Welcome

Overview of the day

Aileen Ponton, Chief Executive Officer,

Scottish Credit & Qualifications Framework Partnership

The SCQF Origins and functions

Anthony O’Reilly, Project Officer, SCQF Partnership

Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow20 February, 2015

Content

• Some context on the educational landscape in Scotland

• Background and overview of the Framework

• How we operate

• How we work with others in the UK and Europe

• Our international experience

Scotland - Overview

Population 5,327,700 (August 2014)– 17% under age 16– 63% working age– 20% pensioners

40% of population in Glasgow

Employment rate 74.1% (Nov 2014)

Number of institutions– HEIs 20 (215,000 students)– Colleges 14 – merged from 43– (350,000 students)– Schools 376 (285,000 pupils)

SCQF Partnership (1)

SCQF created and named in 2001

First implementation plan 2003-2006

Established as a company November 2006

First strategic and operational plans 2007

Company limited by guarantee

Registered charity in Scotland

SCQF Partnership (2)

Assists people of all ages and circumstances to access appropriate education and training over their lifetime to fulfil their personal, social and economic potential

Enables employers, learners and the public in general to understand the full range of Scottish qualifications, how they relate to each other and how different types of qualifications can contribute to improving the skills of the workforce

SCQF aims

SCQF Objectives

The Executive Team

• The Quality Committee established in 2006 to maintain the quality of the Framework and to provide clear, accurate, technical information to learners, the public and others with an interest in learning, including training providers and employers

• The SCQF Forum – established in 2007 to promote the use and development of the Framework. The Forum gives advice to the SCQF Partnership Board and the Executive Team to ensure that the Framework continues to meet the needs of all learners, employers and others users of Scottish learning provisionComprises 12 organisations

with a responsibility for or an interest in Quality Assurance 27 organisations from the

fields of education, training, business and other learning

communities across Scotland

Operations (1)• Working with colleges and HEIs to ensure sharing of best practice

• Ensure that all Credit Rating Bodies (CRBs) add value to the Framework in a manner consistent with our quality principles

• Provide leadership to CRBs which encourages collaboration, capacity building, and consistency to support learners and promote ongoing trust in the Framework

• Continue to champion the case for RPL along with the benefits of credit transfer and the need for progression and articulation to support the learner journey

• Promote our range of products and services and investigate new and innovative ways to engage with our audience.

• Use a range of communication media to encourage all Stakeholders to utilise the Framework and its level descriptors

Operations (2)• Focus on employer engagement where using the SCQF is seen to add value to

workforce development

• Work with key partners to ensure use of the Framework supports transitions in the learner journey

• Build-up intelligence on awareness and use of the SCQF to support more targeted interventions

• Promote the reputation of the SCQF in Europe and internationally as a leader in Framework development and implementation

• Work with colleagues in the UK and beyond to improve mutual understanding of Frameworks and promote a collaborative approach to the European Agenda

• Implement emerging European policy instruments and initiatives in a way which provides the best fit for Scottish education and training and is fully in line with government priorities

Other UK Frameworks

England & Northern Ireland:

Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF)

Wales:

Credit and Qualifications Framework Wales (CQFW)

England, Wales and Northern Ireland:

Framework for Higher Education Qualifications

UK EUROPEAN CO-ORDINATION GROUP FOR VET INITIATIVES (UKECGVI)

Representation on the group:•All UK EQF National Co-ordination Points•All ECVET National Contact Points•All EQAVET National Recognition Points•Each administration (BIS, England, DfES, Wales, DEL, Northern Ireland, Lifelong Learning Directorate, Scottish Government)

•The UK regulatory bodies

Other members:•QAA, Federation for Industry Skills & Standards, Federation of Awarding Bodies, Joint Council for Qualifications, Ecorys (UK national agency for lifelong learning), UK NARIC, Careers Europe

