Transcript Slide 1

The Qualifications and Credit
Framework
Context for reform:
World class skills
In the Leitch implementation plan the Government
has committed itself to the ambition of becoming a
world leader in skills by 2020.
Raising the skills
levels of adults in
and outside the
workforce
Creating a demand-led
system that responds
to the needs of
employers, learners
and society as a whole.
Creating a more
flexible, innovative
and inclusive
qualifications system
Equipping young
people with the
skills they need
for life and work
What does this mean
for qualifications and
skills?
• A stronger role for employers and SSCs in the
development and approval of qualifications (sector
qualifications reform)
• Development of a more innovative, flexible and inclusive
qualifications framework that employers and providers
can engage with directly (The QCF)
• Introduction of Diplomas for 14-19 learners
• Functional Skills
• The reform of provision for those working at below level 2
to help move them on to appropriate destinations (FLT)
• A funding system that can support a more demand-led
and flexible approach to delivery
• An independent regulator for England (Ofqual)
What is the QCF?
• A new framework for recognising and
accrediting qualifications in England, Wales
and Northern Ireland
• The framework is at the heart of a major reform of
the vocational qualifications system designed to
make the whole system simpler to understand
and use and more inclusive
• The intention is to make both the system and the
qualifications offered far more relevant to the
needs of employers and more flexible and
accessible for learners
Challenge
A simple framework
Level
1 – 12 credits
13 – 36 credits
Size
37 + credits
Size and level
Every unit and qualification in the framework will have a
credit value and a level
• Three sizes of qualifications
• Nine levels
 The level of a unit of qualification shows you how
difficult it is
 To help understand the levels useful to know: GCSEs
(A*-C) are level 2, A levels are level 3 and a PhD
degree is level 8
• Credits
 1 credit = 10 hours of learning time (the amount of
time and effort it takes to complete)
The learner record
When a learner completes a unit they are awarded the
relevant credit(s) which are recorded electronically on
their learner record (LR)
Learners can access their LR online to:
• Track their progress towards achieving a
qualification
• Explore potential routes to achievement (find
qualifications for which they have already achieved
some credit)
• Give permission to others (including employers
and providers) to view the information contained
within it.
Units
• A unit (unit of assessment) is defined as a coherent
set of learning outcomes and related assessment
criteria, with a title, credit value and level
• Each unit must be capable of being individually
assessed
• Each unit must be capable of contributing towards at
least one qualification
• Information on delivery, content/coverage,
assessment methods or learning modes are not
included within the definition of a unit but can be
specified within the supporting documentation
• There are no restrictions on the size of units
• Units can be generic and applicable to a range of
contexts and qualifications
QCF units: The building blocks of the framework
Title
Plan to sell your product or service
Level
3
Credit value
1
Learning outcomes
The learner will:
Assessment Criteria
The learner can:
1. Understand how to assess the market for
selling your product or service
1.1 Assess the advantages and disadvantages
of different methods of selling your product or
service.
1.2 Assess the impact of these different
methods on the potential volume of sales
2. Understand the importance of setting sales
targets for your business
2.1. Explain why it is important to set sales
targets for your business
2.2. Set sales targets that take account of sales
forecasts, profit margins and cash flow and
determine a possible timescale to meet them.
2.3 Produce a sales plan and include all the
information needed to show the basis for your
decisions
Example from OCR Level 3 Award in Business Enterprise (QCF)
Credit
• Credit value: specifies the number of credits that
will be awarded to a learner who has achieved
the learning outcomes of the unit
• The credit value of the unit remains consistent in
all contexts
• Learners are only awarded credit through
completion of whole units
• One credit is awarded for those learning
outcomes achieved in ten hours of learning time
Rules of combination
•
Rules of combination specify the credits that need to be
achieved, through particular units, for a qualification to be
awarded
•
All qualifications within the framework have rules of
combination
•
They are the mechanism through which sets of
achievements are grouped together into a qualification. In
this respect they serve a similar purpose to existing
qualification structures in the NQF
•
The other purpose of RoC is the structure through which
credits are transferable between qualifications and
awarding bodies. This second purpose is not present in
the NQF
•
The scope of opportunities for Credit Accumulation and
Transfer (CAT) will vary between different qualifications
Elements of a rule of combination
Qualification title
The size and level of the qualification, together with its indicative
content.
