As the national awarding body for further education and training in Ireland, the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) gives people the opportunity to gain recognition for learning in education or training centres, in the work place and in the community.
FETAC's functions include:
Programmes leading to FETAC awards are offered nationwide by a wide range of providers in diverse settings, including BIM, Fáilte Ireland (CERT), FÁS and Teagasc centres, VEC's, adult and community education and training centres, Institutes of Technology and in the workplace.
FETAC was set up as a statutory body on 11 June 2001 by the Minister for Education and Science under the Qualifications (Education & Training) Act, 1999. FETAC has responsibility for making awards previously made by BIM, Fáilte Ireland (CERT), FÁS, NCVA and Teagasc and has made over 170,000 awards to date.
FETAC's mission is to make quality assured awards in accordance with national standards within the national framework, creating opportunities for all learners in further education and training to have their achievements recognised and providing access to systematic progression pathways.
FETAC awards Certificates and Records of Achievement. Certificates are awarded at each of the four levels (Foundation, Level 1, 2,and 3). Eight Modules are required to achieve a certificate. A Record of Achievement is awarded to a candidate who achieves the required standard in one module. A module is a statement of the standard.
A module is a statement of the standard to be achieved to gain a FETAC award. Candidates are assessed to establish if they have achieved the required standards. Credit is awarded for each module successfully completed.
The standards in a module are expressed principally in terms of specific learning outcomes, i.e. what the learner will be able to do on successful completion of the module. The other elements of the module - the purpose, general aims, assessment details and assessment criteria - combine with the learning outcomes to state the standards in a holistic way.
While FETAC is responsible for setting the standards for certification in partnership with course providers and industry, it is the course providers who are responsible for the design of learning programmes. The duration, content and delivery of learning programmes should be appropriate to the learners' needs and interests, and should enable the learners to reach the standard as described in the modules. Modules may be delivered alone or integrated with other modules.
Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 modules are graded as follows:
Pass 50% - 64%
Merit 65% - 79%
Distinction 80% - 100%
All NCVA (National Council Vocational Awards) awards are made by the FETAC .
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Awards levels are:
Awards are designed to provide access to:
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Course are design to provide access to employment and
progression to further education and training National standards for certificate
have been set in consultation with employer and course providers.
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| Level | WorkProfile | Person/Skills | Training | Progression |
| Foundation | Pre-Vocational |
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| Level 1 | Work under supervision |
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| Level 2 | Work under direction |
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| Level 3 | Independent Supervisory, co-ordination or duties |
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