Update 10: OCN NI response to Economy Minister’s announcement on how vocational qualifications will be awarded

OCN NI welcomes the announcement on 23 April by Economy Minister Diane Dodds on how vocational qualifications and essential skills qualifications will be awarded to learners in Northern Ireland this summer in light of the unprecedented circumstances impacting on education following the Covid-19 pandemic. To view the Minister’s announcement click here.

While this has been an unsettling time for learners wishing to progress and centres have many questions, I want to re-assure you that OCN NI has worked closely with the NI Qualifications Regulator and other awarding organisations to agree a consistent approach that will address how individual learner results will be awarded so that no learner will be adversely affected.

We are at an advanced stage in finalising our guidance to centres on how you should collect information to calculate results, and it is our intention to communicate with all centres offering OCN NI vocational qualifications and essential skills qualifications early next week.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during these extraordinary and unprecedented times.



Martin Flynn
Chief Executive Officer