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How does it work? |
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The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA)
The QCA is the guardian of standards and quality across all qualifications in England and Wales. The authority advises the government about all qualifications (except degrees awarded by universities), including the school curriculum and assessment. In addition, QCA:
- manages the national assessment system
- develops, regulates and monitors the national qualifications system
- provides national data, information, guidance and support for those involved in education and training
- monitors the activity of awarding bodies.
In Scotland, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is both an accrediting and awarding body. Not only does it regulate the awarding bodies in Scotland, it can also award every type of Scottish qualification except degrees. The regulatory bodies for Wales and Northern Ireland are the Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales (ACCAC) and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) for Northern Ireland.
www.qca.org.uk or www.sqa.org.uk for Scotland, www.accac.org.uk for Wales and www.ccea.org.uk for Northern Ireland.
The National Qualifications Framework
The regulatory authorities have brought all nationally recognised qualifications in the UK into a clear framework which helps to establish broad equivalencies between qualifications and to show the routes of progression.
The National Qualifications Framework Sheet (
39KB)
www.qca.org.uk
www.scqf.org.uk
National Skills Strategy
The National Skills Strategy aims to provide a framework and delivery plan for meeting the economy's skills needs, including the development of the vocational ladder and the qualifications framework. It aims to engage employers across all areas of skills development and to make sure there is a coherent approach to policy in vocational education and training.
Sector Skills Councils (SSCs)
The SSCs are owned and run by employers, and draw on the expertise and active involvement of trades unions, professional bodies and other stakeholders in the sector. Their goals are to:
- reduce skills gaps and shortages and anticipate future needs
- improve productivity, business and public services performance
To achieve these goals, the tasks of the SSCs include:
- planning for skills development in their sector, based on skills analyses
- defining key sector occupational skills, ensuring the development of comprehensive national occupational standards
The SSCs are supported by the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA), which promotes effective working between sectors. The SSDA funds, supports and monitors the performance of SSCs across the UK. It also aims to improve competitiveness.
Occupational Standards
National occupational standards are developed by the Sector Skills Councils. These standards are set for occupations in each industrial, service or commercial sector. They detail what is expected of people working at different levels in the sectors, from the most basic and routine to the most senior management levels. The standards define what employees, or potential employees, must be able to do and know, how well they must do these things and the circumstances in which they have to use the skills or carry out the activities. The emphasis on the outcomes, rather than the processes of learning, means that the qualifications which people obtain are based firmly on the needs of employers.
Standards are derived through the analysis of occupational functions. The UK's own experience shows that the standards are transferable and can be localised in international contexts. Occupational standards also form the heart of a comprehensive, UK-wide, work-based system of national vocational qualifications, based on national standards of competence. The appropriate qualifications regulatory authority (in the UK either QCA or SQA) accredits the proposed qualification against strict criteria. The qualification, known as NVQ in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and SVQ in Scotland, is accredited for a limited period of time.
National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs)
NVQs are qualifications that assess the skills and knowledge people need to do their job effectively.
Known as SVQs in Scotland, the qualifications can facilitate entry into, or progression in, further education and training. They involve the assessment of:
- skills to specified standards
- relevant knowledge and understanding
- the ability to use skills and to apply knowledge and understanding to relevant tasks.
The qualifications give people the opportunity to prove their competence in their work and gain official recognition for it. There is no limit on the time it may take to gain the whole qualification or individual unit(s). Some people will take longer than others, depending on their understanding of the subject, their work setting and personal circumstances. Candidates are assessed under workplace conditions, either in the workplace, or in a realistically simulated work environment, by an assessor. NVQs are not age-related so anyone can join at any time. They also offer the opportunity to those who missed out on education at an earlier stage.
www.dfes.gov.uk/nvq for England
www.sqa.org.uk for Scotland
What other qualifications are there?
Vocational courses in England and Wales include all sorts of foundation and access courses, plus vocational GCSE and A level courses, the BTEC certificate, national and higher national diploma courses. In Scotland, the Scottish International Foundation Programme can lead on to the higher national certificate and diplomas. Many courses are offered internationally. All the qualifications, from competence-based vocational qualifications to higher national diplomas, are assessed and certified by awarding bodies.
Scotland
The vocational education and training system in Scotland is based on exactly the same employer-led principles as in England, uses the same occupational standards and prizes its responsiveness and flexibility. The key agencies perform similar functions, but the names are different. The two systems run in parallel to one another but with differences in terminology. The lynchpin of the system is the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), which is both an accrediting and an awarding body.
Modern Apprenticeships
There are no set entry requirements to do a Modern Apprenticeship. Anyone between 16 and 24 in England can take one. Apprentices spend time with a learning provider, gaining key skills that will be useful in the job market – like working in teams, problem-solving, communication and using new technology. In addition, they study for a Technical Certificate, which offers further knowledge and understanding of the job.
Awarding bodies
Awarding bodies are responsible for the design and assessment of vocational education and training qualifications.Leading UK awarding bodies with extensive international operations are:
- Edexcel
www.edexcel.org.uk - City & Guilds
www.city-and-guilds.co.uk - University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE)
www.cie.org.uk - London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Examinations Board
www.lccieb.org.uk - Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT)
www.aat.co.uk - Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
www.acca.co.uk
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
The LSC is responsible for funding and planning education and training for over 16-year-olds in England. The LSC's goal is to raise participation and attainment through high-quality education and training which puts learners first.
The Council plans and funds:
- further education (and the 400+ further education colleges in England)
- work-based training
- workforce development
- adult and community learning
Colleges of Further Education
Further education colleges in the UK are autonomous. This means that they can make their own budgetary decisions and can respond quickly to new demands. Their emphasis is on student-focused learning, with the student at the centre of the learning process. They all operate extensive student support services.
There are over 500 further education colleges in the UK. The majority of UK further education students are part-time and over 21 years old.
OFSTED
Ofsted is a government department whose main aim is to help improve the quality and standards of education and childcare through independent inspection and regulation and provide advice to the government. Amongst its many tasks, Ofsted is responsible for inspecting all education and training for ages 16-19 in sixth form and further education colleges.
Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI)
The inspectorate reports both to the government and to the public on the quality of education and training received by adult learners and young people in England. ALI is responsible for inspecting all publicly funded, work-based training for people over 16 and learning for post-19s.
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