FAQ

Accredited qualifications, also known as regulated qualifications are those that are reviewed, recognised and monitored by the regulatory bodies in order to make sure that they meet specific criteria and quality standards. The requirements for the qualifications to be accredited are set out in the Regulatory arrangements for the Qualifications and Credit Framework. Once proposed qualifications meet the requirements set out in the mentioned document, they are listed in the Register of Regulated Qualifications where can also be found a list of recognised awarding organisations who have the power to award qualifications within the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF), the national credit transfer system in England, Wales and Ireland. Scotland has its own framework – the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework which is jointly regulated by several awarding and regulatory bodies.

The most obvious advantage of accredited over non-accredited qualifications is that the accredited ones provide the learners and stakeholders with a guarantee of quality of both the qualification programme and the awarding body that offers accredited qualifications. Non-accredited qualifications, on the other hand, are not regulated and there is no guarantee that they meet appropriate standards. There is no way to tell whether they are fit for their purpose, if they include relevant content or if appropriate methodology for assessment is used. Sometimes, however, the courses that are offered by non-recognised organisations may lead to a recognised qualification.

The regulatory bodies are responsible for accreditation of a wide range of qualifications ranging from Entry Level Qualifications to the Higher Level Qualifications (Level 4 in the QCF or above) including vocational and work-related qualifications.

There are four main regulatory bodies in the UK who recognise awarding organisations and their qualifications. The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) regulates qualifications in England and vocational qualifications in Northern Ireland, the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) is Wales’ qualifications regulator, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) regulates qualifications with the exception of vocational in Northern Ireland, while the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) regulates and awards all qualifications except of degrees in Scotland.

The regulars use several methods to ensure high quality of accredited qualifications before and after they are listed in the Register of Regulated Qualifications. In order to be recognised and have their qualifications accredited by the regulators, the awarding organisations have to submit their proposition to the regulator which then carefully reviews both the awarding organisation and the proposed qualification. If the qualification programme meets the regulator’s criteria, it is recognised and listed in the Register. If they do not meet the set criteria, they are rejected. In order to make sure that the accredited qualifications maintain appropriate standards and quality, they are kept under review by the regulators who also have the power to withdraw accreditation.

The Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) is a new credit transfer system which has replaced the National Qualification Framework (NQF)

It recognises qualifications and units by awarding credits. And since each unit has a credit value and the credits can be transferred, the system gives the learners the ability to get qualifications at their own pace. The QCF is jointly regulated by the England’s regulator Ofqual, Wales’ DCELLS and Northern Ireland’s CCEA.

The QCF system is based on units which have credit value and levels (from Entry Level to Level 8). One credit roughly equals 10 learning hours which allows the learners to evaluate how much time they will need to gain the desired qualification. According to the QCF system, the learners can gain three types of qualifications:
• awards
• certificates
• diplomas

To gain an award, it is necessary to have 1 to 12 credit points which equals 10 to 120 hours of learning. Learners who have 13 to 26 credits (130 to 260 hours) are awarded certificates, while those who have 37 credits or more are awarded diplomas. The QCF system gives awards at any difficulty level from 1 to 8 which is due to the fact that it reveals the size of qualification and not its difficulty level. The latter is indicated by the title of qualification which, however, also reveals the size of the qualification and its subject.

In addition to developing units, developing and accrediting qualifications, and awarding credits and qualifications, the regulators of the QCF are also responsible for maintaining a unit databank and monitoring the organisations that operate within the QCF in order to ensure that all awarded qualifications meet the regulatory requirements. These are specified in the Regulatory arrangements for the Qualifications and Credit Framework that has been developed jointly by the regulators in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Just like the QCF, the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) also covers schools, colleges, and vocational training. The SCQF too is based on awarding credit points which reveal the size of qualification and the system of levels which indicates qualification’s difficulty but in contrary to the QCF, the SCQF has 12 rather than 8 levels. Just like in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, one credit point in Scotland roughly represents 10 hours of learning. The SCQF is jointly managed by the Scottish Qualification Authority, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, Universities of Scotland, Association of Scotland’s Colleges and Scotland’s Government.

The Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) system foresees awarding qualifications on the basis of achievement rather than the years of study completed. And level descriptors play the key role in the assessment of achievements required to be awarded qualification. But in order to answer what level descriptors are and what is their purpose, it is necessary to understand the QCF system.

