Employer or Recruiter
As an employer and/or recruiter, you are a key stakeholder in the continued development and successful implementation of the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). This section of the website highlights the many benefits of using the NFQ for your business and the importance of engaging fully with the Framework to realise the ways it can help you! A brief introduction to the Framework can be accessed by clicking on the About the NFQ.
The NFQ: An Employer / recruiter perspective
In 2003, the National Framework of Qualifications was introduced. The Framework is a 10 level structure accommodating qualifications gained in schools, the workplace, the community, training centres, colleges and universities, from the most basic to the most advanced levels of learning. The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the Framework.
As an employer and/or recruiter, the NFQ exists to support your understanding of the education and training system so that you can attract and develop a workforce that possess the skills needed for business success. The NFQ, as a workplace resource, can help you to:
- Specify the level of knowledge, skill and competence required for occupational roles and makes it easier for you to identify qualifications you can use to accurately signal education and training requirements for job and person specifications.
- Evaluate qualifications presented - The NFQ can widen the pool of suitable applicants as individuals with comparable qualifications to those stipulated and those with comparable foreign qualifications can be considered for positions. The NQAI offers a service called Qualifications Recognition, which provides employers and recruiters with a means of comparing and contrasting foreign qualifications with qualifications in the Irish system. This service is free of charge and is an advisory service on foreign qualifications and how they compare to Irish qualifications on the NFQ, thus enabling the identification of suitably qualified applicants. The European and international dimensions of the NFQ and its link to the European Higher Education Area, ‘Bologna’ Framework and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) in particular, will also help you understand qualifications from abroad.
- Simplify your applications procedure. - The diverse styles and formats of candidates’ CVs and qualification certificates further complicates decision making processes in recruitment. The NQAI hosts the National Europass Centre in Ireland, which is a European Commission initiative that aims to help people state their skills and qualifications clearly in a way that is universally understood and accepted throughout Europe. In particular, the Certificate and Diploma Supplements can be used as an aid in the recruitment process by acting as a source of additional information regarding further and higher education and training awards, respectively.
- Connect Training and Development with business needs – The 10 levels of the NFQ are based on learning outcomes; what an individual knows, understands and is able to do following successful completion of a programme of study. Learning outcomes and the clarity provided by the NFQ regarding access, transfer and progression opportunities helps you to plan and assess staff training and education needs, by pitching and fitting the right education and training with both individual and business needs, thereby, increasing return on your investment.
- Get your in-company education and training certified. All qualifications on the NFQ are quality assured and the Framework supports the development and certification of all learning wherever it takes place; this includes the workplace. Your in-company training can lead to nationally and internationally recognised qualifications, thus, rewarding employees for their participation in continuous professional development programmes.
- Secure funding for workplace training. Increasingly, public funding for workplace training and development is aimed at supporting upskilling initiatives that lead to qualifications recognised through the NFQ.
- Support performance management by using qualifications on the NFQ to motivate your workforce to maintain high performing work environments.
- Become an employer of choice. Using the NFQ as a workplace resource demonstrates your commitment to investing in your most important asset and helps you attract, retain and motivate the talent you need for success.
The NFQ has been in place since 2003. You can visit our Frequently Asked Questions for more information. You may also wish to explore further by using the About the NFQ and the Publications and Resources pages.
If you have any unanswered queries, please contact us via email or telephone.
