New Qualifications and Credit Framework approved

FURTHER Education Minister Siôn Simon has approved the new Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF), which will allow people to gain qualifications at their own pace, from a number of sources and in a way that suits them, thereby building up a portfolio of accredited training to suit their individual needs.

Implementation of the QCF in England over the next two years will represent a significant step in reforming the qualifications landscape for the 21st century and has been widely welcomed by employers, learners, training bodies and awarding bodies alike. The devolved administrations have also announced that the QCF will be implemented in Wales and Northern Ireland respectively.

By 2010, all key vocational qualifications will be approved by the Sector Skills Councils and readily available to learners in small, credit-based units of learning. Credits will be the building blocks of qualifications on the QCF, with 13 credits representing a certificate-level qualification.

Further Education Minister Siôn Simon said: ‘The QCF means that, for the first time, all learning counts. The new system will ensure that no learning is ever lost, as qualifications will be flexible enough to incorporate relevant modules of training gained at a pace that suits the learner.’

This new modular approach to the way vocational qualifications are awarded will make them more relevant to the needs of employers and more flexible and accessible for learners, without compromising quality. The new framework will also reduce bureaucracy in accrediting and assessing qualifications.

The reforms will give learners: greater choice in the units of study they can take; flexibility on how they study and when they complete each unit; and recognition of their achievements in the learner achievement record. The key change for employers is a system in which vocational qualifications are developed and approved based on their needs.

Roseanne Hayward, general manager of EMP Awarding Body Ltd, said: ‘The QCF will allow employers and providers across the mineral and processing sector to get industry-recognized training on to a national framework with employers approving all such qualifications. It will also allow greater flexibility in the design of qualifications better able to meet with needs of businesses and individuals. And with training budgets strained in the current economic climate, the good news is that QCF qualifications will attract public funding.’

Mark Haysom, chief executive of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), which will be responsible or implementing the framework across the sector, added: ‘Against the backdrop of the current economic climate, we need now, more than ever, an employer-led, flexible and responsive qualifications framework where individuals can achieve in smaller steps, and where that achievement can lead to re-engagement or upskilling.’