Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

1
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Vicki Ball
• Director of Workforce Development
• GoSkills

2
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Aims
• To provide information on changes to
  qualifications and apprenticeships
• To provide information on how qualifications
  reforms could affect the rail industry
• To explain the GoSkills role

3
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Current situation
• National Occupational Standards (NOS),
  qualifications and apprenticeships are in place
  for rail operations and rail engineering
• High level of operator input to NOS
• Limited use of qualifications - although this is
  on the increase
• Generic customer service and engineering
  qualifications are used by some operators

4
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• National/Scottish Vocational Qualifications
  (N/SVQs)
• Based on NOS
• Structure determined by operators
• Clear purpose - designed to assess workplace
  competence
• UK-wide sets national standard
• Assessment managed and quality assured by
  approved awarding bodies (now described as
  Awarding Organisations)

5
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Delivery of N/SVQs
• Increased flexibility in delivery eg options to
  use alternative to AV units
• Options to align internal training/industry
  qualifications against evidence requirements
• Opportunities to access funding via consortia
  arrangements for delivery
• Qualification of choice for funding purposes

6
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Qualification Reform - Credit Frameworks
• Recognise value of learning by credits
• Credit is calculated based on level of demand and
  volume of learning
• Supports bite-size - allocated to units
• Credits combined to form qualifications
• Enables comparison between qualifications
• Theoretically more flexible

7
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• UK Credit Frameworks
• Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF)
  England and Northern Ireland
• Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales
  (CQFW)
• Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
  (SCQF)
• European Credit Framework

8
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Common between old and new systems
• Qualification levels are the same
• Employers (through SSC) retain control of NOS and
  determine priority qualifications for funding
  purposes
• Employers can drive content and structure of
  national qualifications (through SSC)
• Regulation of qualifications continues via
  reformed Ofqual
• Relies on approved awarding organisations

9
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Possible Opportunities
• More flexibility to mix and match different units
• Government desire to make qualifications more
  employer-led
• More control over the qualifications that are
  approved and funded via SSC
• More scope for employers to become awarding
  organisations in their own right and/or to submit
  their own units into QCF

10
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Possible Challenges
• Too much flexibility
• Qualification titles Award, Credit and Diploma
• Titles will be based on the size of
  qualifications rather than their purpose
• Relies on approved awarding organisations
• Differences between nations
• Timelines QCF to be in place by end of 2010

11
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Practicalities
• All qualifications (England and NI) will need to
  be re-formatted to meet the new unit templates by
  2010 primarily presentational
• All units will need to have credit determined
• Greater centralisation more responsibility
  shifts to SSCs who will submit Units of
  Assessment and Rules of Combination based on NOS
  as well as taking on quals approval

12
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Current Apprenticeship Frameworks
• Rail Engineering (3)
• Rail Operations (level 2 only)
• Engineering
• Note Rail Apprenticeship Steering Group meets
  regularly

13
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Current National Issues
• Branding Apprenticeship/Modern Apprenticeships
• Differences between Scotland and other nations in
  terms of structure and apprenticeship framework
  approval process
• Differences in funding across the nations and
  across age groups

14
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Apprenticeship Strategy for England
• Government report issued in January
• Entitlement for all suitably qualified young
  people from 2013 work of the new National
  Apprenticeship Service (NAS) will include
  promoting apprenticeships to employers
• Raising of participation age to 18 from 2015
• Target of 400,000 apprentices in learning by 2020
  (currently 100,000pa)
• NAS priority increase employer participation

15
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Apprenticeship Frameworks must be
• Blueprint compliant ie
• Occupational Component (usually NVQ)
• Knowledge Component
• Transferable Skills (Numeracy Communication)
• Employment Rights and Responsibilities
• Occupationally relevant
• Approved for use and for funding

16
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Apprenticeship Frameworks Current Issues
• Blueprint under review in England will lead to
  additional requirements
• Potentially separate Blueprints for Wales and
  Northern Ireland
• All qualifications under review for 2010
• All frameworks will be reviewed

17
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Future Incentives for Employers
• Employers will be able to configure and submit
  their own apprenticeship frameworks within the
  blueprint guidelines via SSC
• All apprentice experience will be recognised
• Direct incentives to over-recruit and over-train
• Funding pilots for 19 where age restrictions pre
  18
• Promotion via specific activities such as
  Olympics

18
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• GoSkills Role in the Reform Process
• Ensuring qualifications and apprenticeships meet
  employers requirements
• Ensure revised qualifications and apprenticeships
  ready for the 2010 deadline
• Maintain Sectors Qualifications Strategy
• Identify priority qualifications for public
  funding

19
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Review Timelines
• Rail Operations
• NOS Reviewed 2008-09
• Submit units of assessment to QCF 2009
• Revised qualifications and apprenticeships
  2009/10
• Rail Engineering
• NOS Reviewed 2009-10
• Submit units of assessment to QCF 2010
• Revised qualifications and apprenticeships 2010

20
Qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks

• Contacts
• Kevin Marchand, Head of Skills (Kevin.Marchand_at_gos
  kills.org)
• Kath ORegan, Apprenticeship Manager
  (Kathryn.Oregan_at_goskills.org)
• National/Regional Managers www.goskills.org