CINNTE Institutional review of CCT College Dublin published
CCT College Dublin (CCT) has completed its CINNTE institutional review which assesses and reports on the effectiveness of internal quality assurance (QA) systems.
Through the CINNTE cycle of reviews, Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) assesses and reports on how effectively higher education institutions (HEIs) are maintaining and enhancing quality in education. The reviews explore how institutions have improved their teaching, learning and research systems, and how well institutions have aligned with their own mission, quality indicators and benchmarks.
An independent team of national and international experts completed a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of the QA system in CCT, recognising instances of good practice which deliver impact for students and staff, and making recommendations on areas for improvement.
The review report has now been published by QQI.
The review report identifies nine commendations and six recommendations. The principal strengths highlighted by the review team include:
- A clear and well-communicated institutional strategy.
- A strong culture of student support and learner engagement.
- Effective early intervention measures that support student retention and progression.
- A collaborative and collegial culture that supports staff development and organisational learning.
- A comprehensive and inclusive institutional self-evaluation process.
The recommendations are developmental in nature and focus on:
- Strengthening governance structures and clarifying reporting arrangements.
- Increasing student representation on key committees.
- Enhancing documentation and oversight of industry engagement activities.
- Developing more measurable institutional targets and performance indicators.
- Reviewing processes for monitoring examination result anomalies.
Speaking on the publication of the report, Dr Barbara Powell, Chair of the CCT review team, commented:
"The review team was highly impressed by the enthusiasm, dedication, collegiate approach, and active engagement demonstrated by the CCT staff, students, and external stakeholders throughout the review process.
CCT provides accessible and flexible higher education opportunities, as well as professional development programmes in computing, information technology, and business. We particularly noted CCT’s determination to offer programmes that reflect current and emerging knowledge and practices relevant to both students and employers. A strong culture of support for both staff and students was further found to be central to CCT’s educational model, leading to high levels of satisfaction and achievement for both parties.
Overall, the team identified many commendations and is confident that the recommendations provided will support CCT in building on its achievements and continuing its journey of improvement."
Responding to the publication of the report, Neil Gallagher, President, CCT College Dublin commented:
“CCT College warmly welcomes the publication of the QQI CINNTE Institutional Review Report and thanks the review team and QQI for their professionalism, expertise, and support throughout the process. The report marks an important milestone in CCT's 21-year journey and reflects the College's ongoing commitment to excellence, quality enhancement, and student success.
The review provided a valuable opportunity for reflection and engagement across the College community, helping to identify strengths and opportunities for further development. CCT welcomes the report's findings and recommendations and is committed to building on these insights through continuous improvement.
The College extends its sincere thanks to its learners, staff, stakeholders, and wider community, whose contributions shaped the review and are reflected in its positive outcomes. CCT will continue to build on this strong foundation as an innovative and student-centred higher education provider”.
Finally, Dr Lynn Ramsey, Chief Executive Officer of QQI, commended CCT on its engagement with the CINNTE review process, remarking,
“The CINNTE review cycle is an important and necessary activity carried out by QQI to review and monitor the quality of higher education provision in Ireland. This report provides strong recognition of CCT College Dublin’s clear strategic direction, student-centred culture and commitment to quality. The recommendations highlighted by the review team offer a constructive and developmental roadmap for CCT College Dublin to build on its existing strong foundation to further enhance its effectiveness and impact for learners.”
CINNTE reviews are one element of the broader quality framework for institutions which also includes Quality Assurance Guidelines; each institution’s Quality Assurance Procedures; Annual Quality Reports (AQR); and Dialogue Meetings.
Note to editors
Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) is the state agency responsible for the external quality assurance of tertiary education and training in Ireland. QQI validates programmes, makes awards and is responsible for the promotion, maintenance, development and review of the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ).
One of QQI’s main statutory functions is to ensure that the quality assurance (QA) procedures that providers have in place are effective and robust. QQI conducts external reviews of higher education institutions on a cyclical basis. This current QQI cycle of reviews is called the CINNTE cycle.
