About Quality and Qualifications Ireland
QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland) is an independent State agency with a wide range of responsibilities including the promotion of quality in education and training services in Ireland. Established in 2012 by the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012, QQI has a board appointed by the Minister for Education and Skills.
QQI's remit stretches across post compulsory education and training in Ireland. In the area of quality assurance, QQI is responsible for reviewing the effectiveness of quality assurance in further and higher education and training providers in Ireland. It has a key role in the qualifications system through its custodianship of the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). Its work concerns learners in diverse settings - schools, adult education, English language schools, vocational training and higher education and training; providers of further and higher education and training; Government departments, State agencies and funding bodies; regulatory bodies; professional bodies; qualifications awarding bodies; sectoral and representative bodies and international bodies responsible for quality assurance and qualifications.
Role in the project
As a partner, QQI operates as a delegated body of the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland. For QQI, Andrina Wafer, Barbara Kelly, Liam Butler, Aoife Marley and Stephanie Boudet are currently involved with the VISKA project.
As an organisation, QQI is disseminating useful and practical information on international approaches and good practice to the recognition of prior learning of adults. The VISKA project is informing national policy developments and contribute to an enabling extension of regional and national networks and partnerships.
Over 2018, interest in the VISKA project results and policy implications continued, alongside increasing implementation of VPL nationally. There was particular reflection on continued professional development needs for practitioners embedding VPL practices into work and services, integration of VPL within QA approaches and development of tools to enable skills audits, well supported identification and documentation leading to better outcomes for people with low levels of qualifications, including migrants and refugees. VISKA tools and field trial emerging outcomes were reflected on in workshops and at Advisory Group level in the light of the national context with a view to policy implications.
For more information on QQI, visit their website at www.qqi.ie or contact them via ireland@viskaproject.eu!