body of independent third level colleges in Ireland. It was formed in 1991, and its stated mission is to "promote the enhancement of teaching and learning within HECA colleges, such that it has tangible effects in the classroom, effectively enabling people to learn".
The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) acts as a translation device to make national qualifications more readable across Europe, promoting workers' and learners' mobility between countries and facilitating their lifelong learning. The EQF aims to relate different countries' national qualifications systems to a common European reference framework. Individuals and employers will be able to use the EQF to better understand and compare the qualifications levels of different countries and different education and training systems. Since 2012, all new qualifications issued in Europe carry a reference to an appropriate EQF level.
Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses are a set of courses and qualifications run in Ireland for students who have finished their secondary education. The term refers to post-secondary education courses which are not found within the higher education sector, but the further education sector in Ireland. The majority of students who enrol on a PLC course are under 23, but mature students are also welcome, and increasingly enrolling on such courses. A Post-Leaving Certificate course is taken after a student has passed their Leaving Certificate, and is generally between one and two years in duration. PLC courses are aimed primarily at students who would like to develop vocational or technological skills in order to enter an occupation, or progress to higher education.
Rathmines College is an educational institution in Rathmines, Dublin. The college offers several Further Education courses in areas not limited to accounting, business, computing, media studies, and office administration.
Higher education accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of post-secondary educational institutions or programs are evaluated to determine if applicable standards are met. If standards are met, accredited status is granted by the agency.
Qualifications Frameworks in the European Higher Education Area (QF-EHEA) are frameworks describing the higher education qualifications of countries participating in the Bologna Process. National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs) provide a mapping between higher education qualifications and an overarching framework, allowing the cross-comparison of qualifications from different countries.
St. Nicholas Montessori College, Ireland delivers courses in Montessori education. Founded in 1978 by St. Nicholas Montessori Society of Ireland, in 1980 it purchased St. Nicholas House in Dun Laoghaire, and in 1984 the college commenced running training courses in Montessori education, initially a diploma awarded by the London Montessori Training Centre. In 1994 the college became accredited by National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA) and developed degree courses in Montessori education. Currently the college offers an undergraduate Level 7 Bachelor of Arts and a Level 8 BA (Hons) in Montessori Education, as well as a higher diploma, the qualifications are validated by the Irish Government's Quality & Qualifications Ireland (QQI). The college runs courses full-time and part-time, and from its Dublin and Cork locations. The current director of the college is Ian McKenna.
Quality and Qualifications Ireland is the national agency responsible for qualifications in Ireland. It was established by the Oireachtas in 2012 following the amalgamation of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, the Further Education and Training Awards Council, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council and the Irish Universities Quality Board.
Coláiste na hÉireann is a third-level college in Dublin, Ireland offering qualifications in the study of translation and the Irish language.