Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 April 2022
1634. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health if he has met with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to discuss the need to catch up on placement hours missed during Covid-19 for those due to graduate. [20414/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraStudent placements are organised at the level of each individual Higher Education Institution (HEI), as part of their programme offerings to be delivered in conjunction with relevant placement providers. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has no direct role in the provision or monitoring of placements.
In the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, significant work was undertaken by a stakeholder group chaired by the Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), and included the representative bodies of education providers and students to address issues relating to the maintenance of the quality and standards of:
- teaching and learning,
- assessment,
- qualifications.
This group focused on the implementation of alternative arrangements and methods of delivery, where appropriate and necessary, to meet both these standards and, where applicable, the educational accreditation criteria established by Professional Recognition Bodies (PRBs).
QQI facilitated engagement between members of the stakeholders’ group and CORU, the regulatory body for health and social care professions, which took place in parallel to direct engagements between CORU and individual education providers. The goal of these engagements was to ensure that, where possible, necessary alternative arrangements were in place to maintain the standards of education and training in this area and that these issues were actively managed. These efforts ensured that students could progress in their programmes from one academic year into the next, or, where relevant, graduate with the necessary professional competencies that have been set out by CORU.
