Donegal Education & Training Board

2021

Agreed Key Dates

​26 February 2020 - Submission of the Provider Self-Evaluation Report
30 March 2021 – Reviewer Briefing / Training Session
31 March 2021 – Planning Visit
24-28 May 2021 – Main Review Visit of Donegal ​ETB to take place virtually​

Review Documentation

Terms of Reference
Handbook for the Review
Final Report

Follow Up Actions

Action Plan
Follow-up Report

Review Team

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01. Aileen McKechnie DETB.jpg

​Chair

Ms Aileen McKechnie took up the role of Principal and Chief Executive of South Lanarkshire College in March 2020, where she is responsible to the Board of Management for the financial health, internal organisation, management, and discipline of the college and accountable for managing the finances of
the College.

Previous experience includes working for the Scottish Government for 20 years in a variety of roles, including three senior positions in tertiary education policy, most latterly as Director of Advanced Learning and Science, where she was responsible for £3 billion of public funds to secure teaching, learning and good governance and to support research, innovation and science in tertiary institutions and science centres. She also had sponsor responsibility for the Scottish Funding Council; the Students Awards Agency for Scotland; and the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Partnership.

Aileen is passionate about lifetime learning and committed to supporting the critical role of the college sector in securing social and economic regeneration, and in providing second (and third) chances for individuals.

She is a graduate from Glasgow University, where she secured an MA (honours) in French and German and a Master’s in Business Administration. She is married with two teenage sons, both still in the education system.​

02. Orlaith Mc Caul DETB.jpg

​Coordinating Reviewer

Dr Orlaith McCaul is an education specialist with a particular interest in quality assurance and governance. She has worked with the Irish Community Development Sector for over 30 years and has been involved in policy development across the education sector in Ireland and internationally. In 2020,
Dr McCaul conducted a thematic analysis of QQI's reengagement process as applied to independent and private providers of FET and HET in 2020. She presented an overview of her report at two QQI peer learning events for future reengagement applicants.

Dr McCaul is an Adjunct Professor at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada and formerly served as the Head of Quality Assurance and Learner Assessment at the Higher Education and Training Awards Council.



03. Rob Schuur DETB.jpg
​Rob Schuur studied history at the University of Groningen (Netherlands) and started his career as a teacher in history at a small secondary school in the eastern part of the province of Groningen. After 8 years of teaching, he became vice-principal at a college for vocational education and training for health
and social care.

In 2000 (till May 2020) after several merging processes, he was appointed CEO/Principal at
Noorderpoort College in Groningen, a college with about 15,000 students and 1400 employees with programmes in different levels for all disciplines (except agriculture). 

For more than 6 years, Rob was a member of the board of the MBO Raad, the branche-organization for VET-institutes. At the European level he was board member of EFVET. In the Netherlands he was involved in setting up the system of quality control in VET. Since 2012 Rob has been a member and vicepresident of the National Education Board, the main council (10 members) of the Minister of Education and members of Parliament.

Beside his involvement in education, Rob is a member of many boards in relation to the labour market and local community initiatives.
04. Siobhra Disdale DETB.JPG
Síobhra Disdale is a graduate of the University of Limerick where she completed a BBS with Japanese specialising in HR. Since graduation she has worked in a number of diverse sectors including hotels and hospitality, automotive, and currently grocery retail.

Síobhra is a learner focused and commercially aware HR professional with experience at all business levels and skilled in HR Consulting, Coaching and Training Design & Delivery. She has led numerous learning and development projects and initiatives and is currently the Programme Manager of the Feed
Your Mind Programme where participants complete a degree in Management Practice with a Specialism in Retail with Ulster University. She has recently been granted Recognised University Teacher status
with this University and delivers elements of several modules on this programme.

Síobhra is also a member of the board of CLAY Youth Project, where she served as Vice Chairperson for several years.
​​05. Michael Harte DETB.jpg
Michael Harte is from Mullingar and is currently employed as an Administrative Assistant with Westmeath GAA. Michael holds a BA in Finance.

Michael has worked in a variety of diverse occupations and in various locations, both in Ireland and in the UK. After a long period of unemployment, he returned to full-time education with Longford Westmeath ETB, in their Mullingar FET Centre, completing the QQI Level 4 in IT Skills in 2019, and the
QQI Level 5 in Business through Computing in 2020. He enjoyed this experience immensely, which boosted his self-confidence and helped him to make new friends and equipped him with the computer knowledge and IT skillset for a modern office/ administrative working environment.

As the first member of his family to complete secondary and third- Level education, and to return to full- time education as a mature student, he has always had a huge interest in education and in the lifelong learning process.

Michael’s interests are reading, (especially biographies or anything historical) walking, and going to the cinema. Occasionally he and his family like to go horse racing for a family day out.
06. Anastasia Crickley DETB.jpg
Anastasia Crickley led the Dept Applied Social Studies at Maynooth University until 2015, successfully promoting university access for marginalised and minority groups. She remains committed to furthering the right to lifelong education and training for these groups through her roles as Chairperson of Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre and membership of the Steering Group for the National Action Plan on Equity of Access to Higher Education. She was first chairperson of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and a member of the Council of Europe's Convention on National Minorities Advisory Committee.

Anastasia is committed to social justice and human rights including the rights of women, and as a community worker collective progress to achieve these. She is chair of Community Work Ireland's Policy
group, European Director International Association for Community Development, a founder of the Migrants Rights Centre Ireland and member of the National Anti-Racism Committee.