The Higher Education and Training Awards Council () (HETAC), the legal successor to the ''National Council for Educational Awards'' (NCEA), granted higher education awards in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

beyond the university system from 2001 to 2012. HETAC was created in 2001, subject to the policies of the

National Qualifications Authority of Ireland The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland or NQAI (''Údarás Náisiúnta Cáilíochtaí na hÉireann'' in Irish) was set up in 2001 under the Qualifications (Education & Training) Act, 1999 to develop and promote the implementation of a Na ...

, and, specifically, granted qualifications at many

Institutes of Technology An institute of technology (also referred to as technological university, technical university, university of technology, polytechnic university) is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science ...

and other colleges. HETAC was dissolved and its functions were passed to

Quality and Qualifications Ireland Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI; ) is the national agency responsible for qualifications in Ireland. It was established by the Oireachtas in 2012 following the amalgamation of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, the Furt ...

(QQI) on 6 November 2012.

History

NCEA

In 1967 the Steering Committee on Technical Education recommended the creation of a body to control non-university higher qualifications, and in 1969 the

Higher Education Authority __NOTOC__ The Higher Education Authority (HEA), officially An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas, is the statutory body providing policy advice for higher education in Ireland. Description and functions The HEA was established under the Higher Educati ...

similarly recommended the establishment of a "Council for National Awards" to better organise the non-university higher education sector; the HEA recommendations were tentative, to be refined after application to the work of the newly-established National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick. Following these recommendations, the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA) was founded in April 1972 on an ad-hoc basis. The Minister for Education, Padraig Faulkner, specified its terms of reference, including the promotion and coordination of industrial, professional, commercial and scientific education, and the conferring of certificates, diplomas and degrees. The NCEA granted the first

National Certificate The National Certificate is a higher education professional certification, qualification in a technology discipline offered by higher institutions across the globe. Each country has its own specifications about the certificate. Ireland The Na ...

s, 93 in number, in 1972; these were awarded at five Regional Technical Colleges. The NCEA granted its first bachelor degrees, to four students in Physical Education, in 1974. Early on it was decided that the NCEA would be the only extra-university award-conferring institution in the State for higher education, rather than having a multitude of competing institutions, with authority to grant awards at all academic levels including degree level. Hence it was the award-granting body for NIHE Limerick, for example. Despite this, the

Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...

- Labour ( National Coalition) government limited the NCEA to sub-degree awards only from early 1976, and the later

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...

government of 1977 restored its full powers in November 1977, and placed the NCEA on a statutory footing in 1980 by commencing th
National Council for Educational Awards Act, 1979
In 1982 the first master's degree is awarded at NIHE Limerick in Arts, Business Studies and Engineering, and in 1985 the first doctorate degree was awarded at NIHE Dublin. The founding director of the National Council for Educational Awards was Padraig Mac Diarmada, whose educational vision and philosophy contributed to further development of higher and continuing education in Ireland and whose vision enabled students to attain educational qualifications which would never have been envisioned by them prior to 1972. The last director (CEO) of the council was former Holy Trinity NS (Donaghmede) national school teacher and former INTO President Séamus Puirséil (Seamus Purcell).

Establishment of HETAC

HETAC was created in 2001 under th
Qualifications (Education and Training) Act, 1999 (Section 21)
It inherited the work of the NCEA, validating and awarding qualifications up to degree level, for the institutes of technology and a wide range of third-level institutions. The first chief executive of HETAC was the former head of the NCEA, Seamus Puirseil. He was succeeded in 2008 by Gearóid Ó Conluain, formerly Deputy Chief Inspector of Department of Education and Science.

Merger into QQI

In October 2008 the Irish Government announced its intention to amalgamate HETAC with

FETAC The Further Education and Training Awards Council () or FETAC was a statutory qualification-awarding body for further education in Ireland. It was established on 11 June 2001 under the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act 1999. FETAC was d ...

and NQAI, the two other bodies established under the Qualifications Act, while also incorporating the functions for the external review of Irish universities then carried out by the Irish Universities Quality Board.Consultation on amalgamation of qualifications and quality assurance bodie

/ref> HETAC was dissolved and

came into being on November 6th 2012.

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.

Recognised institutions

The providers of courses which lead to HETAC awards were called "recognised institutions", recognised under th
Qualifications (Education & Training) Act, 1999 (Section 24)
Some of these institutions were granted "delegation of authority" (often referred to as "delegated authority") which allowed them to make HETAC awards in their own name, this was limited to the Institutes of Technology and often to certain award levels at certain institutions.

Section 24 (1)(a)

Regional Technical Colleges

* Athlone Institute of Technology *

Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown (ITB) () established in 1999, was a third-level institution outside Dublin. In 2019, it merged with the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) and the Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT) to form the n ...

* Institute of Technology, Carlow *

Cork Institute of Technology Cork Institute of Technology (CIT; ) was an Institutes of technology in the Republic of Ireland, institute of technology, located in Cork (city), Cork, Ireland. Upon its dissolution, the institute had 17,000 students studying in art, business, ...

Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (), more commonly known as IADT Dún Laoghaire or simply IADT is an institute of technology with a focus on art and design located in Deansgrange near Dún Laoghaire, Ireland. It was esta ...