EQF Referencing Outcome

EHEA EQF SCQF QCF CQFW

3rd cycle 8 12 8 8

2nd cycle 7 11 7 7

1st cycle 6 10/9 6 6

Short cycle 5 8/7 5/4 5/4

4 6 3 3

3 5 2 2

2 4 1 1

1 3 E3 E3

2 E2 E2

1 E1 E1

Internationalisation

• SCQFP acted as international experts for the EQF Referencing in Estonia, Flanders and Poland, Bahrain and currently working with Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand

• Hosted wide range of study visits involving CRBs and providers

• Fielded Scottish speakers in Europe on use of the lower levels, using RPL in an HE context, CfE, school leaving certification

• Scotland and the Scottish system continue to be very interesting for overseas Frameworks – both the Maldives and Fiji have been given formal approval to use the SCQFP Level Descriptors

• Supported the European Commission to develop the portal http://ec.europa.eu/eqf/compare_en.htm

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Contact details

Anthony O’Reilly Project Officer, SCQF Partnership. Tel: 0044 141 2252932 e: anthony.o’reilly@scqf.org.uk

Credit Rating for the SCQF –

Sheila Dunn Manager, SCQF Partnership

Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow20 February, 2015

Content

• Structures for credit rating

• Role of the Credit Rating Body (CRB)

• Allocating levels

• Allocating credit

• Quality Assurance

• Summary

Structure for Credit Rating

SCQF Handbook/ Criteria

Quality Assurance Model

A Credit Rating Body can also be a submitting body

What can Credit Rating Bodies credit rate?

• Their own provision owned and developed by the CRB

• “Third party” provision owned, developed and awarded by others e.g employers; certificating bodies; professional bodies; voluntary and community organisations

Credit Rating

• Learning Provision belongs to the Submitting Body

• Submitting Body determines the structure of the qualifications/learning provision

• SCQF Criteria, Handbook and training

• Guidance on nomenclature

• No standard SCQF template for units or programmes

Review of Handbook

• 47 Guidelines streamlined into 25 Principles• Easy-to-use format organised around five themes,

making it easier to find the information you need • New flowcharts explaining the Credit Rating

process• More information on Third-Party Credit Rating• Clear signposting of relevant SCQF publications

and other support materials at the end of each section

• Due to be published April 2015

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Role of the Credit Rating Body

Credit Rating Body• Puts QA procedures and systems in place• Separation of development and credit rating• May help Third Party with programme development• Arranges meetings• Provides paperwork• Appoints credit rating personnel

• Receives a submission

• Checks a submission

• Allocates level and credit points

• Makes final decision on credit rating

• Keeps records of all proceedings for credit rating

• Writes rationales for every decision reached• Reports back on findings to Submitting Party

• Enters credit rated provision onto the national SCQF database

• Ongoing monitoring after credit rating

Submitting Party

• Develops the programme (perhaps with help from CRB)

• Makes recommendations/suggestions and provides rationales about level and credit points for modules/units and programme(s)

• Provides information about how the programme of learning will be quality assured

A Credit Rating Body can also be a submitting body

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SCQF Level Descriptors

Level 1 is an all inclusive statement– Emphasises participation, experiential

learning and basic achievements

Levels 2-12 have 5 characteristics: Knowledge & understanding Practice General cognitive skills Communication, IT & numeracy Autonomy & working with others

Allocating an SCQF level Allocate an SCQF level :

•Consider the recommendation made by the submitter

•Use other reference points eg other qualifications at a similar level

•Read through the level descriptors for the recommended level and levels above and below

•Match the module/unit content (learning outcomes, assessment, etc.) to the characteristics of the level descriptors

•Look for key words in the level descriptors to match to skills/knowledge in the module/unit

•Match module/unit to “best fit” SCQF level

•Consider the modules and unit s and pathways to reach an overall level for the programme

•Record the decision

•Record a rationale for reaching decision

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Allocating SCQF credit points

Quality Assurance in CRBs

Summary

• Same guidelines for all sectors and organisations• One handbook• One set of level descriptors• Quality assurance of decisions• Quality assurance of CRBs and submitting parties• National Database• Ongoing training • Ongoing support and guidance