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Applying to QQI for the Validation of Further Education and Training Programmes
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- Written by: Jenny Whelan
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Programme Validation
QQI published its Policies and Criteria for the Validation of Programmes of Education and Training document in April 2016, and then revised it in November 2017. In this document QQI provides the following definition:
"Validation is a regulatory process that in essence determines whether or not a particular QQI award can be offered in respect of a provider’s programme of education and training."
This document comprises two sections:
1. Core policies and criteria for the validation by QQI of programmes of education and training
- Part 1 (pages 5 - 28): Core policies and criteria for the validation by QQI of programmes of education and training.
This part includes information on the prerequisites for programme validation, preparing an application for validation and evaluation, as well as introducing readers to a number of new concepts
- Part 2 (pages 29 - 38): The core validation criteria (12 criteria with sub-criteria).
This part states the core criteria against which a programme of education and training will be evaluated (by the provider and QQI). It should be noted that QQI may refuse an application for validation if any one of the applicable criteria, or sub-criteria, is not demonstrated to be satisfied
2. Policies and criteria for the validation of programmes leading to Common Awards System (CAS) awards (pages 39 - 48)
The 10 validation criteria listed in this section are in addition to the 12 core validation criteria for programmes leading to QQI CAS awards. In other words, programmes of further education and training that do not lead to QQI CAS award(s) will not be evaluated against the criteria listed in this section
Programmes leading to CAS awards (under new policy)
As part of QQI's planning for the implementation of this policy, QQI engaged with the ETBI (Education and Training Boards Ireland) QA Strategy Group and the QA Forum. This resulted in the establishment of a working group, led by FESS. The following resources, developed by this working group, are published on the QQI website and are available to support providers in making programme validation applications to QQI:
- (Draft) FET Programme Descriptor Template
- (Draft) FET Programme Descriptor Template Guidelines
- (Draft) Evaluation of Programmes against QQI Validation Criteria
These resources are currently in draft form, as they are trialled by those providers making validation applications. Suggestions for modifying and improving the resources may be made to QQI and/or FESS and will be considered when the resources are reviewed. These resources can be accessed here.
Programmes leading to apprenticeships (under new policy)
There are a number of resources to support providers developing apprenticeship programmes (levels 5-9) on the QQI website. These resources can be accessed here.
Programmes leading to non-CAS awards (under new policy)
Providers with an interest in developing further education and training programmes that lead to non-CAS awards should contact QQI.
eCollege Courses
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- Written by: Jenny Whelan
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What is eCollege?
eCollege is a SOLAS-funded online training facility that provides a range of high quality interactive online learning courses, available any time through broadband Internet access, for those who wish to learn at their own pace.
eCollege courses are available free of charge to FET staff members within DES/SOLAS-funded, QQI registered providers.
FET staff members can also access free assessment and certification connected to these courses.
One must be registered with eCollege in order to access online courses.
What other courses are available through eCollege?
A list of the online courses currently available is on www.ecollege.ie and can also be accessed here.
In addition, a new eCollege course, Moodle for Teachers, was launched in June 2019. Further information is available here.
How do you register for a course on eCollege?
FET staff members wishing to access eCollege courses must register with eCollege, via FESS, by emailing the following information to ecollege@fess.ie:
- Name
- Centre Name
- Centre Address
- Email address
- Full names of eCollege course(s) you wish to join
Once the above information is sent to ecollege@fess.ie, FESS will forward it to eCollege. Login details to the requested course will then issue from eCollege in due course. Please note that this may take up to 10 working days to happen.
Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing - PILOT Online Course
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Solas eCollege in partnership with the Digital Marketing Institute is delighted to be able to offer a Certified Digital Marketing Professional Qualification to FET staff e.g. Management, Administration, Teachers, Tutors, Trainers etc.
The Certified Digital Marketing Professional course is a cornerstone certification that provides an introduction to key digital marketing skills that can be applied within any role.
This is an online course which will cover areas such as Search Engine Optimisation, Search Marketing: Pay Per Click, Digital Display Advertising (DDA), Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Analytics and Strategy & Planning.
The course is tailored for beginners and access is completely online and available 24/7.
There is a single, three-hour exam to sit at the end of the course which will need to be taken at a Pearson VUE testing centre. The course and exam should be completed within 26 weeks (approximately 3 hours per week).
There are no course fees for FET staff (standard course value is €2000). There is access to certified eTutors for support during regular business hours.
How to Apply:
FET staff who would like to become a certified Digital Marketing Professional should read the brochure with link to a promotional video and complete the application form.
Successful applicants will be invited to a half day induction workshop on 27th September 2017 where they will meet their eTutor and fellow online FET colleagues.
