Listing Awarding Bodies
Postgrad.ie lists all of the awarding bodies in Ireland, the UK and abroad. Most major postgraduate awards are made by bodies with statutory powers, but there are also many professional organisations that make their own awards in relation to postgraduate study. While courses and educational programmes in Ireland lead to qualifications from Irish awarding bodies, it sometimes be the case that courses lead to non-Irish awards, for example awards from international bodies, or national awards from other countries.
Certain Irish institutions are both providers of courses and programmes and also awarding bodies for postgraduate certification in their own right: these are the Irish universities and the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT).
An award is an academic qualification (degree, diploma or certificate) conferred in recognition of the successful completion of a higher education programme of study, either at undergraduate or postgraduate level, and issued by a designated awarding body. The National Framework of Qualifications sets out the criteria for major and non-major awards. Non-major awards include, minor awards, special purpose awards
and supplemental awards.
Major awards are the principal class of awards made at a given NFQ level and reflect a significant volume of learning, e.g. Honours Bachelor Degree (NFQ, Level 8), Master Degree (NFQ, Level 9), Doctorate Degree (NFQ Level 10).
In Ireland, following the changes in the qualifications system as a result recent legislation, the number of statutory bodies has been reduced as the new awards councils FETAC and HETAC have assumed the the awarding functions previously fulfilled by several other Irish organisations such as the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA), National Council for Vocational Awards (NCVA), Solas, Teagasc, the National Tourism Certification Board (CERT) and Bord Iascaigh Mhara.
Postgrad.ie lists all of the awarding bodies giving postgraduate certification in Ireland and the UK below.
VTCT, Vocational Training Charitable Trust, is a UK government-approved awarding organisation. The Trust is one of the UK’s largest suppliers of sport and active leisure courses.
Recognition of VTCT Awards
VTCT offers a comprehensive suite of qualifications on the English Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF). Due to the Lisbon Treaty, employers and education bodies throughout the European Union accept their qualifications. In addition, the Trust's qualifications are in line with Irish National Framework of Qualifications.
Overview of VTCT
VTCT has been awarding qualifications since 1962. Since then, the organisation has have been at the forefront of developing the vocational system of qualifications in the United Kingdom.
Their full qualification package includes the following courses:
- Hairdressing & Barbering
- Beauty Therapy
- Complementary Therapy
- Sport, Active Health & Fitness
- Hospitality
- Business & Retail
- Learning & Development
The Trust has more than 800 approved centres throughout the UK and Ireland, as well as an increasing international presence.They are a charitable organisation. Their objectives are for the advancement of education, research and public dissemination of knowledge.
The Trust's head office is in Eastleigh, Hampshire. They employ around 60 staff and have more than 70 external quality assurers.
They are involved in many new educational initiatives, including the embedding of general education skills and online-assessment.
