British Council
The UK National Qualification System
April 2014
Geoff Fieldsend
geoff.fieldsend@blueyonder.co.uk
All images © Mat Wright
www.britishcouncil.org
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Skills purpose: To enhance the
quality of skills systems by
encouraging closer links between
education, employers and policy
makers in the UK and worldwide.
A devolved approach
The UK system is difficult to accurately describe in
detail because:
•
Each of the four jurisdictions in the UK (England,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) are organised
more or less separately.
•
Even within each ‘country’, the systems for schools,
universities, and Vocational Education and Training
(VET) – whilst they overlap - work in different ways
and with different institutions.
•
The public sector – and its institutional infrastructure
- is not directly responsible for the vast majority of
training that takes place in the workplace.
•
The UK as a whole is part of the wider European
Union single market which means many workers
receive their education and training abroad.
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Who does what?
Specialist Bodies
Government and Agencies
Colleges and
Providers
The Workplace
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Functions and Institutions
Government and Agencies
Specialist Bodies
Policy
Research and evaluation
Funding
Setting skills standards
Regulation and Inspection
Qualifications and programme
development
The Workplace
Colleges and Providers
Recruitment
Teaching and delivery
Workforce development
Assessment and grading
Skills deployment
Information, advice and guidance
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Government and Agencies
Policy
Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS)
Skills policy separate from both the Department for Work and Department
of Education with the intention of increasing the focus on economic growth.
Funding
Skills Funding Agency
BIS Agency funding over 1,000 colleges, private training organisations and
employers with more than £4 billion each year; includes apprenticeship
funding.
Regulation
Ofqual
and Inspection Independent Agency reporting to Parliament; responsible for maintaining
standards in both academic and vocational qualifications. Regulates by
recognising and monitoring organisations that offer qualifications and
assessments. Maintains national qualifications frameworks.
Ofsted
Independent Agency reporting to Parliament: inspectors observe and
gather evidence about the quality of teaching with a view to assessing the
effectiveness of providers.
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Specialist Bodies
Research and
evaluation
UK Commission for Employment and Skills
BIS Agency with UK accountability led by top employers and trade unions
providing policy proposals and in depth research. Funded the Employer
Ownership Pilot and other employer led initiatives.
Setting skills
standards
Sector Skills Councils
Independent bodies historically responsible for occupational standards and
apprenticeships frameworks. Future in doubt with rise of new ‘Industrial
Partnerships’ and withdrawal of government money.
Professional Bodies
Employer led and sponsored organisations that set skills standards; also
develop qualifications outside the state system.
Qualifications
and
programme
development
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Awarding Bodies
Develop qualifications to meet learner and employer needs often based on
standards. 76 recognised bodies but many very small and three –
Pearsons, City & Guilds and Cambridge Assessment - account for over
half the market.
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Colleges and Providers
Teaching and
delivery
Colleges and Training providers
Choose which awarding organisation to use and apply to them for
approval; develop and deliver training programmes based on qualifications
units.
Assessment
and grading
Colleges and Training providers
Assess against the qualification specification.
Awarding Organisations
Sample assessments to assure validity; issues certificates to successful
learners
Information,
advice and
guidance
National Careers Service
New body managed by the Skills Funding Agency informs people about
jobs, training, and careers; stimulates demand for further education, workbased training and higher education
Colleges and Training Providers
Support learners to make the right choice of course
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The Workplace
Recruitment
Employers
Being able to access a labour market with the right skills boosts the
employment rate
Workforce
development
Employers
Develop current workforce to be more competitive and reduce recruitment
costs
Individuals
Invest in their own learning to enable them to progress and enjoy fulfilling
careers
Trade Unions
Improve life chances through access to learning. Work in partnership to
open access to the entire workforce regardless of employment status or
educational background.
Skills
deployment
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Employers
Ensure jobs designed to maximise potential contribution of workforce skills
and thereby enhance productivity
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But things can fall apart...
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...unless there is a focus
Specialist Bodies
Government and Agencies
EMPLOYMENT
and
PRODUCTIVITY
Colleges and
Providers
The Workplace
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