The QCF that was introduced in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2011 has been developed jointly and is regulated jointly by the Ofqual, DCELLS and CCEA. Just like the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) which has been replaced by the QCF, the latter consists of 9 levels – Entry Level to Level 8. The QCF works by awarding credit points (1 credit points represents roughly 10 hours of learning) and when a certain amount of credit points is gathered, the learner is awarded qualification. For example to gain a certificate, it is necessary to have 13 to 36 credits. But qualifications – awards, certificates and diplomas can be awarded at any difficulty level from Level 1 to 8 and they merely reveal the amount and not the difficulty of the programme completed. To describe the difficulty of the acquired qualification, level descriptors are used.

The main purpose of level descriptors is to allow the learners, awarding organisations, employers and the public to understand the range of knowledge and skills required to complete a particular level, similarly to those that were used in the NQF. Level descriptors indicate the outcome of learning and do not deal with the process of learning. Despite that, they are used as a guideline in the development of units in order to make sure that the learners’ knowledge and skills at completion of a particular level meet the standards of the QCF. The level descriptors thus indicate the learner’s achievement at a particular level. They do not, however, indicate the learner’s performance within the level.

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) has 12 levels that cover all qualification titles from Access at Level 1 to Doctorate at Level 12. Although it slightly differs from the framework in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the SCQF also uses level descriptors to outline the outcome of learning at different levels.

According to the SCQF, the level descriptors are used to indicate the following five outcomes at particular levels:

• knowledge and understanding in regard to the subject
• practical knowledge and understanding
• cognitive skills such as critical thinking, analysis
• IT, numeracy and communication skills
• autonomy and the ability to work with others

Just like in the QCF, the descriptors in the SCQF allow general comparison between the outcomes of different levels. The descriptors, however, do not reveal precise requirements for individual qualifications.

Vocational qualifications refer to work-related qualifications. They are designed to enable the learner to acquire knowledge and skills that are required by the national occupational standards (NOS) to be able to perform a particular job. A vocational qualification gives the learner a proof that he or she is adequately trained for a particular workplace once the programme is completed, especially if holding an occupational vocational qualification. The latter guarantees that the held qualification complies to the national occupational standards (NOS) for a particular job or sector such as healthcare and accounting for instance.

Not all vocational qualifications meet the NOS standards that are defined by the Sector Skills Council and the industry which, however, does not necessarily mean that they do not allow the learners to pursue learning or be promoted in their workplace. All accredited vocational qualifications are designed to help the learner acquire the necessary knowledge and skills for a particular job, progress in workplace or continue education.

Vocational qualifications have different levels, ranging from the Entry Level to Level 8 which are very similar to other qualification levels. For example, Level 2 vocational qualification is equivalent to grades A*-C in the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), while Level 3 is equivalent to grade A in the GCSE.

All vocational qualifications consist of units, each of which has a credit value that allows the learner to roughly predict how long he or she will need to achieve the desired qualification considering that one credit equals 10 hours of learning. If we know that it takes 1 to 12 credits to receive an award, the learner will need from 10 to 120 hours for this qualification. Certificates, on the other hand, are awarded to learners with 13 to 36 credits which roughly equals to 130 to 360 hours. To get a diploma, a minimum of 37 credit points or 370 hours of learning are required. The title of qualification thus reveal the size of training and learning but it typically also reveals the qualification level and the subject that was studied.

In addition to allowing the learners to acquire the necessarily knowledge and skills for a particular job, vocational qualifications also allow the learners to choose from a wide range of subjects. Some of the most popular (and sought after by the employers) ones include healthcare, retail, leisure services, hair and beauty, construction, food and catering, and management.

Although work-related qualifications are very similar to other qualifications, they distinguish themselves for giving the emphasis on knowledge and skills that are sought after the most by the industry and employers. Vocational qualifications are managed and regulated by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) in England and Northern Ireland, by the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) in Wales and by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) in Scotland.

The Register of Regulated Qualifications is a list of accredited awarding institutions and organisations with their qualifications but it also includes as a list of recognised organisations that meet the standards set by the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). The Register is managed and operated by the Ofqual for the regulators of England (Ofqual), Wales (DCELLS) and Northern Ireland (CCEA). In 2010, the Register has replaced the National Database of Accredited Qualifications (NDAQ).

