FET graduate tracking and data collection

Policy development
Practical measure/Initiative
Ireland
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Timeline
  • 2016Implementation
  • 2017Implementation
  • 2018Implementation
  • 2019Implementation
  • 2020Implementation
  • 2021Implementation
  • 2022Completed
ID number
28298

Background

A brief overview of the context and rationale of the policy development, explaining why it is implemented or why it is important.

Given the increasing emphasis placed on the labour market relevance of further education and training (FET) programmes since the recession, focus on course outcomes, particularly in relation to employment or progression in the education and training system, has been growing in importance.

National FET System Targets through the Strategic Performance Agreements (SPAs) from 2018 to 2020 rely on data collection and graduate tracking to evidence progress to targets.

Objectives

Goals and objectives of the policy development.

The development of data IT systems to track FET graduate outcomes, known as the Programme and learner support system (PLSS).

Description

What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.

The PLSS is a suite of software applications that are designed to provide an integrated approach to the collection and processing of personal data of users of PLSS and FET programmes funded through SOLAS, and the outputs, outcomes and performance of such programmes.The data are informing the SPAs between the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and SOLAS.

The PLSS consists of three elements:

  1. national programme database (NDP) - a depository of all programmes/courses designed to be run by FET providers under the aegis of SOLAS;
  2. national course calendar (NCC) - a course scheduling tool to enable course offer, search and referral; either by the Department of Employment and Social Protection or self-referral; data from the NCC are used to populate the fetchcourses.ie website (a course search facility);
  3. national learner database (LDB) - a student records system for data collection in relation to learner profile, learner course activity (e.g. application, enrollment and completion) and outcomes (e.g. progression to further study, employment, unemployment or inactivity).

It is implemented across Ireland by all SOLAS-funded, and some other VET providers.

SOLAS signed data sharing agreements with external stakeholders such as the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) and the Department of Employment and Social Protection (DEASP) that should increase the in-house capability of the data analytics...

The PLSS is a suite of software applications that are designed to provide an integrated approach to the collection and processing of personal data of users of PLSS and FET programmes funded through SOLAS, and the outputs, outcomes and performance of such programmes.The data are informing the SPAs between the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and SOLAS.

The PLSS consists of three elements:

  1. national programme database (NDP) - a depository of all programmes/courses designed to be run by FET providers under the aegis of SOLAS;
  2. national course calendar (NCC) - a course scheduling tool to enable course offer, search and referral; either by the Department of Employment and Social Protection or self-referral; data from the NCC are used to populate the fetchcourses.ie website (a course search facility);
  3. national learner database (LDB) - a student records system for data collection in relation to learner profile, learner course activity (e.g. application, enrollment and completion) and outcomes (e.g. progression to further study, employment, unemployment or inactivity).

It is implemented across Ireland by all SOLAS-funded, and some other VET providers.

SOLAS signed data sharing agreements with external stakeholders such as the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) and the Department of Employment and Social Protection (DEASP) that should increase the in-house capability of the data analytics unit to produce outcomes reports on future VET provision.

In addition, the skills and labour market research unit in SOLAS continues to monitor the labour market, including transitions data on movements into and out of the labour market by occupational level and education level. The administrative data centre at the Central Statistics Office currently holds a number of datasets, including extracts from the former Training and Employment Authority (FAS) client services system, the Department of Education and Skills post-primary pupil database, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) student records system, Revenue and the Department of Employment and Social Protection social welfare payment system. All of these datasets are linked using the personal public services number (PPSN) as a key.

2016
Implementation

In early 2016, SOLAS procured the services of a data analytics expert to link existing data sets (where possible) to establish the feasibility of using administrative data for the purposes of FET evaluation. The aim of the project was to link education and training data with other administrative datasets in Ireland (e.g. unemployment benefit/allowance claims, other education/training enrollments, employment data) to establish the learner outcomes associated with course participation in selected areas of the FET sector.

2017
Implementation

In 2017, SOLAS continued working with the Central Statistics Office (CSO - Ireland's national statistics institute). In parallel, a pilot study for FET graduate tracking was completed on behalf of SOLAS, to establish outcomes of some FET course participants.

2018
Implementation

SOLAS formally undertook a wider ranging study on learner outcomes as part of graduate tracking.

2019
Implementation

In 2019, the PLSS database was expanded to include eCollege and Skills to advance (a new programme to support employers and the employed) registrations and learner outcomes, increasing the coverage of SOLAS provision.

The data analytics unit published a suite of reports on FET statistics in Ireland by the end of 2019. The publications include FET in Numbers 2018: facts and figures, learners with disability, Roma, traveller communities, lifelong learning, eCollege.

