At GNC we have worked with a number of not for profit or charitable organisations to develop QQI-accredited education programmes that meet the contemporary needs of their learners.

One of our projects supported Vision Ireland to develop a major QQI award in Employment Skills that integrated Rehabilitation Training with Accredited Training to enhance the learner/ user experience and reduce the amount of time it takes the learner to access the labour force. 

The rationale for the curriculum structure was to formalise the current Better Outcomes Framework that is in operation to allow Service Users to gain QQI certification.

Programme title:

Employment Skills for Individuals who are Blind or Vision Impaired 4M0857

The rationale for this programme was to create a bespoke programme to support the needs of individuals with vision impairment. The programme has been devised based on feedback from previous Service Users, employers, industry Stakeholders and vision impairment support best practice using the Better Outcomes Framework.

The development of this programme was part of the evolution in training services provided at Vision Ireland to provide a more targeted, specific set of skills to support access and participation in the workforce.

The programme and module learning outcomes have been specifically designed to reflect the unique set of needs associated with vision impairment. The intended learner group is the Service User cohort of learners availing of services at the Vision Ireland.

An example of service users are people with acquired vision impairments or those who have vision impairment from birth. Service users can attend training with a vast range of ability and disability and each person will have an individual training plan that will support them to reach their learning potential using the COPM (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure) for quantitative self-assessment.

One of the unique aspects of this programme is to provide Non-CAS credit (15 credits) for Orientation, Mobility and Access training which is integral to facilitating successful completion of the Vision Ireland Employment Skills for Individuals with Vision Impairment or Blindness QQI 4M0857 programme.

This programme was selected for development as an evolution of the current QQI validation level 1 Independent Living Skills to meet the changing needs of people with vision impairments living in Ireland. One of the goals of the Vision Ireland National Training Centre is to help Service Users to gain the necessary skills to gain employment and access the labour force.

The QQI Employment Skills major award 4M0857 was identified as the most appropriate CAS award and then a detailed analysis of the knowledge, skills and competence was carried out and the learning outcomes for this programme were set out based on a number of factors:

– Experience in delivering training to individuals with blindness or vision impairment

– Feedback from Service Users

– Feedback and consultation with employers

– Consultation with Tutors and Instructors at Vision Ireland Training

– Consultation and collaboration with GNC (formerly NCU Training)

Consultation in the development of this programme was carried out with Service Users, employers, Vision Ireland Tutors and Instructors, external stakeholders (funding organisations) and other training providers.

Prior to the commencement of development of this programme and leading to the current programme development was consultation and feedback from employers. There are a number of initiatives and relationships in place here at Vision Ireland to support Service Users to access employment. The Central Bank and other employers offer paid internships for Service Users attending the Vision Ireland Training Centre. Experience and feedback from both Service Users and employers through the various initiatives has helped us to shape the current programme development to identify and meet the changing needs of individuals with vision impairment accessing the workplace.

Learner and employer feedback has driven the demand for the development of this programme. The cohort of learners ( Service Users) at Vision Ireland is very diverse ranging from people with intellectual disabilities to professionals with acquired vision impairment. It became apparent that the QQI level 1 Independent Living Skills was not meeting the needs of all Service Users. A number of Service Users gave feedback highlighting that the programme was not challenging enough and was not providing enough opportunity to gain employment skills. Over the last number of years at Vision Ireland we have incorporated many of the relevant skills necessary for access and community inclusion in addition to providing QQI certification (QQI level 1 Major). Based on industry best practice the Better Outcomes Framework provides learners with a holistic programme that addresses the needs of people with vision impairment. This programme with the natural evolution of the last number of years to consolidate the variety minor and uncertified programmes into a QQI level 4 major award that can give Service Users a recognised qualification.

Vision Ireland has funding from a number of sources. Funding Stakeholders have been involved in the consultation process as part of this programme development. It has been noted that QQI certification is the preferred route for funding stakeholders to provide funding. Further HSE funding has been secured to ensure programme delivery.

This programme was specifically designed to provide Service Users with the necessary skills to gain access to employment. Our programme is based on the CAS QQI level 4 Employment Skills 4M0857 which is delivered in a number of training providers for example the ETB’s. The learning outcomes are addressed in full in our interpretation of the QQI Employment Skills but the learning outcomes have been adapted to meet the specific needs of individuals with vision impairment.

At Vision Ireland, Service Users are individually assessed to offer a person centred service, with this in mind, access to this programme will be based on the ability and personal goals of service users.
There are a number of different services operating within the organisation of Vision Ireland and professionals working within these services can assess and refer Service Users to the Training Centre where they can be assessed for suitability for participation in Training.

QQI Employment Skills 4M0857 requires a maths module to be completed. Maths, in particular, has been identified as a particularly challenging subject for individuals with vision impairments because of the visual nature learning the competencies involved in maths. The functional mathematics module has been evaluated and reviewed to target the learning outcomes to topics that will provide necessary skills for individuals with vision impairments.

To date, feedback from Vision Ireland Service Users highlighted that the level of accreditation on offer within the National Training Centre did not equip individuals with any credible transferable skills or certification for transition into further education or employment. QQI modules were also taught on a stand-alone basis and were not intrinsically and holistically integrated into the core curriculum of Rehabilitation Training.

As such it became apparent the need to develop a syllabus and intrinsically embed QQI into the framework of Rehabilitation Training to enhance respect nationally with the HSE and VISPA partners and to more importantly provide individuals with accreditation that is recognised and transferable nationally and to improve skills and knowledge of learners.

For more information on this course see the Vision Ireland’s National Training Centre Site