The Register contains information similar to its predecessor, the NDAQ, but there are some differences. The users of the Register will still be able to see the title of the qualifications and their numbers, the structure, rule of combinations, the units that make up the qualifications, etc. But in contrary to the NDAQ, the Register does not give detailed information about accredited awarding organisations. Instead, it offers links to the awarding organisation’s websites.

The Register includes names of the awarding organisations and contact information for the users who would like to find out more about them. As mentioned earlier, the Register offers a direct connection to the awarding organisations’ official websites via links.

The main purpose of the Register is to provide the learners with all the necessary information about accredited qualifications. This also includes the ability to compare the levels between different qualifications and help the learners determine which option allows them to achieve the desired qualification.

The Register can be found at the official Ofqual website.

The register is very easy to use. For example, to find information about a particular qualification, you choose an organisation that is offered by the Register and enter the qualification type, and the register will display qualifications according to the entered search criteria. In addition to the ability to search for qualifications, the users also have the ability to search for the awarding organisations, units and diplomas.

Yes. The Register can be accessed by everyone free of charge at the official Ofqual website.

According to the Ofqual who runs the Register, the latter is updated with new information every evening.

Credit points are the core of both the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF), the national credit transfer system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). Although the SQCF slightly differs from the QCF, both frameworks basically work the same when it comes to credit point accumulation and transfer. But firstly, let’s see why credit points are so important.

The QCF and SCQF are based on units with each unit having a credit value and a level. One credit point represents about 10 hours of learning and since qualifications are awarded on basis of the amount of accumulated credit points, the learner can quickly determine how much time it will take to gain the desired qualification. Credit points indicate the size of learning but they do not indicate its difficulty. As a result, credit points are often used with level descriptors which in turn reveal the difficulty of the qualification.

All QCF and SCQF accredited awarding organisations have to comply with the criteria for awarding qualifications. These foresee three types of qualifications that are awarded on the basis of accumulated credit points:

• awards; to gain an award, it is necessary to have 1 to 12 credits
• certificates foresee accumulation of 13 to 36 credit points
• diplomas require a minimum of 37 accumulated credits

From the criteria for qualifications above, it is possible to calculate an approximation of the time required to gain a particular qualification considering than one credit equals 1 credit point. This means that an award requires 10 to 120 hours of learning, while a diploma takes at least 370 hours of learning. Since credits indicate the size, not the difficulty level, an award can be acquired at any level including Level 1.

Both the QCF and SCQF are designed to allow the learners to transfer their credit points. For example, a learner who wants to continue education or start a new learning programme therefore may not need to start all over again and repeat the learning he or she has already undertaken but simply continue the learning. The ability of credit transfer, however, does not mean that the accumulated credit points are automatically accepted by another learning institution or awarding body. How many and if any credits at all will be accepted depends on individual education institutions and of course, the acquired qualification and subject content. The decision depends primarily on relevance of the completed learning for the new programme. The more the two programmes are related the higher the chance of the entry or credit transfer being approved.

The UK’s credit transfer systems can be generally divided into two types:
• National credit transfer system for accredited qualification in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Credit transfer system in Scotland

Both credit transfer systems foresee awarding qualifications on the basis of accumulated credit points but there are a few differences between the credit transfer system in Scotland and the rest of the country.

The credit transfer system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland comprises all 8 levels (9 together with the Entry Level) from secondary education to vocational and higher education qualifications with every level consisting of qualifications of similar difficulty. However, different qualifications within a particular level can cover very different subjects and can take different amount of time to complete. Also, qualifications are not necessarily accredited at every level.

In 2011, the National Qualification Framework (NQF) was replaced by the Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF). Just like its predecessor, the new national credit transfer system consists of 8 levels and includes only qualifications which have been accredited by England’s Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual), Wales’ Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) and Northern Ireland’s Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA). But unlike the NQF, the QCF does not exclude vocational learning.

Under the QCF, the learner is awarded credits for completing units and depending on the total amount of accumulated credits, the learner can gain three kinds of qualifications – award (1-12 credits), certificate (13-36 credits) and diploma (37 credits or more). The QCF is organised in a way to be flexible and give the learner the ability to study units at own pace. Just like the NQF levels, the QCF levels vary in difficulty with each subsequent level increasing in difficulty.

Higher education qualifications that are granted by universities and other higher education institutions – such as Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree and Doctorates are covered by the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ).

