Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 March 2022
528. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to ensure those arriving in the State from the conflict in Ukraine will have their professional qualifications recognised, particularly professions such as architects, solicitors and medical professionals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16023/22]
View answerWhere a person wishes to practice a regulated profession in Ireland, they must engage with the relevant Competent Authority with responsibility for that profession to seek the recognition of their qualifications. In the cases of architects, solicitors and medical professionals, this would be the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI), the Law Society and, subject to the medical profession in question, the Medical Council, CORU, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI), or the Department of Health to name a few. A list of all of the regulated professions in Ireland, their corresponding competent authority and the relevant contact information for each authority is available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/123679/f3dc868b-f95a-42fe-87b3-531983e3bd1f.pdf#page=null
My Department is supporting the work of these Competent Authorities by sharing best practice material supplied by the European Commission in relation to the recognition of professional qualifications of Ukrainian people in Ireland. In addition, these Competent Authorities have been advised of further information resources which are available to support their work from NARIC Ireland, which is hosted by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). NARIC Ireland provides advice on the academic recognition of a foreign qualification by comparing it to a major award type and level on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). The QQI NARIC database currently lists 18 Ukrainian qualifications, comparable to levels 3-10 on the NFQ, including general professional and higher education. NARIC Ireland is working with the NARIC network across Europe to continue building the list of Ukrainian qualifications. The NARIC Guide has recently been translated into Ukrainian and the Guide is also available in Polish, English and Russian, which many Ukrainian citizens also speak.
The NARIC service also helps to inform employers to determine if an applicant holds the academic qualifications necessary for a particular job or employment opportunity.
My Department will continue its work with the European Commission in relation to the recognition of professional qualifications of Ukrainian people in Ireland to ensure an EU-wide appropriate response. I will share further information and updates across the Houses when these are available.
