Chapter 74

Ireland

In Ireland, there are different institutions which may decide on the recognition of educational certificates. General information is provided under the following address:

Higher Education Authority
21 Fitzwilliam Square
IRL - Dublin 2
Phone: (353) 16612748
Fax: (353) 16610492
Contact: Brendan O'DEA or Mary DONOGHUE

Academic recognition

After having consulted the faculties of the university, Irish universities may decide autonomously on the acceptability of foreign degrees. Final decisions as regards recognition and exemption granted on the basis academic qualifications obtained abroad are taken by each university after consultation with the appropriate faculty within the university. All national higher education certificates of the member states of the EU are unanimously recognised by the Irish universities or comparable institutions of higher education. In order to avoid problems concerning recognition, it is recommended to translate foreign certificates.

Vocational recognition

In 1991, the National Council for Vocational Awards (NCVA) was established as a state department responsible for professional certificates of secondary education. Its main task is to develop a national system of certification for vocational training programmes in secondary education. Besides, it works on the recognition of professional qualifications which have been acquired in one of the member states. To some extent, this authority is composed of trade unions and employers.

Secondly, there is a state-run authority which is concerned with non-Universitary educational certificates in tertiary education: the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA). This authority is responsible for the award of degrees which have been acquired after having completed non-Universitary courses on the level of higher education.

A third organisation in this area is FÁS, an institution active in training and the labour market, which has established a system to evaluate and to award certificates. This system corresponds to the European structure of training levels and pursues the following aims:

to make possible access to recognised certificates (independent from the place of training)
to establish connections between available certificates on a national and international basis

In addition to this, FÁS has concluded a formal agreement with France after which six training courses of FÁS are recognised. With regard to this matter, CEDEFOP is engaged as well. Also FÁS is working together with the German chamber of commerce in Kassel and Cologne. They made a German-Irish project named "Pilot Comparison of German and Irish Craftsperson Qualification - a New Approach to Transparency of Qualifications based on an Empirical Project". The evaluation of this project shows that it is possible to transfer a German certification -with some differences in content- to another language in another member-state.

In co-operation with the ministry of education and the Irish Vocational Education Association, the CERT in 1982 established the National Craft Curricula and Certification Board (NCCCB), which is active in hotel and restaurant trade as well as tourism. As a subdivision of this committee, the National Tourism Certification Board (NCTB) examines the educational requirements of this trade. Moreover, the NCTB is responsible for the transfer of examination procedures and awards the corresponding certificates for the field of tourism which are recognised throughout the European Union.

Certificates that have been awarded by the British City and Guilds-institution are recognised in Ireland as well as in Great Britain. In addition to this, there is a bilateral agreement between these two countries on common certificates of vocational qualifications. Among this group of certificates are not only those awarded by the City and Guilds, but also some certificates which have been awarded by FÁS.