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Relevant ministers

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Each minister responsible for a branch of government administration is the relevant minister for qualifications falling within that branch. Relevant ministers are responsible for developing the range of qualifications awarded by entities other than schools and higher education institutions. They ensure that this offer responds to the needs of employers and of people of different ages who want to improve their position in the labour market by obtaining additional certificates.

The IQS Act gives relevant ministers a key role. They decide whether the following qualifications are included in the system: 

  • regulated qualifications, 
  • market qualifications, 
  • sectoral qualifications, 
  • craft qualifications. 

Relevant ministers also ensure that these qualifications remain up to date and oversee the quality of how they are awarded.

What does the relevant minister do?

  1. reviews applications for the inclusion of market, sectoral and craft qualifications in the IQS,
  2. includes regulated qualifications in the IQS; these qualifications very often also provide authorisation to perform specific professional roles,
  3. grants authorisation to award market and sectoral qualifications,
  4. designates institutions responsible for external quality assurance of the awarding of market and sectoral qualifications, 
  5. supervises the awarding of qualifications by awarding bodies,
  6. periodically reviews qualifications.