The QQI award
QQI launches its award brand awareness campaign.
Transitioning to the QQI Award Brand
QQI was established as a result of the amalgamation of a number of predecessor organisations; amongst them two well-known awarding bodies, FETAC and HETAC. QQI was conscious that for learners, providers, employers and the system as a whole, it was very important to ensure that the value of the qualifications awarded by these bodies was maintained in the transition to a new QQI Award brand. To help build that understanding and confidence, we first coupled the QQI Award brand with references to FETAC and HETAC. Following this transitional period, we now believe that it is time to fully promote the statutory QQI Award brand in its own right.
Building an award brand campaign
Creating awareness of any brand can take a period of time and needs to be approached through a number of avenues. In autumn 2015 a range of initiatives were undertaken at both a national and a provider level which will be built upon over the duration of a 20 month campaign.
The strapline for the award promotion campaign is “QQI Award. Know it when you see it.” Building on this strapline, a series of promotional images were designed which focus on the QQI certificate and on a series of characters that speak about reaping the benefits in their chosen paths. In order to further highlight the centrality of learners and providers to the QQI Award brand, a promotional event formed part of this campaign and this took place in late 2015 in the Aviva stadium; Jan O’Sullivan T.D., Minister for Education and Skills was in attendance to present commemorative certificates to learners from across the country who represented achievement at every level of the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ).
Press, radio, and events are obviously important elements in this promotional campaign. However, there is also a very fundamental piece of work which needs to be undertaken in partnership with public and private stakeholders in education and training, including providers, government departments, agencies and funders, in ensuring that QQI awards are consistently referred to on websites and promotional / explanatory materials. We are therefore asking that all those with cause to make reference to programmes leading to QQI awards are referring to QQI, rather than predecessor awarding bodies, and using the QQI award logo when referring to these statutory awards. The award logo is available via our website: www.QQI.ie. If QQI can help in providing supporting documentation or guidance to facilitate you in making this transition, please email us at communications@qqi.ie.
QQI Strategy Statement and Corporate Plan
Our ambitions to increase our information and communication activities, and to improve the quality and effectiveness of our interaction with our stakeholders, is of course only meaningful in terms of the support these actions provide in fulfilling our qualifications and quality assurance functions. How we anticipate fulfilling our legislative responsibilities in this regard is the subject of our Strategy Statement 2016-2018, which is available at the following link and in hard copy on request: http://www.qqi.ie/Pages/Strategy-Statement-2016-2018.aspx.
Our Corporate Plan for 2016, which will contribute to achieving the goals set out in our Strategy Statement, will be published in early 2016. We look forward to working with you over the coming year and to updating you on organisational developments on a regular basis.
Contact:
Quality and Qualifications Ireland
Web: www.QQI.ie
26/27 Denzille Lane, Dublin 2, Ireland
