The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety Education Strategy Group identified a need for streamlining of application and selection processes for Higher Education Institutions (universities) during 2011. NIPEC was commissioned by this group to undertake a project to improve the efficiency of the application and selection processes.

The rationale for this piece of work lies in the desire of those organisations involved to support a process by which students may apply to, and be effectively and efficiently selected for, pre-registration nursing programmes. It should be noted that whilst this project encompasses nursing programmes only, some cognisance will be given to the applicability of the developed strategy for direct entry midwifery programmes.

The first phase of the Project is now completed. A summary report was presented to Education Strategy Group, DHSSPS, in November 2011, where the recommendations were accepted and implementation was approved. To view the summary report of the First Phase click here.

To view the Project Plan, Agendas and Agreed notes of the meetings so far click here.  

It is hoped that Phase 2 of the project will begin in the spring of 2013. Further details will be posted to this site in due course.