Batt O'Keeffe
Question:18 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Education if she is concerned at the proliferation of the certification bodies within the education training sector. [17822/95]
Written Answers. - Certification Bodies Proliferation.
Yes, I am concerned. Indeed, the White Paper on Education Charting our Education Future stated the Government's intention to meet the need for a coherent and effective system of certification.
In September I announced the establishment of TEASTAS — The Irish National Certification Authority. The terms of reference of TEASTAS are to advise the Minister on the actions to be undertaken and, where appropriate, to undertake such actions which it considers necessary to assist in putting in place a single, nationally and internationally accepted certification structure covering all extra-university third level, further and continuing education and training programmes. In particular it is responsible for the establishment, supervision and regulation of a national qualifications framework. Because of the urgency of this task I have established TEASTAS on a non-statutory basis for an interim period pending the enactment of the necessary legislation.
Therefore, TEASTAS is working, with a strong Government mandate, to bring together the various existing certification systems into a coherent framework. It will enter into discussions with the NCEA, NCVA, FÁS, CERT, and TEAGASC to facilitate the process of integrating and/or including their certification process into a single national structure. This structure will then be given appropriate statutory underpinning.