Besides, SOLAS published a report on post-leaving certificate (PLC) learner tracking. The report detailed progression pathways of FET students within higher education and showed that PLC provision ensured solid progression pathways for those learners who wanted to get a third level education.

2020
Implementation

The employment and progression outcomes are only two targets out of six established between SOLAS, the Department of Education, and the Department of Social Expenditure and Reform (DPER). The FET facts and figures report was published with extensive information on the sector and its graduates.

2021
Implementation

SOLAS worked with various government departments including the following: Revenue (the Irish tax and customs competent authority), the CSO, the HEA and the Department of Employment and Social Protection (DEASP) on formal data sharing agreements, system integration and harmonisation in relation to FET graduate tracking. SOLAS produced a number of outcomes reports in 2021 including: Non-Irish nationals in FET, FET in focus magazine and Women in FET. The outcomes reports provide key information with regard to enrollments, age profiles, levels of educational attainment, ISCED fields of study, programme types, economic status, completions and more.

2022
Completed

In 2022, SOLAS published an outcomes report for FET Early leavers outcomes. This report uses the PLSS database and the educational longitudinal database (ELD) to examine early leaver learner outcomes for those learners who were enrolled and exited their courses in 2017. Educational transitions of early leavers within FET are explored, as are early leaver outcomes, including substantial employment, in the subsequent 2018 calendar year. Within these two areas of analysis, a range of influencing factors are also considered including the ISCED field of study, programme category, award level, and salary level for those early leavers who obtained employment. Through this study, further explanations as to why learners may exit a programme early can be explored, as can a longer-term trajectory of early leavers' educational and labour market transitions.

Following the implementation of the new SPAs, which cover FET graduate outcomes, as of December 2022 and the new national system targets for FET, there is now a live reporting dashboard on progress made towards new system targets, which now tracks FET graduate outcomes.

The National FET Strategy 2020-24 outlined the strategic priorities and enabling themes in relation to data and evidence-based policy and reporting, and the strategic implementation plan of the FET strategy now incorporates this action. The SOLAS annual report and the annual publication, This is FET Facts and Figures, and future thematic publications using national VET system data from PLSS ensure the effectiveness of the policy.

Bodies responsible

This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
  • Central Statistics Office (CSO)
  • Further Education and Training Authority (SOLAS)

Target groups

Those who are positively and directly affected by the measures of the policy development; those on the list are specifically defined in the EU VET policy documents. A policy development can be addressed to one or several target groups.

Learners

  • Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
  • Young people (15-29 years old)
  • Learners with migrant background, including refugees
  • Learners at risk of early leaving or/and early leavers
  • Learners with disabilities
  • Adult learners
  • Learners from other groups at risk of exclusion (minorities, people with fewer opportunities due to geographical location or social-economic disadvantaged position)

Education professionals

  • Teachers
  • Trainers
  • School leaders
  • Adult educators
  • Guidance practitioners

Entities providing VET

  • VET providers (all kinds)

Other stakeholders

  • Social partners (employer organisations and trade unions)

Drugo

Policy makers

Thematic categories

Thematic categories capture main aspects of the decision-making and operation of national VET and LLL systems. These broad areas represent key elements that all VET and LLL systems have to different extents and in different combinations, and which come into focus depending on the EU and national priorities. Thematic categories are further divided into thematic sub-categories. Based on their description, policy developments can be assigned to one or several thematic categories.

Governance of VET and lifelong learning

This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.

This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.

The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.

Establishing and developing skills intelligence systems

High-quality and timely skills intelligence is a powerful policy tool, helping improve economic competitiveness and fostering social progress and equality through the provision of targeted skills training to all citizens (Cedefop, 2020). Skills intelligence is the outcome of an expert-driven process of identifying, analysing, synthesising and presenting quantitative and/or qualitative skills and labour market information. Skills intelligence draws on data from multiple sources, such as graduate tracking systems, skills anticipation mechanisms, including at sectoral and regional levels. Actions related to establishing and developing such systems fall under this thematic sub-category.

Subsystem

Part of the vocational education and training and lifelong learning systems the policy development applies to.
IVET
CVET

Further reading

Sources for further reading where readers can find more information on policy developments: links to official documents, dedicated websites, project pages. Some sources may only be available in national languages.
Presentation of the programme learner support system (PLSS)
A PLSS data protection statement form (sample)
URL for downloading all reports

Country

Ireland

Type of development

Policy developments are divided into three types: strategy/action plan; regulation/legislation; and practical measure/initiative.
Practical measure/Initiative
Cite as

Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). FET graduate tracking and data collection: Ireland. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].

https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/sl/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/28298