QQI Pilots Microsoft Copilot to Review VET Standards While Providers Draft Curricula with ChatGPT

Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) is the sole national awarding body for further education and training (FET) qualifications, responsible for maintaining prescriptive, often dated Award Specifications with a relatively small regulatory team, and since 2024 has piloted Microsoft Copilot in a closed environment for selected analytical and administrative tasks, including refining text, comparing and mapping standards, identifying gaps between learning outcomes, and conducting thematic analysis of programme validation and review reports.

QQI's own 2025 Corporate Plan confirms the pilot and states that staff are given training and support, with feedback being gathered to inform a decision on full roll-out, while QQI stresses that AI is not used for substantive content generation, validation decisions or regulatory approval and that human oversight and legal accountability remain essential.

At provider level, an OECD (2026) case study documents Lir Business Services & Training Centre using tools such as ChatGPT since around 2024 to analyse labour-market trends and draft learning outcomes, assessment templates, lesson plans and learner resources aligned with QQI module descriptors, with all outputs reviewed by qualified educators before use.

Providers report that AI has 'levelled the playing field somewhat' for smaller, privately funded training organisations without large curriculum teams, though nationally, OECD interviews describe Ireland's overall AI use in VET curriculum and qualification development as early and exploratory, concentrated in discrete tasks rather than systematic integration.

QQI notes ongoing caution about inputting confidential draft standards even within its closed system, reflecting a pilot that remains tightly scoped and supervised rather than a settled, sector-wide practice.