Ensuring quality – what
can be learnt from the
UK and the rest of
Europe?
Santiago
June 2014
Geoff Fieldsend
geoff.fieldsend@blueyonder.co.uk
All images © Mat Wright
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What is Quality Assurance?
Quality assurance (official definition) :
“The policies, processes and procedures that define and
systematically monitor and evaluate different aspects of a
product, service, process or facility to ensure that quality
standards are being met”.
Quality assurance (my rough definition)
“What we do to make sure that things are
done as well as we need them to be done”.
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Overview
United Kingdom
European Union
 Quality components
 Quality as a process
 Quality drivers
 Quality framework
Supply side
Demand side
 Systemic
 Institutional
 Classroom/workplace
 Governance issues
 Coherence
 Developing holistic quality
assurance systems
 Over to you: issues for consideration
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Quality Components
Standards and
Qualifications
Policy, Funding, Regulation
Relevance
to
the
Labour
Market
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Teaching and
Assessment
4
Quality Drivers
Funding aligned with clear policy aims
Skill
shortages eliminated
and
skills
utilised
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Curriculum reflects
skills required
by the
labour
market
Excellent teaching and
robust assessment
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Who does what?
OFQUAL
Government / Skills Funding Agency
UKCES
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OFSTED
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Quality: Issues and Focus
Policy and Funding
Balance between innovation and
continuity in policy direction
Funding (Economy, Efficiency,
Effectiveness)
Regulation and Inspection
Balance between maintaining
standards and minimising
bureaucracy
 BIS/Skills Funding Agency
Standards and Qualifications
Research and evaluation
Occupational standards
Apprenticeships frameworks
Regulated qualifications market
Qualifications and programme
development
Relevance to the Labour Market
Employers skills and attitudes
surveys
Employer ownership and investment
Skills utilisation
Skills deployment
Future proofing
 UKCES
Teaching and Assessment
Teaching, mentoring, coaching
Curriculum development
Assessment and grading
Information, advice and guidance
Management
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 OFQUAL
 OFSTED
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Quality as a process
Set up clear, appropriate
and measurable goals
and objectives in terms
of policies, procedures,
tasks and human
resources
Develop procedures in
order to achieve the
targeted outcomes
and/or new objectives.
After processing
feedback, key
stakeholders conduct
discussion and analysis
in order to devise
procedures for change
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Establish procedures to ensure the achievement of
goals and objectives (eg development of
partnerships, involvement of stakeholders, allocation
of resources and operational procedures).
Design mechanisms for the
evaluation of achievement and
outcomes by collecting and
processing data in order to make
informed assessments
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Quality Framework
What are the
What question
standards and how
should be asked
Focus on the
can we measure them? to determine
learning
they are met?
environment
System wide:
Provider:
Pedagogy
and
assessment:
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What instruments
can be used to
assess and
develop quality in
relation to each
standard?
Increased employability
Better match between training supply and demand
Improved access
Relevance of quality assurance systems for providers
Investment in training of teachers and trainers
Participation rates
Completion rates
Placement rates
Utilisation of acquired skills in the workplace
Unemployment rate
Attainment levels of vulnerable groups
Quality of LMI
Active labour market approaches
 Consistency with quality approaches in other aspects of policy
development and teaching environments (eg schools, universities)
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• More systematic
evidence based
evaluation of
quality
approaches and
tools in adult
learning is
needed to inform
and enable
further
development
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• Assuring the
quality of adult
learning
provision
requires a
comprehensive
approach that
crosses all
education and
training sectors
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Principles for holistic quality system
• Complement
existing
resources
• Develop and
extend existing
resources
• Integrate
resources into a
consistent
framework of
principles,
criteria and
guidelines
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Issues for consideration: Over to you!
What are the main drivers for quality assurance in TVET?
Who benefits?
What are the characteristics of a good quality assurance system?
Who is responsible?
What are the risks and challenges?
How do we overcome them?
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