Credit value
Identifies the overall credit value for the qualification and the
requirements for credit achievement at each level of the QCF.
Mandatory units
Lists the mandatory units for the qualification.
Optional units
Lists the optional units for the qualification and the requirements for
credit achievement from these units.
Combinations of
optional units
Sets out any required or barred combinations of optional units, and any
requirements to achieve credit(s) from particular groups of units.
Units with
equivalent values
Identifies credits that may be counted towards the qualification from
units that are not offered to learners by the awarding body as
alternatives to optional and mandatory units.
Credits from other
units
Sets out the possibilities for credits from other units (i.e. other than
those listed in the mandatory and optional units) to count towards the
achievement of the qualification.
Exemptions
Identifies other qualifications, or part qualifications, outside the QCF,
that may exempt holders from the requirements to achieve credit(s)
through particular units.
How it works – step by step
Units (customised
parcels of learning/
assessment) are
given a level and
credit value
Learners are
awarded credit when
they complete a unit
or qualification
Awarded credit
recorded on a
learner record (LR)
Units are submitted
to the QCF databank
Learners register for
units and
qualifications.
Online search
available.
Learners can bank,
spend or
accumulate credit
throughout their
learning life.
Units are then
combined together
to make
qualifications
Regulators accredit
qualifications to
make sure they are
of high quality
Main differences
NQF - QCF
• Unit based – learning outcomes and
assessment criteria
• Credit and level (units and qualifications)
• Rules of combination
• IT infrastructure
How was it developed?
• Through a comprehensive test and trial programme which ran
from September 2006 – Summer 2008
• The programme tested the mechanisms of the framework to
see if it could deliver potential benefits
• QCF fast-track process allowed further development:
 SSCs worked with LSC to identify quals for priority
funding
 Quals expiring in the NQF between Aug 07 and July 08
• Employer and provider accreditation programme allowed inhouse training to be nationally recognised. Seven employers
and one provider have been recognised as accredited
awarding organisations: McDonalds, Flybe, Network Rail,
MoD, Plasa, REC and City College Norwich
PwC Evaluation of the
QCF Tests and Trials
• Over fifty projects across different sectors, contexts, and
levels ended in May 2008
• Each comprised a lead trialist working with a number of
partner organisations to develop and deliver QCF units and
qualifications
• Comprised:
 432 accredited qualifications (1018 now)
 233 learning providers (46 AOs)
 10,000 publicly-funded learners (at Feb 08), 3,400 of
whom had a ULN
• Not all trialists progressed through the processes of
delivering, assessing and awarding. The transfer of credit
between AOs by learners was untested
PwC Evaluation of the
QCF Tests and Trials
In June QCA, DCELLS and CCEA submitted a series of reports to
Ministers and UKVQRP that evaluated evidence from the trials
and development work, and explored options for the
implementation of QCF across EWNI. Highlights from the PwC
report include:
•
Strong support from employers, providers and from
learners
•
Evidence that QCF delivers more flexibility in design,
delivery and assessment
•
Evidence that QCF can provide the responsiveness that is
necessary to meet Leitch targets
•
The need for strong change management, capacity
building and the support of a national communications
and marketing programme for implementation of the QCF
Response
• Reports were well received by Ministers, and QCA were
asked by DIUS to carry out further work to develop a full
and specific business case, including a detailed delivery
model for QCF, for the end of September 2008
• Producing a Business Change Strategy for stakeholder
engagement, capacity building and communications
• DIUS also asked LSC to contribute to this process,
specifically in the areas of the systems and technological
infrastructure that will be needed to support the QCF on
a permanent basis, including systems for recording and
displaying learner achievement data and supporting CAT
Regulations
•
Ofqual, DCELLS and CCEA published the Regulatory
Arrangements for the QCF on 28 August 2008. These set out
the regulations that will apply to organisations that operate
within, and the qualifications that are accredited into, the
QCF
•
As the QCF regulatory arrangements require awarding
organisations to operate differently in some areas from the
