227. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Skills to set out the Further Education and Training Awards Council level equivalent to the National Vocational Qualification award in England. [6483/15]
View answerFETAC was amalgamated with a number of other qualifications bodies in 2012 to form Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). FETAC is therefore no longer an awarding body. Awards previously granted by FETAC are included in the ten-level National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) for Ireland. FETAC awards fall into levels 1 – 6 of the NFQ. As National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) occur at a number of different levels on the UK's Qualifications Framework, they are therefore considered comparable to different levels of Ireland's NFQ. Without specific details of the NVQ in question, it is not possible to identify the comparable level on Ireland's NFQ. Through the Irish centre of the European Network of Information Centres/ National Academic Recognition Information Centre (ENIC-NARIC), also known as the Qualifications Recognition Service, QQI offers advice on the general academic recognition of foreign qualifications in Ireland. Advice on a number of UK qualifications, including NVQs, are included in the Qualifications Recognition Database, accessible at the QSearch facility at www.qqi.ie. The publication 'Qualifications Can Cross Boundaries: A Rough Guide to Comparing Qualifications in the UK and Ireland' might also be useful, and this too is available at the website indicated above.
