Published: Final Version of Principles for Professional Engagements with Education Providers

Following an extensive consultation process with higher education institutions (HEIs) and professional statutory and regulatory bodies (PSRBs) during 2020 and 2021, QQI has published a final version of the document Principles for Professional Engagements with Education Providers, including Programme Validation, Professional Accreditation and Approval​​.​ 

In summary, the principles: 

• are jointly agreed, based on research and engagement and feedback from PSRBs and HEIs.

• encourage all stakeholders (providers, PSRBs, QQI) to work together as a community of practice with different perspectives, to listen to and exchange information on community developments and challenges.

• acknowledge and seek to explore the impact of professional accreditation on internal QA and vice versa and highlight the need for processes to be able to talk to one another where appropriate and any administrative burdens or duplication to be reduced where possible.

• promote the benefits of and encourage increased trust and confidence between all parties.

• aim to stimulate a conversation between all stakeholders (PSRBs, HEIs, QQI) on the qualifications system.

• highlight the benefits of accreditation/approval to learners, the profession, and the general public.

• promote a shared understanding between stakeholders including an understanding of the importance and added value of professional regulation.

• are designed to be broad and high-level to ensure that they reflect the diversity in the roles and remit of the PSRBs and HEIs. 

The call for endorsement of these principles by HEIs and PSRBs is open and QQI will publish the initial list of endorsing organisations by the end of June. This list will be added to as further organisations sign up to the principles.

QQI will be holding its next event in the Finding Common Ground series in September. This event will be a webinar for PSRBs only, and will be followed by an online event for both HEIs and PSRBs later in autumn 2021.