- 2022Implementation
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Implementation
Background
In accordance with the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act of 2012, a provider's external quality assurance obligations include a statutory review of quality assurance by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). One of QQI's most important responsibilities is to ensure that an education provider's quality assurance procedures are effective. The main way of achieving this is through the external review process. An external review had not been undertaken for the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) previously.
QQI is the state agency responsible for promoting the quality, integrity and reputation of Ireland's further education and training (FET) and higher education (HE) systems.
ETBs are statutory FET providers; they deliver a range of education and training programmes to learners from the ages of 16 and upwards, including VET and adult education throughout the country. Qualifications that ETBs offer are matched against the National Qualifications Framework. There are 16 ETBs in Ireland.
The underlying principle of embedding a culture of quality assurance in the Irish FET sector is to ensure all learners achieve qualifications that are credible and trustworthy.
Objectives
The core objective of the external review is to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of an ETB's internal quality assurance procedures.
The purpose of the inaugural review of ETBs quality assurance was to:
- encourage a quality culture and improvement of the learning environment and experience in the ETBs by using evidence-based, objective methods and advice;
- provide feedback to ETBs about the overall effectiveness of their quality assurance, organisation-wide quality and the impact of mission, strategy, governance and management on quality;
- improve public confidence in the quality of ETB provision by promoting transparency and public awareness;
- support system-level improvement of the quality of further education and training in the ETBs;
- provide an opportunity for ETBs to articulate their stage of development, mission and objectives and demonstrate the quality assurance of their provision, both individually and as a sector (FET).
Description
The external review is conducted by review teams. National and international external reviewers are selected for their expertise in one or more specific areas, providing perspectives from education and training, quality assurance, learner voice, community and industry. SOLAS and the Adult Learning Association (AONTAS) provide support to the review teams.
The external review examines the following aspects:
Governance and management of quality
The review evaluates the comprehensive oversight arrangements and transparent decision-making structures for the ETB's education and training and related activities within and across all service provision, e.g. further education colleges, training centres, community-based education services, contracted providers, collaborative partnerships/arrangements.
Teaching, learning and assessment
The review evaluates the arrangements to ensure the quality of teaching, learning and assessment within the ETB and a high-quality learning experience for all learners.
Self-evaluation, monitoring and review
The review evaluates the arrangements for the monitoring, review and evaluation of, and reporting on, the ETB's education, training and related services, including through third-party arrangements, and the quality assurance system and procedures underpinning them. It also reflects on how these processes are used to complete the quality cycle through the identification and promotion of effective practice...
The external review is conducted by review teams. National and international external reviewers are selected for their expertise in one or more specific areas, providing perspectives from education and training, quality assurance, learner voice, community and industry. SOLAS and the Adult Learning Association (AONTAS) provide support to the review teams.
The external review examines the following aspects:
Governance and management of quality
The review evaluates the comprehensive oversight arrangements and transparent decision-making structures for the ETB's education and training and related activities within and across all service provision, e.g. further education colleges, training centres, community-based education services, contracted providers, collaborative partnerships/arrangements.
Teaching, learning and assessment
The review evaluates the arrangements to ensure the quality of teaching, learning and assessment within the ETB and a high-quality learning experience for all learners.
Self-evaluation, monitoring and review
The review evaluates the arrangements for the monitoring, review and evaluation of, and reporting on, the ETB's education, training and related services, including through third-party arrangements, and the quality assurance system and procedures underpinning them. It also reflects on how these processes are used to complete the quality cycle through the identification and promotion of effective practice and by addressing areas for improvement.
ETBs prepare self-evaluation reports. The review teams also conduct desk research and visit the ETBs where they gather evidence from staff, learners and stakeholders as regards the aspects above. Review reports are then drafted, discussed and published.
As part of the approach, the qualifications that ETBs offer are matched against the National Qualifications Framework.
The review took place in 2022 in all 16 ETBs. Individual inaugural review reports were published for each ETB by end of the year.
In March 2023, QQI as the statutory authority responsible for the external quality assurance of higher education (HE) and further education and training (FET) in Ireland published a sectoral report in quality assurance in the sixteen (16) Education and Training Boards (ETBs), following the inaugural reviews of ETBs in 2022. The report recommends to further strengthen the effectiveness of quality assurance in further education and training in the ETB sector; more specifically, the sectoral report team made the following four main recommendations:
1. ETB autonomy in relation to planning, implementing, monitoring and reviewing their approaches to quality assurance needs to be encouraged and strengthened;
2. the quality assurance of the effectiveness of individuals' teaching is underdeveloped and more needs to be done to improve its monitoring and evaluation;
3. the processes which are used to review and update programmes need to be strengthened;
4. ETBs and the ETB sector need to make better use of quantitative data to support quality assurance.
The report also indicated in proposals for the organisation of the next external review of FET provision in ETBs, which should take place within five years for each ETB. In addition, QQI should expect each ETB to use KPIs to complete an annual internal report on the effectiveness of the quality assurance of their FET provision.