Target Audience:
This course is tailored for beginners and is open to all FET staff e.g. Management, Administration, Teachers, Tutors, Trainers etc. It is recommend to have basic computing skills.
Places are limited to 30 during the pilot phase.
Facilitators:
Solas eCollege in partnership with the Digital Marketing Institute.
Important Dates:
Closing date for receipt of applications - Monday 11th September 2017.
Induction for successful applicants - Wednesday 27th September 2017.
Online course commences - Late September 2017.
Venue:
Induction – Location TBC.
Course – Online.
Exam – A Pearson VUE Testing Centre.
Foundation Certificate in Project Management Skills
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Please note: This course is now full
SOLAS eCollege in partnership with PeopleCert and CENIT Group is offering the PRINCE2 Foundations Qualification to FET staff.
The PRINCE2 Foundations course is a cornerstone certification that provides an introduction to key project management skills that can be applied within any role. There are a variety of project management methodologies but PRINCE2 is a leader in the field and a very popular method used worldwide.
The Foundation Certification aims to confirm that you know and understand the PRINCE2 method well enough to be able to work effectively with, or as a member of, a project management team working within any environment.
Access to the course is completely online and is available 24/7.
Target group:
The course is tailored for beginners and is open to FET staff e.g. Management, Administration, Teachers, Tutors, Trainers etc.
Applicants should have some basic understanding of Project Management but there is no formal prerequisite for the Foundation qualification.
Tutor Support:
There is access to certified eTutors for support during regular business hours.
Assessment:
There is a single, one-hour exam that is taken at the end of the course at a Pearson VUE Testing Centre or at home using online proctoring.
Duration of course:
The course and exam should be completed within 16 weeks (approximately 2 hours per week).
Fees:
There are no course fees for FET staff (standard course value is €657).
Number of places available:
Places are limited to 20 during the first phase.
Important Dates:
Closing date for receipt of applications is Monday 10th December 2018 or earlier if the number of places on offer is exceeded.
Successful applicants will be notified and will commence their course from December 2018.
How to Apply:
FET staff who would like to apply for a place on the PRINCE2 Certificate course should apply through FESS.
Please email ALL of the following details to eCollege@fess.ie:
1. Name
2. Role / Job Title
3. Centre Name
4. Centre Address
5. Email address
6. Statement of intent (max 100 words) i.e.:Why are you applying for a place on this course?, What do you plan to do professionally with the qualification?
Privacy Policy
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- Written by: Mary Sheehy
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Data Privacy Policy (Version 2.1 - Sept 2024)
1. General
The Further Education Support Service (herein FESS) is committed to processing all personal information in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) (2016/679) (herein GDPR), Irish Data Protection Laws and any other relevant data protection laws and codes of conduct (herein collectively referred to as ‘the data protection laws’).
2. Who we are
The Further Education Support Service (FESS) was established in 1997. The Support Service is a full-time, year-round consultancy service operating through the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) The management of FESS is located in CDETB. The funding for this service is provided by SOLAS and DFHERIS. www.fess.ie is the website of FESS. FESS Learning is the section of this site that provides professional development supports for those working in FET through both face to face sessions and in an online environment using our Moodle learning platform at Moodle.fesslearning.ie. We may also use other online platforms to facilitate training such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
3. What is data privacy and why is it important?
Respecting your data’s privacy is essential to us. We want you to understand and be comfortable with the ways in which we collect, process and use personal data (also called “personal information”) that we collect through our Moodle site fesslearning.ie (the ‘Site’).
When you share personal data with us or when we collect personal data about you, we will use it in line with this Privacy Data Notice. If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy policy, please contact us at dpo@fess.ie.
By registering for this Site you consent to us using your personal information in the ways described below.
Without your consent to use your information in the ways set out in this Policy, we will not be able to provide you with access to our Site.
This policy is under regular review. Please check this page for any policy updates.
Should we need to process your data in a new way, we will only do so after conducting a Data Privacy Impact Assessment.
4. What personal data do we collect from you and how do we use it?
The collection of personal data is a fundamental part of providing the service offered by FESS Learning and we therefore have specific measures and controls in place to ensure that we comply with the conditions outlined in the data protection laws.
The FESS and FESS Learning must have a lawful basis to collect and use personal information. These legal bases are explained below:
The legal basis on which we collect, process and use your information as described in this notice is:
- That it is necessary for the effectiveness of your participation by registering on our courses and to provide you, where appropriate, with the relevant course access and registration details; and
- That it reflects our legitimate interests in providing professional development and enhancing your learning experience.
