Higher Education and Training Awards Council
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| Active | 1972 as the National Council for Educational Awards 2001 as HETAC–2012 |
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| Location |
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Ireland
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| Website | http://www.hetac.ie |
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The Higher Education and Training Awards Council (Irish: Comhairle na nDámhachtainí Ardoideachais agus Oiliúna) (HETAC), the legal successor to the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA), granted higher education awards in Ireland in the extra-university system from 2001 to 2012. The founding director of the National Council for Educational Awards was Padraig Mac Diarmada, whose educational vision and philosophy created the foundation stone for HETAC, and further education for all in Ireland. His vision enabled young students to attain educational qualifications which would never have been envisioned by them prior to 1972. HETAC was created in 2001, subject to the policies of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, and, specifically, granted qualifications at many Institutes of Technology and other colleges. HETAC was dissolved and its functions were passed to Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) on 6 November 2012.[1]
Contents
History
The National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA) was founded in April 1972, on an ad-hoc basis and granted the first National Certificates that year at five Regional Technical Colleges. Early on it was decided that the NCEA would be the only extra-university conferring institution in the State at higher education rather than having a multitude of competing institutions, with authority to grant awards at all academic levels including degree level. During the 1970s this caused some trouble as Fine Gael-Labour (National Coalition) government attempted to limit the NCEA to sub-degree awards only, later Fianna Fáil government of 1977 restored the full powers and placed the NCEA on a statutory footing in 1980 by the National Council for Educational Awards Act, 1979.
HETAC was created in 2001 under the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act, 1999 (Section 21) and its first chief executive, former Donaghmede national teacher and INTO President Séamus Puirséil (Seamus Purcell) was previously the executive officer of the NCEA. He was succeeded in 2008 by Gearóid Ó Conluain, formerly Deputy Chief Inspector of Department of Education and Science. In October 2008 the Irish Government announced its intention to amalgamate HETAC with FETAC and NQAI, the two other bodies established under the Qualifications Act, while also incorporating the functions for the external review of Irish universities currently carried out by the Irish Universities Quality Board.[2] The Minister appointed an interim board for the new agency. This board appointed Dr. Padraig Walsh as chief executive Designate in September 2010. In February 2011, Dr. Walsh became chief executive of HETAC, pending the establishment of the new statutory agency.
Awards
In 2004 HETAC completed the transition from awards derived from the NCEA standards to a new awards system based on the National Framework of Qualifications. A rough correspondence between the awards of the two systems is shown below.
| Legacy | Current |
| Certificate† | |
| National Certificate† | Higher Certificate‡ |
| National Diploma† | Ordinary bachelor's degree‡ |
| Honours bachelor's degree | Honours bachelor's degree |
| Graduate Diploma (conversion)† | Higher Diploma‡ |
| Graduate Diploma (professional)† | Postgraduate Diploma‡ |
| Master's degree | Master's degree |
| Doctorate degree | Doctorate degree |
| † Not granted after June 2006. ‡ Granted from July 2004. |
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Providers
The providers of courses which lead to HETAC awards are called "recognised institutions", and they are recognised under the Qualifications (Education & Training) Act, 1999 (Section 24). Some of these institutions may have "delegation of authority" (often referred to as "delegated authority") which allows them to make HETAC awards in their own name, this is currently limited to the Institutes of Technology and is often limited to certain award levels at institutions.
Section 24 (1)(a)
- Athlone Institute of Technology
- Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown
- Institute of Technology, Carlow
- Cork Institute of Technology
- Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology
- Dundalk Institute of Technology
- Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
- Letterkenny Institute of Technology
- Limerick Institute of Technology
- Institute of Technology, Sligo
- Institute of Technology, Tallaght
- Institute of Technology, Tralee
- Waterford Institute of Technology
- National College of Ireland
Section 24 (1)(b)
- Development Studies Centre, Kimmage
- Dorset College
- Dublin Business School
- FISC Ireland Ltd.
- Garda Síochána College
- Grafton College of Management Sciences
- Griffith College
- Hibernia College
- IBAT College (Swords)
- ICD Business School
- Institute of Public Administration
- Irish Academy of Public Relations
- Leinster Academy, Leinster Rugby IRFU
- Military College
- Milltown Institute
- National College of Ireland
- National Tourism Development Authority (formerly CERT)
- Newpark Music Centre
- Portobello Institute
- Setanta College
- St. Nicholas Montessori College, Ireland
- St. Patrick's, Carlow College
- The American College, Dublin
- The Open Training College
- Thomas Crosbie Holdings Ltd
- Tipperary Institute (Since 2011 part of Limerick Institute of Technology)
Former Providers
Former institutions whose degrees were awarded by HETAC or its forerunner NCEA before 2002.
- All Hallows College – Degrees awarded by Dublin City University since 2008.
- Burren College of Art
- Dublin Institute of Technology – In 1998 the DIT got degree awarding status.
- Froebel College of Education – is moving to NUI Maynooth who will validated its diplomas from now on.
- HSI Limerick Business School – closed in 2011.
- Irish Management Institute – since 2012 UCC validate its degrees.
- The Kimmage Mission Institute – moved to Milltown Institute in 2003.
- LSB College – part of Dublin Business School since 2000.
- Mid West Business Institute
- National College of Art and Design – degrees awarded by NCEA up to June 2003, NUI awarded since.
- Newman College, Dublin – closed in 1995.
- Portobello College – now part of Dublin Business School.
- Shannon College of Hotel Management – affiliated to NUI since 2001, and NUIG since 2009.
- Skerry's Cork Business School – bought by Griffith College in 2005.
- St. Patrick's College, Thurles (from 2011 validated by University of Limerick)
