VQ Reform for awarding organisations

Awarding organisations are the bodies with the expertise to design the vocational qualifications (VQs) which best meet employers' and learners' needs and are licensed to do so by the qualifications regulators. They therefore have a critically important role to play in the UK VQ Reform Programme and have welcomed the introduction of greater flexibility and responsiveness in the system.

The VQ reforms will benefit awarding organisations by:

• The creation of the more flexible regulatory framework, the new Qualifications & Credit Framework (QCF), in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In particular, the introduction of unit-based VQs allows awarding organisations to be more responsive to employer and learner needs, including by adding units to existing qualifications to meet changing needs. The unitised framework also enables mutual recognition of units across awarding organisations.
• Developing closer working relationships with Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), providing greater clarity about the information and processes required to ensure SSC support or 'approval' of VQs developed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The respective roles and behaviours of SSCs and awarding organisations are set out in the Working Practices Protocol which has been drafted by representatives of awarding organisations and SSCs to ensure fairness and consistency in this essential relationship. In Scotland, 'Skills for Scotland' already sets out the roles of SSCs and awarding organisations and the framework in which they are expected to operate.
• Making it easier for awarding organisations to work in partnership with employers and providers in England to enable these organisations' training to be accredited. See Recognition of employer & provider training for further detail.
• Putting in place more strategic regulatory controls, which focus more on the process and capacity of awarding organisations and less on the details of individual qualifications. Changes to the requirements for recognition of awarding bodies, details the proposed legislative changes and the recognition of employers and providers as awarding organisations in England and, possibly, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Awarding organisations will continue to be able to choose whether or not they submit VQs for accreditation. However, only accredited VQs will be eligible for public funding in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The legacy from the work of the original sub-programme led by the Federation of Awarding Bodies and the Joint Council for Qualifications is detailed in What makes a VQ successful?