QQI Certification Dashboards: Insights into Learners, Awards and Trends Across Time
Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) publishes certification data to support transparency, evidence‑based decision‑making, and informed public discussion about education and training in Ireland. As the national awarding body for most further education and training (FET) awards, and for higher education awards made by private providers included in the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), QQI has a unique role in confirming when learners have achieved nationally recognised qualifications.
Why QQI publishes certification data
Publishing certification data allows learners, providers, policymakers, researchers and the public to better understand:
- long‑term trends in education and training participation,
- patterns of achievement across NFQ levels and fields of learning, and
- how qualifications contribute to lifelong learning and workforce development.
QQI’s statistical outputs are produced in line with its Open Data Policy and the Irish Statistical System Code of Practice, ensuring that data are accurate, well‑documented and disseminated responsibly, with appropriate privacy and disclosure controls in place.
How often the data are updated
QQI certification data are collected through QQI’s secure certification systems and undergo quality assurance and audit checks during each certification period. Once certified and validated, the data are transferred to QQI’s internal analytical database and published through interactive dashboards on the QQI website. The dashboards are refreshed twice annually, typically in February and August of each year, with occasional minor revisions where required to maintain accuracy. To protect learner confidentiality, all published figures are rounded to the nearest 5 in line with QQI’s disclosure control rules.
The QQI Certification Dashboards are designed to be exploratory and user‑friendly. Rather than presenting static tables, it allows users to interact directly with the data and tailor views to their interests.
Users can:
- select different data areas such as awards, grades, learners or providers,
- apply filters by year, NFQ level, field of learning or learner characteristics,
- compare trends across time periods or categories, and
- export or capture views for use in reports or presentations.
The dashboard enables users to uncover insights in seconds, including:
- how the volume of QQI awards has changed over time across different NFQ levels, class of award or grades,
- which fields of learning account for the largest numbers of awards,
- how awards made to apprentices in Ireland are evolving and their key characteristics,
- how learner profiles (such as age and gender) vary across award types,
- geographic patterns in certification activity, and
- year‑to‑year shifts that may reflect policy, economic or demographic changes.
