National Research | Further Education & Training Research Centre
Previous National Research
MEND Cluster – Pathways Project
This project was developed by a consortium comprising DCU, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Athlone Institute of Technology and Maynooth University and supported by the Strategic Innovation Development Fund from the HEA.
- to establish and support a sustainable, shared academic planning process to ensure coherent, co-ordinated and rational educational provision and ease of transfer and progression;
- to collaborate for student success and regional economic development.
This is a multi-component project, designed to enhance the quality of teaching and learning, and improve access and transition.
The components of the proposal are:
- Coherence of provision: the analytic and preparatory work required to enable a more coordinated provision, through mapping of existing provision, development of protocols for collaboration, and preparing for interoperable student records systems.
- Collaboration with Further Education: a network of FE providers, a regional ‘one stop shop’ portal, a comprehensive mapping of progression paths, and foundation courses to assist transition.
- Enhanced Student Learning Supports: enhanced supports for student learning and retention through increased resourcing and leveraging of complementary expertise across the cluster.
Previous National Research
MEND Cluster – Pathways Project
This project was developed by a consortium comprising DCU, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Athlone Institute of Technology and Maynooth University and supported by the Strategic Innovation Development Fund from the HEA.
- to establish and support a sustainable, shared academic planning process to ensure coherent, co-ordinated and rational educational provision and ease of transfer and progression;
- to collaborate for student success and regional economic development.
This is a multi-component project, designed to enhance the quality of teaching and learning, and improve access and transition.
The components of the proposal are:
- Coherence of provision: the analytic and preparatory work required to enable a more coordinated provision, through mapping of existing provision, development of protocols for collaboration, and preparing for interoperable student records systems.
- Collaboration with Further Education: a network of FE providers, a regional ‘one stop shop’ portal, a comprehensive mapping of progression paths, and foundation courses to assist transition.
- Enhanced Student Learning Supports: enhanced supports for student learning and retention through increased resourcing and leveraging of complementary expertise across the cluster.
Association of Qualification Providers for FET Educators
The FET Forum is a national network of Higher Education providers with Teaching Council approved teacher education programmes in the Further Education and Training sector. The Forum commenced its activities in 2012 to focus on the continued enhancement of teaching and learning in FET. Forum membership includes: Dublin City University; NUI Galway; Mary Immaculate College; Waterford Institute of Technology; National College of Ireland; Marino Institute of Education; Maynooth University; NUI Galway and the National College of Art and Design. The Forum aims to share knowledge and practice; increase awareness of ITE and professional development for practitioners in FET; explore common areas of interest and conduct research. It engages regularly with the Teaching Council and will establish links with the Department of Education and Skills, SOLAS, the Local Education and Training Boards, and Quality and Qualifications Ireland.
Further Education & Higher Education Network
The FE-HE Network is an output from a previous collaboration from the HEA funded MEND pathways project. This network is a formal grouping based upon an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) signed in July 2015 between;
- Dublin City University
- Athlone Institute of Technology
- Dundalk Institute of Technology
- Maynooth University
- Cavan & Monaghan Education and Training Board
- City of Dublin Education and Training Board
- Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board
- Galway & Roscommon Education and Training Board
- Kildare & Wicklow Education and Training Board
- Laois & Offaly Education and Training Board
- Longford & Westmeath Education and Training Board
- Louth & Meath Education and Training Board
The overall aim is to create and develop a formal network of Further Education and Higher Education providers within the Leinster Pillar II cluster, specifically established for the purpose of collaboration on enhancing access, transfer and progression opportunities across the region. The objective sof the network are:
- To collaborate on enhancing transparent visible Access, Transfer and Progression (ATP) pathways and progression opportunities across the region.
- To identify where resources and good practice could be shared and to explore thematic collaborations.
- To identify barriers to access, transfer and progression and propose appropriate and feasible solutions.
- To create greater awareness of opportunities for students who are in the Further Education Sector to progress to Higher Education.
- To foster and support research on access, transfer and progression across the sector to inform policy.
- To provide opportunities/fora to share and disseminate information relevant to staff and students.
- To pursue funding opportunities/resources to further the objectives of the Network.
- To collaborate with wider stakeholder groups to further the above objectives.
The network has since invited SOLAS and QQI to be represented on the network.
Working Group on Access Transfer and Progression
This is another collaboration between the Dublin Leinster Pillar II (aka MEND Cluster), which has been supported by the HEA to focus on the feasibility of national outputs related to previous research and innovation related to ATP from FE and HE. This collaboration also involves the Department of Education and Skills, SOLAS and QQI.