* Dundalk Institute of Technology * Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology * Letterkenny Institute of Technology *

Limerick Institute of Technology The Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT; ) was an institute of technology, located in Limerick, Ireland. The institute had five campuses that were located in Limerick, Thurles, Clonmel, as well as a regional learning centre in Ennis Enn ...

Institute of Technology, Sligo The Institute of Technology, Sligo (ITS; ) was an institute of technology, located in Sligo, Ireland. In April 2022, it was formally dissolved, and its functions became part of Atlantic Technological University (ATU). the institute had three f ...

Institute of Technology, Tallaght The Institute of Technology Tallaght (also known as ITT or IT Tallaght) ( Irish: ''Institiúid Teicneolaíochta, Tamhlacht)'' was a third-level institution in Tallaght, the largest suburb of Dublin, Ireland. Established in 1992, IT Tallaght ...

Institute of Technology, Tralee The Institute of Technology, Tralee (IT Tralee; ) was an institute of technology, located in Tralee, Ireland. It was established in 1977 as the Regional Technical College, Tralee. In January 2021, itself and the Cork Institute of Technology wer ...

Waterford Institute of Technology The Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT; ) was an Institutes of technology in the Republic of Ireland, institute of technology, located in Waterford, Ireland. The institute had six constituent schools and offered programmes in business, engi ...

Non-RTC bodies

National College of Ireland National College of Ireland (NCI) (''Coláiste Náisiúnta na hÉireann'' (''CNÉ'') in Irish) is a not-for-profit, state-aided third-level education institution in Dublin. It was founded in 1951 as a joint venture between the Jesuits in Ir ...

Section 24 (1)(b)

(Other bodies, public and private sector) * The American College, Dublin * Development Studies Centre, Kimmage * Dorset College *

Dublin Business School Dublin Business School (DBS), incorporating Portobello College, is a private college Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they of ...

* FISC Ireland Ltd. * Galway Business School * Garda Síochána College * Grafton College of Management Sciences * Griffith College * Hibernia College * ICD Business School * Institute of Public Administration * Irish Academy of Public Relations * Leinster Academy, Leinster Rugby IRFU * Military College * Milltown Institute *

* National Tourism Development Authority (formerly CERT) * Newpark Music Centre * The Open Training College * Portobello Institute *

Setanta College Setanta College is a distance learning college, with a focus on programmes in the broad area of human development and performance. It offers internationally accredited qualifications, ranging from Higher Certificate to Master's degree level. The ...

* St. Nicholas Montessori College, Ireland *

St. Patrick's, Carlow College St Patrick's, Carlow College, is a liberal arts college located in Carlow, Ireland. The college is the second oldest third level institution in Ireland and was founded in 1782 by James Keefe, then Roman Catholic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, a ...

* Thomas Crosbie Holdings Ltd * Tipperary Institute (Since 2011 part of

)

Former Providers

Institutions whose degrees were formerly awarded by HETAC, or its forerunner the NCEA before 2002; some no longer exist. *

All Hallows College All Hallows College was a college of higher education in Dublin. It was founded in 1842 and was run by the Vincentians from 1892 until 2016. On 23 May 2014, it was announced that it was closing because of declining student enrollment. The sale ...

– degrees awarded by

Dublin City University Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) () is a Third-level education in the Republic of Ireland, university based on the Northside, Dublin, Northside of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Created as the ''National Institute for Highe ...

from 2008 to dissolution * Burren College of Art awarded by NUIG from 2003 * Clonliffe College - humanities diplomas were validated by the NCEA *

Dublin Institute of Technology Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT, ) was a major third-level institution in Dublin, Ireland. On 1 January 2019 DIT was dissolved and its functions were transferred to the Technological University Dublin, as TU Dublin City Campus. The insti ...

– until, in 1998, the DIT got degree-awarding status, its awards were made by TCD and the NCEA * Froebel College of Education – moved to

NUI Maynooth Maynooth University (MU) (), is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. Maynooth University was formerly known as National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM; ). It was Ireland ...

who validate its diplomas since * HSI Limerick Business School – closed in 2011 * Irish Management Institute – since 2012 UCC validates its degrees * Kimmage Mission Institute – moved to Milltown Institute in 2003 * LSB College – part of

since 2000 * Lee Business Institute, Cork * Mid West Business Institute - taken over by Griffith College * National College of Art and Design – degrees awarded by NCEA from 1984 to June 2003, NUI since * Newman College, Dublin – closed in 1995 * Portobello College – now part of

* St. John's College, Waterford - from 1977 NCEA validated diplomas in Theology and Philosophy *

St. Patrick's College, Thurles Mary Immaculate College, (MIC) St. Patrick's Campus, Thurles is a third-level college of education in Thurles, County Tipperary. Formerly a seminary, the college specialises in humanities courses in accounting, business studies, Irish and relig ...

- diplomas from 1977, and degrees from 1988; since 2011 courses validated by

University of Limerick University of Limerick (UL) () is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972, as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in Septemb ...

) * St. Peter's College, Wexford - NCEA validated Theology and Philosophy diplomas until closure in 1999 * 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

References

External links

Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), official site of HETAC's successor agency
{{Authority control Education in the Republic of Ireland