The first training provider to be recognised to award accredited qualifications

Date: 24/04/2008

As part of a larger programme of activity, QCA were asked by the government to investigate ways employers and providers could contribute more directly to the national qualifications system.

To establish the UK as a world-class leader in skills by 2020 is one of the biggest challenges facing employers, education and training. As part of a larger programme of activity, we were asked by the government to investigate ways employers and providers could contribute more directly to the national qualifications system. The purpose of the survey was to invite employers and providers to give their views on the benefits of having their in-house training recognised within the national system, and the ways in which this might best be achieved.

Background

A new framework for national qualifications is being developed to support a more flexible and responsive approach to both the development and accreditation of qualifications. This framework, the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF), will break down qualifications into small pieces of learning, or 'units', which will allow people to accumulate 'credit' as they learn over time. The qualifications themselves will have simple titles, to avoid confusion and overlapping names. We are determined that, by working closely with employers, providers, employer groups and sector skills councils, qualifications will fully reflect the needs of those who want to use them. More information on the QCF is available at: www.qca.org.uk/framework

Benefits

The reforms are not just about reorganising the qualifications that are already accredited. We want to reach out and bring into the QCF the best learning and training, wherever it exists and whoever provides it. We believe that bringing employers' and providers' training into the QCF is a critical part of the work to develop a skills base built on high-quality training. Accredited training in a flexible system provides a number of benefits to employers and employees:

• development of qualifications based around employers' training and skills needs
• transferable achievements across and between employment sectors
• quick and responsive ways to 'up-skill' or 're-skill' the workforce
• support for continued professional development
• assistance with recruitment.

In addition to the benefits to employers and employees, the following are the benefits for providers and learners:

• transferable achievements across and between sectors
• quick and responsive ways to 'up-skill' or re-skill' the workforce
• support for continuous professional development
• assistance with learner retention, motivation and achievement
• wider learner participation
• help for providers to support employer training and skills needs.

In the longer term, we believe that ensuring that training has value in the national qualifications system benefits everyone.

We want to investigate a range of options for the accreditation of employers' and providers' training, to include both whole qualifications and smaller 'parcels' of training, which are focused on specific areas of business. To achieve this we need to test out possible approaches to take with employers and providers, to get their own training recognised at a national level. This means looking at both the training itself and the processes by which it is quality assured and validated.

For more information on this project email: recognition@qca.org.uk