Secondary vocational education
Level 5 Certificate
In Irish secondary vocational education, students can obtain, among other diplomas, the Level 5 Certificate.
- : 1 year.
- : 120 credits. These are not ECTS credits, but credits from the Common Awards System, whereby 1 credit stands for 10 hours of study.
- Content: depends on the field of study, such as business, sports and recreation and multimedia studies. In most cases, 8 units are required to complete the programme. See: Awards, a listing of further education and training awards made by QQI.
- Admission requirements: a Leaving Certificate obtained with grade 6 or higher for at least 5 subjects at Ordinary Level.
- Function of the diploma: work. Irish educational institutions sometimes admit students with a Level 5 Certificate to a bachelor’s programme. In this case, they will set the following requirements:
- the Level 5 Certificate needs to be obtained in a related field of study;
- a majority of the minor awards within the major award must have been obtained with ‘distinction’: 80% or higher.
- Diploma: Level 5 Certificate, if students complete the whole programme (major award). They receive a Component Certificate if they do not complete all of the appropriate subjects (minor awards) of the programme. The QQI awards both diplomas (certificates).
Duration
The official length of the full-time programme (not part-time) without study delay.
Study load
The amount of time the average student needs to master the subject matter/course material. This includes both contact hours (education) and hours for self-study. Educational institutions describe the study load in credits, such as ECTS.
We compare a Level 5 Certificate to an diploma level 4.
MBO
Secondary vocational education (middelbaar beroepsonderwijs, MBO). MBO prepares pupils for the professional practice or further study. This type of education follows on from VMBO; its duration will depend on the chosen qualification. MBO comprises 4 levels (I-IV). Read more on the website of SBB.
Please note: you can only use this comparison if you want to check whether a diploma can give access to Dutch higher education. If you want to know what the level of this diploma is because you are looking for work, please contact IDW. The diploma also can be compared to another MBO level.
Want to know more?
Do you have questions about secondary vocational education in Ireland? Please contact the SBB. The SBB compares foreign secondary vocational education diplomas for people looking for work.