NQF, the regulators will need to carry out a supplementary
recognition exercise. They will not ask awarding
organisations to demonstrate systems and procedures again
for which evidence has already been provided, but will ask
them to demonstrate their procedures in new areas
•
Those recognised during the tests and trials can continue to
submit units and qualifications, in line with an agreed
timetable for return of the required new documentation
IT Infrastructure
•
QCA is currently reviewing and upgrading the IT
infrastructure that was developed and used during the
tests and trials
•
Upgrades will begin to be in place during Autumn and will
enable QCF to continue to develop until permanent
systems go live
•
Whilst upgrade work is ongoing, mechanisms for
accreditation will be unaffected, but the process
necessitates temporarily disabling the Learner
Achievement Record and access until completion
•
Learning providers can continue to register learners via
awarding organisation routes
•
QCA will keep everyone updated as the work progresses
via traditional communication routes including the QCA
website and the monthly electronic newsletter
European Qualifications
Framework (EQF)
• The EQF for lifelong learning is a common
European reference framework which enables
European countries to link their qualifications
systems to one another
• It is a translation device making qualifications
more readable and understandable across
different countries and system in Europe
• UK ministers signed up to European Parliament
recommendations at the end of 2007 to
implement the EQF
European Qualifications
Framework (EQF)
• Implementation of the EQF in the UK has begun
• Consulting on proposed alignment of UK frameworks.
Timescales are:
 Scotland: Sept 08 - Nov 08
 England/Northern Ireland: Nov 08 - Jan 09
 Wales: Jan 09 - Mar 09
• The agreed cross-referencing of the QCF with the EQF
will be published in March 2009
• Development tools to help sectors translate their
qualifications to the EQF via the national frameworks will
be available as an outcome of the work
Higher Education
• Articulation between QCF and Framework for
Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ)
• Joint Forum Higher Levels
 QAA, QCA, SQA, DCELLS & CCEA
 Overarching Principles and Operational Criteria
 2007 – Burgess Group published
recommendations for use of credit within HE
alongside FHEQ. JFHL may provide advice and
guidance on the use of credit within HE for
those developing systems and providing
support for learners progressing between the
two systems
Benefits for
learners
• Offer more freedom, choice and flexibility
• Give easy access to information about the commitment
needed for different routes to achievement, letting learners
balance that commitment with family, work and other
responsibilities
• Allow them to build up credits at their own pace and combine
them in a way that will help them get where they want to be
• Enable them to transfer credits between qualifications to
avoid having to repeat their learning
• Record all their achievements on an electronic learner
record, encouraging them and others to value their past
achievements
Benefits for
learning providers
• Enable them to design more flexible programmes,
suitable to the individual needs of learners
• Help them improve retention and progression rates by
recognising smaller steps of achievement more
frequently
• Track all learners' achievements through the use of a
unique learner number (ULN) and an individual's
electronic learner record, giving providers standard
information about each learner's past achievements
• Help them describe achievements to employers and
learners in a language that is easy to understand
Benefits for
employers
• Help them to measure quickly the level and size of
achievements of prospective employees
• Enable them to get in-house training recognised within
a national framework
• Describe levels of achievement in terms everyone can
understand
• Make training options and pathways clear, helping
employees and employers find the right training for
their learning and business needs
General awareness
events
Date
Time
Place
27 November 2008
4 December 2008
11 December 2008
10:00 – 15:00
10:15 – 15:15
10:15 – 15:15
QCA Office
QCA Office
QCA Office
To register: http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_8152.aspx
(click on events registration page and follow instructions).
More information
For more information on the QCF visit the QCA web
page:
www.qca.org.uk/qcf
To subscribe to a QCF monthly e-update visit the QCA
web page:
www.qca.org.uk/subscribe
To obtain copies of a QCF test and trial pack (produced
by the regulators)
Phone: 08700 60 60 15
Quote: QCA/07/3412.