Karena Maguire

QQI Statutory QA Guidelines, January 2016

QA in GeneralQuality Assurance

In an education and training context, quality assurance has to do with matters such as:

whether the education, training, research and related services provided by a provider are fit for their professed purpose;

the trustworthiness of the qualifications awarded or recognised; accountability, openness and transparency; and the standards of awards.

In all cases, quality assurance is the responsibility of the provider.

QA Guidelines• Communicate expectations about the quality of provision,

assessment and the teaching and learning experience in the Irish education and training community;

• Bring greater coherence into, and between, different parts of the education and training system;• Are the starting point for providers’ establishment of their own QA procedures.• are a “springboard” for improvement and enhancement for all providers, not• a compliance checklist;• Will be adapted and continuously evolve to remain fit-for-purpose for the needs• of the education and training community and the qualifications system;

• Can be expected to have different purposes and different impacts in each sector and topic that they address. The impact of the guidelines upon a provider will

• depend upon the scope of their provision and the sector in which they operate.

QA Guidelines • Do not prescribe the manner in which providers must

implement their QA procedures.• Are intended to guide providers through their legal

responsibilities for the development of quality assurance procedures

• Providers shall have regard to when establishing QA procedures

• Focus on a provider’s scale and scope of activity will determine the level of complexity of their QA procedures

• Highlight the central role of the Internal provider QA system

Core 1• applicable to all providers• Significant overlap in requirements• general statutory requirements• European International Standard practice • Recognition that providers have more diverse

provision (HE & ELT/HE& FE&ELT/ ) • less burden in one core• Assisting inter-institutional collaboration

(Consortia)• One core for learners and stakeholders

Core SQAGs: Chapters• GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT OF QUALITY

• Governance• Management of Quality Assurance

• DOCUMENTED APPROACH TO QUALITY ASSURANCE• PROGRAMMES OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING• STAFF RECRUITMENT, MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT• TEACHING AND LEARNING• ASSESSMENT OF LEARNER ACHIEVEMENT• SUPPORTS FOR LEARNERS• MANAGEMENT INFORMATION AND DATA • PUBLIC INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION• OTHER PARTIES INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING• SELF-EVALUATION, MONITORING AND REVIEW

Guidelines for Apprenticeship • SECTION 3 GUIDELINES : DEVELOPMENT STAGES • 3.1 QQI QA GUIDELINES • 3.2 PARTNERS FOR APPRENTICE FORMATION • 3.3 AWARDS, PROGRAMMES AND CURRICULA • 3.4 OCCUPATION APPROVAL PHASE • 3.5 ACCESS TO QQI VALIDATION • 3.6 THE ORGANISATION OF THE GUIDELINE SECTIONS • 3.7 GUIDELINES TO THE PRE-VALIDATION PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT STAGE

• SECTION 4: GUIDELINES TO THE OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME STAGE

• 4.1 OCCUPATIONAL MEMORANDA OF AGREEMENT AND MEMORANDA• OF UNDERSTANDING • 4.2 PROGRAMME PROVISION • 4.3 ASSESSMENT OF APPRENTICE ACHIEVEMENT • 4.4 MANAGING AND MAINTAINING QUALITY IN APPRENTICE PROGRAMMES • 4.5 PERIODIC REVIEWS OF OCCUPATION, THE CONSORTIUM AND THE PROGRAMME

Guidelines for Apprenticeship • SECTION 5 SUPPORTS FOR APPRENTICES • 5.1 GENERAL ISSUES • 5.2 DUTY OF CARE TO YOUNG APPRENTICES • 5.3 INTEGRATION INTO OFF-THE-JOB INSTITUTIONS • 5.4 DEALING WITH COMPETING RESPONSIBILITIES • 5.5 SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING NEEDS OR DISABILITIES • SECTION 6 INFORMATION PROVISION • 6.1 MANAGEMENT INFORMATION AND DATA • 6.2 PUBLIC INFORMATION • SECTION 7 APPENDIX 1 GUIDELINES ON THE DRAFTING OF

MEMORANDA OF AGREEMENT

Timeline for consultation• 15 February, 2016