. The establishment of a national Irish Technological University (ITU) which would monitor standards, ensure quality and make awards at both certificate, diploma and degree level for all existing RTCs.
. It would be the main validating body for all RTC awards, replacing the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA) which does that job at the moment. The RTCs would thus have university validation for their awards for the first time.
. The ITU would have a senate and academic board and would be not unlike the National University of Ireland (NUI) in operation, in that it would not have any students or do any teaching, but would be a validating and standards setting body similar to the NUI.
. The existing RTCs would be renamed as University Institutes. They would be autonomous institutions with governing bodies with local authority representation as at the moment.
. The University Institutes would continue to provide certificates, diplomas and degrees with emphasis on practical, applied courses and the commercial exploitation of knowledge as at the moment. They would have representation on the board of the technological university.
. UIs would not be universities themselves nor part of a university; they would be institutes whose courses would have their standards set, monitored and validated by the one national body, the Irish Technological University, which ensure common standards.
. An international review group should be set up to examine the appropriateness of the RTC sector courses coming under technological university designation.
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