Quality assurance and
improvement in the UK
Vocational and Educational
Training system
Lima
June 2014
Geoff Fieldsend
geoff.fieldsend@blueyonder.co.uk
All images © Mat Wright
www.britishcouncil.org
1
A devolved skills system
Four separate jurisdictions
Overlapping but distinctive
approaches in each country to:
 Higher education
 Vocational education in schools
and for young people
 Vocational education for adult
workers and the unemployed
The majority of training is not
funded publicly
Many workers are educated
abroad
Focus here is on England and
TVET……
www.britishcouncil.org
2
Quality Components
Standards and
Qualifications
Policy, Funding, Oversight
The
Labour
Market
www.britishcouncil.org
Teaching and
Assessment
3
Quality Drivers
Funding aligned with policy aims
Skill
shortages
eliminated
Curriculum reflects
skills required
by the
labour
market
Excellent teaching and
robust assessment
Skills
utilised
www.britishcouncil.org
4
Quality: Responsibilities and Mechanisms
Policy and Funding
 Department for Business
Innovation and Skills sets policy
 Skills Funding Agency funds
training centres
Standards and Qualifications
 Employer led occupational standards
 Awarding Bodies design qualifications
and assessment methods
 Ofqual responsible for regulated
qualifications and approves awarding
bodies
Relevance to the Labour Market
Teaching and Assessment
 UKCES carries out employer
 Colleges and training providers submit
surveys
to external inspection and carry out self
 New policy direction involves direct
assessment
directly funding of employers
 Skills Funding Agency manages
contracts and part funds on outputs
 Awarding bodies verify assessments
 Ofsted inspects and rates quality of
teaching
www.britishcouncil.org
5
An integrated system
Funding aligned with policy aims
Curriculum reflects
skills required
by the
labour
market
HIGHER EMPLOYMENT
RATES
Skill
shortages
eliminated
IMPROVED
PRODUCTIVITY
Excellent teaching and
robust assessment
Skills
utilised
www.britishcouncil.org
6
Policy, funding and oversight
Department
of Business
Innovation
and Skills
(BIS)
 Responsible for all publicly funded VET
 Focus on economic growth
 £150m per year invested in quality improvement in colleges
and providers
 Accountable to Parliament
 Parliament accountable to the electorate
Skills
Funding
Agency
 Accountable to BIS
 Funds training including apprenticeships
UKCES
 Accountable to BIS
 Also reports across government
Ofqual
 Independent Agency reporting to Parliament
 Regulator of qualifications system
Ofsted
 Independent Agency reporting to Parliament
 Regulator of teaching institutions
www.britishcouncil.org
7
Qualifications that reflect labour market needs
UK
Commission
for
Employment
and Skills
 Commissions occupational standards required to define
effective performance in job roles
 Institutional changes underway (Sector Skills Councils
Professional Bodies and Industrial Partnerships)
Awarding
Bodies and
Examination
Boards





Ofqual
 Responsible for standards in academic and vocational
qualifications.
 Also responsible for school qualifications
 Regulates Awarding Bodies
 Responsible for quality of regulated qualifications
 Maintains national qualifications frameworks.
www.britishcouncil.org
Private sector bodies
Responsible for qualifications and assessment
Often based on occupational standards
Market system intended to drive up quality
Not tied to publicly funded system
8
Excellent teaching and rigorous assessment
Colleges and
Training
Providers




Skills
Funding
Agency
 Funds over 1,000 colleges, private training organisations
and employers
 Budget of £4 billion each year
 Contract manages colleges and training providers
 Quality reinforced through output related funding
Awarding
Bodies
 Sample assessments to assure validity
 Issue certificates to successful learners
Ofsted




www.britishcouncil.org
Submit to external inspection in return for public funding
Provide annual self assessment report
Performance Related Pay
Publishes data on performance
Responsible for quality of teaching and learning
Also responsible for schools
150 year tradition of inspection in the UK
Inspectors observe and gather evidence about the quality
of teaching
 Assesses and rates the effectiveness of providers
9
Skills support economic growth
UK
Commission
for
Employment
and Skills







Employers
(and trade
unions)







www.britishcouncil.org
Social partnership body
Research, policy and employer engagement
Monitor skills shortages and skills utilisation
Biennual Employer Skills Surveys (UKCES)
Monitor effectiveness of the skills system
Biennual Employer perspectives survey
Piloting new approaches to Employer Ownership and
Investment
 ‘LMI for all’
New agenda being introduced to improve quality
Employer led industry partnerships
Direct funding (tax breaks?)
Focus on longer term outcomes
Subject to quality assurance regime in the future (?)
Co-investment and
Single market for skills
10