ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education)
We are an active member of Enqa (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education), the umbrella organisation representing quality assurance organisations from the EHEA (European Higher Education Area).
Our membership was reconfirmed in September 2014 for a five-year period following an expert review. The review panel's report can be found
here.
In 2019, QQI will undergo an external quality assurance review to reconfirm its membership of ENQA. Ahead of the visit of the independent review team in March 2019, QQI has published a Self-Assessment Report. This report is available here.
ENQA promotes European co-operation in the field of quality assurance in higher education and shares information and expertise among its members and stakeholders.
Dr Padraig Walsh, Chief Executive of QQI was a Board member of ENQA from 2011-2017 and served as President of the association between 2013-2017.
EQAR (European Quality Assurance Register)
EQAR is a register of QA agencies in Europe who have demonstrated that they are compliant with the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG).
In most European countries, higher education institutions or study programmes are subject to regular external review by a quality assurance agency. The European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) is a
register of such agencies, listing those agencies that have demonstrated their substantial compliance with a common set of principles for quality assurance in Europe. These principles are laid down in the
European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance.
QQI has been included in the quality assurance register since 2015. For more information about EQAR and the criteria for inclusion on the register of quality assurance agencies, click
here.
Following external review by ENQA in 2019, QQI will reapply for continued inclusion on the register.
EQAVET (European Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training)
The
EQAVET Network (European Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training) is a community of practice bringing together Member States, Social Partners, VET Providers and the European Commission to promote European collaboration in developing and improving the quality assurance of VET by using the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework.
Following the European Commission call for tender in 2015 to seek support for the network, QQI was successful in its bid to host the EQAVET Secretariat for the period 2016-2017.
IQAVET (Irish Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training)
IQAVET is the Irish National Reference Point for EQAVET, a European wide network to promote quality assurance in vocational education and training.
Each member state in the EQAVET network has a central role in supporting the VET quality assurance arrangements in their system. In 2016, QQI was awarded project funding under Erasmus+ to support the implementation of the tasks assigned to them by the EQAVET Recommendation. For more information on the work of IQAVET please click
here.
Irish EU Reference Group of Agencies of the Department of Education and Skills
QQI through Europass facilitates a National EU Reference Group which convenes annually to share information on relevant EU developments. The aim of the Group is to stimulate further and deeper reflection on how current initiatives, projects, policies and tools can be made simplified and implemented in a more co-ordinated way, so as to deliver on the common objectives for quality, transparency and mobility in education and training.
News and information on the Group including reports on annual meetings can be accessed here.
Cross-border Quality Assurance Network in Higher Education (CBQAN)
The CBQAN is a new cross-border QA network for in higher education in Asia and Europe. The network, established in 2015, has 15 founder members from 12 countries, including Ireland. QQI joined the network as part of its efforts to quality assure Irish higher education being delivered in Asia.
The inaugural forum of the new cross-border QA network for China (CBQAN) took place in Haikou, China on 20-21 December, 2016. The forum, hosted by the China academic degrees and graduate education development center (CDGDC), was attended by 15 international quality assurance and recognition agencies and over 200 Chinese universities active in cross-border education.
The network aims to build a communication and cooperation platform for stakeholders of cross-border higher education quality assurances in Asia and Europe, in the following areas:
Mutual understanding and learning
High quality communications-academic and personnel exchanges
Development of cross-border higher education in Asia and Europe
Formation of a platform for international cross-border higher education quality assurances collaboration
A website to promote the work of the CBQAN is currently under development. We will publish the link to the new website once launched.
