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Who's doing what?

The UK VQ Reform Programme Board brings together representatives of key stakeholders, specifically:

This Board has overall responsibility for the UK-wide programme and will coordinate between the four countries, which are each responsible for their own implementation of the reforms.

Work at the UK level is focused on:

Sector Qualification Reform

The UK Commission for Employment & Skills (UKCES) is working with Sector Skills Councils and Standard Setting Bodies (professional bodies, etc) to develop Sector Qualifications Strategies (SQS) and action plans across the four countries.

Key outcomes:

  • SSCs and, through them, employers are put at the centre of the process of making decisions about what vocational qualifications are needed for each sector
  • Development or reform of VQs to fulfil identified needs

Development of the Qualifications and Credit Framework

The qualifications regulators in England (QCA), Wales (DCELLS) and Northern Ireland (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment - CCEA) and MIAP (Managing Information Across Partners) are developing the QCF in partnership with awarding organisations, sector bodies, employers and providers. Scotland already has a well established credit framework, the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).

For further information see Qualifications & Credit Framework (QCF) and links to the nations' frameworks: England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

Key outcomes:

  • Development of a regulated unit-based framework, underpinned by a system of credit accumulation and transfer, allowing greater flexibility to meet employer and learner needs.
  • Development of a mechanism for recording learners' achievement of each unit, and assisting learners to identify the most appropriate qualifications for their needs.
  • A programme of activity to ensure stakeholders understand how to operate in and can make full use of the benefits of the framework and are familiar with and able to work with the different frameworks across the UK .

Research and evaluation

The UK VQ Research Group is conducting research into the impact of the UK VQ Reform Programme on indicators such as the number of VQs being undertaken, the proportion of qualifications which are vocational, employers' attitudes to VQs and the impact of having a vocational qualification on average wages. Such research will be undertaken every few years to measure the achievement of the reforms.

Key outcomes:

  • Identified ways to measure the success of the programme in achieving its objectives.
  • Baseline measurements of identified indicators, which can be used for comparison once reforms are completed.

Work specifically in England focuses on:

Accreditation of employer and provider training

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is working with Ofqual, the CBI and the National Employers Service to develop suitable processes by which employers and providers can have their training accredited into the QCF and credit rated for the SCQF. See Recognition of employer & provider training.

Key outcomes:

  • Ensures that all high quality training can be part of the regulated system.
  • Improves transferability of learners' VQs between employers.
  • Encourages employer engagement in the reformed VQ system.

Planning, Funding and Performance

The Learning & Skills Council (LSC) is working to ensure that approaches to public funding in England support and drive forward the reformed system, and can be aligned with the technical specifications of the new qualifications system. For further information about UK VQR funding see Funding. For funding in England see http://www.lsc.gov.uk/whatwedo/qfr.htm.

Key outcomes:

  • Within the context of the demand-led approach, a funding system which supports unit- and credit-based VQs and focuses funding on VQs identified by SSCs as priorities.
  • Performance measures and targets reflect and take account of the reformed vocational qualification framework.

Communications and FE provider capacity-building

Led by DIUS, communications professionals in the Programme's partner organisations and representatives of stakeholder groups, particularly FE provider representatives, are responsible for coordinating stakeholder and external communications about VQ reforms and their relationship with other English initiatives. A key part of this work, led by the Quality Improvement Agency (QIA) is the Qualifications Reform Support Programme which is ensuring that providers develop the capacity to deliver the reforms. For further information see UK VQRP for Providers

Key outcomes:

  • Stakeholder understanding of the reformed system for VQs.
  • Stakeholder support and implementation of the specific reforms, including use of the QCF, development of unit-based VQs, accreditation of employer and provider training, increased take-up and completion of accredited VQs, etc.
  • FE providers develop the understanding and have capacity to implement the required reforms.