In identifying this basis, we have weighed our legitimate interest against your rights and freedoms and determined that it will not unfairly impact on your rights. You have a right to object to this processing.
The "legal bases" on which we collect, process and use special categories of data relating to you in the manner described in this notice are:
- That you have given your explicit consent to such processing.
We collect information you give us or which we infer from your registration and use of our services. We collect two types of personal information:
- Information you provide to us; and
- Information collected through your use of the Site.
During the registration process you will directly provide us with certain information to allow us provide you with learning opportunities. This information includes:
- your full name;
- your user name;
- your work or educational institution email address;
- your work mobile number or personal number if you do not have a work mobile, and you agree to this;
- where you work or study.
Additional personal information may be collected through your use of the Site. This will include:
- your access history (i.e. the videos you have watched, the tests you have attempted);
- posts you make on the Site;
- your country of residence and / or the country from which you are using the Site;
- your response to any demographic/survey questions we ask;
- your photo should you choose to upload one;
- information automatically transmitted by your computer to us (such as your IP address) This occurs as part of the normal workings of the internet;
- Other information such as "Special Requirements" (for example need for an interpreter, dietary requirements, visual aid requests etc.)
and
- information collected by cookies (more details are provided in our Cookies Policy).
You can replace or change your profile details at any time during the course.
5. How do we use the information we collect?
FESS Learning will use your information to communicate with you regarding course workflow, accessing PD/PLD courses and course information details.
We will use your email or your mobile phone no to contact you with information regarding events you have registered for as well as future FESS PD Events.
We may de-personalise your information and use it for educational research purposes to inform us how our courses can be provided and improved in the future.
6. Do we share your information?
We keep your information private. However, we will pass on generic information on the numbers of course participants, geographical information and centre types from which participants come. In other occasional cases we will specifically request your consent should we need to share your information with an identified third party.
7. How long do we keep personal information?
We keep your learning data for a period of 3 years, after which FESS removes all course participation data such as digital badge certificates, learning records and course postings/assignments. Therefore, it will not be possible for you to access PD records, including certificates of completion and digital badges beyond this 3-year period.
8. How do we keep personal information secure?
We deploy appropriate organisational and technical security measures to keep personal information secure.
Please play your part in keeping your personal information secure by choosing a strong password and by keeping your login details secret.
9. Where do we store personal information?
We generally store personal information on servers located inside the European Economic Area. However, in certain cases it may be necessary for us to transfer data to servers located outside of the EU. The privacy protections in these jurisdictions may not be equivalent to those in Europe. We will only transfer personal data outside of the EEA where permitted to do so by European law and we will take steps to ensure that the personal information continues to enjoy? appropriate protections.
10. What are your rights?
You have the following rights with regards to the personal data we hold on you:
- The right to access the personal data we hold about you;
- The right to access details about how your data is processed;
- The right to have incorrect and incomplete personal data we hold about you updated;
- The right to request that we erase the information we hold about you where FESS has no legitimate reason to retain your data;
- The right to withdraw consent at any time for personal data processing that is based on consent;
- The right to ask us to stop contacting you with direct marketing;
- The right to restrict the processing of your personal data;
- The right to data portability by receiving your personal data in a structured, commonly used format;
- The right to object to automated decision making/profiling where this is utilised;
- The right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (see section 13 below).
To exercise these rights please contact FESS at the contact details outlined below.
Please include details to assist us to locate your personal data e.g. your name and e mail addresses as used to subscribe to this Site.
11. How do you exercise your rights?
If you have any questions or concerns about how we treat and use your personal data, or would like to exercise any of your rights as outlined above, please contact our Data Protection Officer at dpo@fess.ie.
FESS will endeavour to address any data related concerns or complaints that you may have, however, if you would like to direct your complaint/concerns to the Data Protection Commissioner whose contact details are:
Data Protection Commissioner – Republic of Ireland
Canal House - Station Road
Portarlington
R32 AP23 Co Laois
Dublin Office
21 Fitzwilliam Square
Dublin 2 - DO2 RD28
Telephone: 057 8684800 / 0761 104 800
Email: info@dataprotection.ie
Visit: https://dataprotection.ie
12. Will we update this policy?
We may change this Privacy Policy at any time. Please, note the version number and date legend at the end of this page to see when this Privacy Policy was last revised. Any changes to this Privacy Policy will become effective when we make the revised Privacy Policy available on or through the Site. If you are unhappy with the changes, you are free to delete your account. Alternatively, you can continue to use the Site. If you continue to use our services after the date any revised Privacy Policy comes into force, you will be deemed to have consented to the revised Privacy Policies.