A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE UKS NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK

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A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE UKS NATIONAL
QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK
Peter Clack Education Development Manager British
Council Istanbul Turkey peter.clack_at_britishcouncil
.org.tr www.britishcouncil.org.tr
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THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE
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Skills for a global economy

• Workers must be equipped not simply with
  technical
• know-how but also with the ability to create,
  analyse and
• transform information and to interact effectively
  with others.
• Moreover that learning will increasingly be a
  lifelong
• learning activity
• 
  Alan Greenspan

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The National Qualifications Framework
Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern
Ireland fit into the National Qualifications
Framework (NQF). Revised NQF came into effect 1
September 2004 In Scotland there is the Scottish
Qualifications Framework. Vocationally-related
occupational qualifications are linked to
national occupational standards, which set out
real-world job skills defined by employers
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• The National Qualifications Framework
• Aims to
• widen participation and promote life-long
  learning
• clarify and smooth the relationship between
  academic, vocational and general qualifications
• facilitate the choice and combination of
  qualification types and signposts clear
  progression routes
• provide a framework for quality assurance that
  commands public and professional confidence.

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The National Qualifications Framework
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The National Qualifications Framework
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The National Qualifications Framework
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• The National Qualifications Framework
• Contains more than 4,000 qualifications - but to
  meet the needs of employers and learners,
  awarding bodies have developed a wide range of
  popular awards outside of the framework.
• Industry spends an estimated 23 billion on other
  training provision that meets very specific
  individual and local needs.
• The National Qualifications Framework, while
  representing a large portfolio of highly
  respected qualifications, is not meeting the full
  range of skills and learning needs.

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• NEXT STEPS

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• The Skills Strategy
• On 9 July 2003 the Department for Education and
  Skills launched its first ever Skills Strategy,
  among its aims, the strategy intended to
• Unitise qualifications and introduce a credit
  system The Framework For Achievement
• Give 14-19 year olds access to a range of
  excellent academic and vocational education
  courses
• 14-19 Reform

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• THE FRAMEWORK FOR
• ACHIEVEMENT

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Framework for Achievement A consultation was
launched to explore proposals for a Framework for
Achievement on 29 November 2004. It will be
forward looking, encompassing a much wider range
of achievements and underpinned by a unit and
credit based system. It will be capable of
development over time to include all formally
assessed achievements outside the Framework for
Higher Education Qualifications.
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• Framework for Achievement
• The vision for the new Framework is that it will
  support
• systems to recognise learner achievements that
  are
• responsive to the needs of individuals and
  employers
• inclusive of a wide range of achievements
• clear and accessible to learners and providers
• cost effective to use and to manage
• valued by all users
• able to facilitate credit transfer
  arrangements with European credit systems.

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Framework for Achievement Credit will be
awarded for completion of individual
units. Qualifications will then be built up by
combining and accumulating these units. All
units will be based on a standard format and many
units will be shared between different
qualifications. It will allow achievements
through work-based learning, e-learning,
employer training programmes and community-based
learning to be recognised.
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• Framework for Achievement
• It will continue to identify qualifications that
  recognise occupational competence in a particular
  job role.
• These occupational qualifications will be
  clearly linked to National Occupational
  Standards.
• Each unit will only be recognised for a specified
  period of time to take account of rapidly
  changing employment.

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• 14-19 REFORM

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14-19 Reform

• All students should stay on through sixth form,
  or take up a modern apprenticeship or job-related
  training. In effect we want to make irrelevant
  the school leaving age of 16.
• Our goal is for every young person to succeed
  which requires a new culture of personalised
  learning in schools to develop talents of
  students whatever their starting point or
  aspiration.

Prime Minister, Tony Blair 13th March 2004
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14-19 Reform The Working Group on 14-19 Reform,
chaired by Sir Mike Tomlinson, published its
final report last October At the heart of its
report was the core principle of a single,
over-arching qualifications framework for both
academic and vocational courses. On 23 February
2005, the Department for Education and Skills
published the 14-19 Education and Skills White
Paper as a response.
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• 14-19 Reform
• While it accepts many recommendations, the
  government is not adopting the proposals for an
  overarching framework that combines all existing
  qualifications.
• It has proposed a separate framework for
  vocational studies - to boost their status.
• "For the first time we are going to take on and
  tackle the intellectual snobbery which has
  relegated vocational education to a second class,
  second best education."
• Education Secretary, Ruth Kelly

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• 14-19 Reform
• The proposals introduce new specialised lines of
  learning leading to Diplomas in 14 broad sector
  areas.
• Employers, through Sector Skills Councils, will
  lead in their design and higher education
  institutions will also have an important role to
  play.
• The specialised Diplomas will replace the current
  system of around 3,500 separate qualifications
  and will provide an alternative gateway to higher
  education and skilled employment.

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• KEY LESSONS LEARNT
• DURING ONGOING UK
• REFORM

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• The learner must benefit
• Government must be clear on its desired
  outcomes
• There must be clear functions for all the bodies
  involved
• There is no single solution to tackling the
  skills agenda
• Whatever is put in place must be able to change
• Partnership between all stakeholders is
  essential

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• THANK YOU