State training agency Solas is to reconstitute its programme board and implement enhanced protocols for assessment security after “concerning failings” were identified in its assessment process, an Oireachtas committee has heard.
Earlier this month, it was reported that a protected disclosure had alleged cheating within the electrical craft apprenticeship programme, including allegations that exam papers were being sold for €50 the night before a test.
Sally Cao, principal officer at the Department of Further and Higher Education, told committee members that the Minister, James Lawless, has made strengthening quality assurance a “priority”.
She said that following meetings with Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) and Solas, he has directed the reassignment of craft curriculum, assessment, and awards from both agencies to education providers.
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Nessa White, interim chief executive of Solas, said that since 2023 the priority has been to address backlogs and delays to training caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in a “de-prioritisation” of the broader curriculum and quality assurance reforms.
She said Solas has taken the issue “very seriously”, adding that measures included in a quality improvement plan agreed with QQI are being addressed as a “matter of priority”.
These include a reconstitution of the programme board with broader stakeholder representation, including apprentices.
Assessment instruments are also to be rotated and updated, alongside the development of a “secure question bank” and migration to secure online platforms, she said.
Enhanced protocols for assessment security and document control are also being developed, while quality assurance documentation and assessment materials are to undergo regular reviews.
A multi-agency oversight group comprising Solas, QQI, the Higher Education Authority and the department will also be established to monitor delivery of the quality improvement plan.
“It’s also important to note though, that while the QQI review highlighted concerning failings in the assessment of the electrical apprenticeship in relation to phase four and six, an electrical apprentice undergoes 49 individual assessment points across the four-year duration of their assessment,” she said.
Ms White told TDs and Senators on Tuesday afternoon that an independent review of the craft electrical programme confirmed “no health and safety concerns arising from this matter”.
The review carried out by City of Glasgow College confirmed that assessments “reliably identify” those not meeting required standards, while the programme’s structure adequately safeguards in order to detect “any circumvention of earlier assessments”.
“This confirms that there are no health and safety concerns arising from this matter, and all qualifying electricians are capable of performing their tasks competently and safely,” she said.
The committee separately heard that annual apprentice registrations are on track to meet a Government target of 10,000 by the end of this year, having risen from 5,326 in 2020 to 9,352 last year.