In November 2024, QQI published a"Synthesis report presenting an overview of the Follow-Up Reports submitted by the 16 ETBs".
This report provides an overview of QA developments, enhancements and activities in the sector as reported in the 16 follow-up reports submitted by the ETBs in response to their respective inaugural review reports. It reflects key themes and notable activities arising from the follow-up reports in response to review recommendations, particularly noting:
- ETBs' engagement with the inaugural review and the follow-up reporting process that there is a strong commitment to the ongoing development of quality across the sector and many planned activities and actions have been implemented.
- The strengthening and organisation of the ETBs' relationships with regional industry partners and employers.
- Improvements made to how feedback is collected from learners and used to inform decision making and amplify the learner voice.
- Consistency of approach in relation to Teaching, Learning and Assessment (TLA) is contributing to an improved learner experience.
- Innovative approach in the management and reporting of data, with a view to identifying and measuring improvement through the FET sector's national management information system (known as the Programme and Learner Support System - PLSS).
- Advances in continuous professional development (CPD) and professional learning and development (PLD).
- Quality assurance, its management, enhancement and oversight, continues to evolve and develop within ETBs. The inaugural review process marked a significant milestone for quality in the sector.
In February 2025, each ETB will submit an interim quality report on the progress made and impact of actions arising from the review report recommendations. QQI will continue to work with the sector towards the establishment of a systematic quality reporting process.
Bodies responsible
- Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI)
- Further Education and Training Authority (SOLAS)
- Waterford Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB)
- Kilkenny Carlow Education and Training Board (KCETB)
- Tipperary Education and Training Board (TETB)
- Mayo Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board (MSLETB)
- Longford Westmeath Education and Training Board (LWETB)
- Louth Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB)
- Limerick Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB)
- Laois Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB)
- Kildare Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB)
- Cork Education and Training Board (CETB)
- Kerry Education and Training Board (KETB)
- Dublin Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB)
- City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB)
- Donegal Education and Training Board (DETB)
- Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB)
- Cavan Monaghan Education and Training Board (CMETB)
- Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS)
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
- Young people (15-29 years old)
- Young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs)
- Learners with migrant background, including refugees
- Learners at risk of early leaving or/and early leavers
- Learners with disabilities
- Adult learners
- Older workers and employees (55 - 64 years old)
- Unemployed and jobseekers
- Persons in employment, including those at risk of unemployment
- Low-skilled/qualified persons
- 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)
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.
This thematic sub-category refers to further development of national quality assurance (QA) systems for IVET and CVET, for all learning environments (school-based provision and work-based learning, including apprenticeships) and all learning types (digital, face-to-face or blended), delivered by both public and private providers. These systems are underpinned by the EQAVET quality criteria and by indicative descriptors applied both at system and provider levels, as defined in Annex II of the VET Recommendation. The sub-category concerns creating and improving external and self-evaluation of VET providers, and establishing criteria of QA, accreditation of providers and programmes. It also covers the activities of Quality assurance national reference points for VET on implementing and further developing the EQAVET framework, including the implementation of peer reviews at VET system level.
Transparency and portability of VET skills and qualifications
European principles and tools, such as EQF, ESCO, ECTS, Europass and ECVET, provide a strong basis for transparency and portability of national and sectoral qualifications across Europe, including the issuing of digital diplomas and certificates.
This thematic category looks at how individuals are supported in transferring, accumulating, and validating skills and competences acquired in formal, non-formal and informal settings – including learning on the job – and in having their learning recognised towards a qualification at any point of their lives. This is only possible if qualifications are transparent and comparable and are part of comprehensive national qualifications frameworks. Availability of qualifications smaller than full and acquirable in shorter periods of time is necessary; some countries have recently worked on developing partial qualifications, microcredentials, etc.
This thematic sub-category concerns all developments related to national qualification frameworks (NQFs). As in most countries NQFs are in place and referenced to the European qualifications framework (EQF), the thematic sub-category covers updating and expanding the frameworks, developing new qualifications and using NQFs as catalysts for other reforms.
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Review of Education and Training Boards (ETBs) Quality Assurance: Ireland. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/45122