Scotland has its own credit transfer system which is known as the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). It covers all qualification levels in Scotland including the Scottish Qualifications Certificate, Higher National Certificate, Scottish Vocational Qualification, Higher National Diploma and all academic awards that are awarded by Scottish higher education institutions. It is regulated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, Association of Scotland’s Colleges, Universities of Scotland and Scotland’s Government. In contrary to the credit transfer system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the SCQF has 12 levels.

After the formal adoption of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) by the European Parliament in 2008, the UK has “translated” the mentioned frameworks to the EQF with an aim to make it easier for the learners, employers and the public to compare the UK’s frameworks with credit transfer systems in other countries of the European Union. The EQF was designed to encourage workforce mobility and flexibility, however, the UK is only one of 6 members of the EU that have completed cross reference of the national qualification frameworks with the EQF.

The UK education sector offers a wide range of qualification types which are given by recognised awarding bodies. The available qualifications can be academic, vocational or skills-related and are grouped into levels – 9 in total in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 12 in Scotland. The levels reveal difficulty of the acquired qualification although qualifications within a particular level can cover a wide range of subjects and take different amount of time to complete.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the levels and qualification types are covered by the Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF) and the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEW) although the levels are equivalent at higher levels. Qualifications such as Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Degrees are still a part of the FHEQ. In Scotland, the qualifications are contained within the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) which also includes academic qualifications.

– Functional Skills. They are qualifications which allow the learners to acquire practical skills such as English, math, and ICT. In Scotland, Functional Skills are known as Core Skills.

– Entry Level Qualifications. These are intended for learners who do not feel ready yet for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). Entry Level Qualifications offer the ability to choose between a range of subjects but they focus on a specific subject or area of learning, allowing the learner to develop the basic knowledge and skills either for work or to continue education. The Standard Grade is equivalent to Entry Level Qualifications in Scotland.

– GSCEs Qualifications. The GSCEs programmes are taken by 14 to 16 year olds, however, they are also available to adults. The GSCEs Qualifications are highly desirable because they are highly valued by both the schools and employers. The Higher in Scotland is equivalent to the GSCEs.

– A and AS Level Qualifications. These qualifications are intended for learners who want to get a deeper knowledge of a particular subject and are usually studied by 16 and 18 years olds who have completed the GSCEs. Learners in Scotland who have completed Highers usually take Advanced Higher although some schools also offer A Level Qualifications.

– International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. Like its name suggests, it is an internationally recognised qualification which is an alternative to the A and AS Level Qualifications. The IB programmes are selected by students who want to study more subjects at a detailed level. Although the IB programmes are grouped into Level 3 of the QCF, they are widely regarded to be more difficult than the A and AS Levels.

– Vocational Qualifications. They are work-related qualifications that are specifically designed to help the learners acquire work-related knowledge and skills. Vocational Qualifications are available at different levels which can be compared to other qualifications. Vocational Qualification Level 3 for instance is equivalent to A Level Qualifications.

– Higher Education Qualifications. They roughly correspond to levels 4 to 8 in the QCF, however, qualifications such as Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and doctorates remain a part of the FHEQ. In the SCQF, they correspond to levels 7 to 12.

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) is the national credit transfer system in Scotland. It covers all levels of qualifications in Scotland including vocational and higher education qualifications.

The SCQF was designed to help the learners, their family, learning providers and employers to understand different qualifications in Scotland and how they relate to each other. Scotland has many different qualifications ranging from Standard Grades to Highers and Higher National Certificate/Degree to different higher education qualifications. The SCQF divides them into levels which make it easier for the learners, employers and general public to understand the range of Scottish qualifications and making them broadly comparable. For example, Scottish Vocational Qualification Level 4 roughly equals Higher National Diploma, Diploma of Higher Education and Bachelor’s Degree although different qualifications within the same level may vary in difficulty and take different amount of time to complete.

The SCQF works similar as the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF), the credit transfer system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Just like the QCF, the SCQF is based on awarding credit points for completion of units. Each unit and qualification has a credit value, while one credit point represents about 10 hours of learning. The SCQF foresees three types of qualifications on the basis of accumulated points – award (1-12 credit points), certificate (13-36 credit points) and degree (37 or more credit points). It also allows credit transfer, however, if and how many credits can be transferred is decided by individual education institutions. In contrary to levels which indicate the difficulty of qualification, credit points reveal its size or the amount of time and learning required to complete the qualification programme.

The SCQF and QFC are very similar but not exactly the same. The most noticeable difference is that the QCF has 8 levels (plus the Entry Level), while the SCQF has 12 levels which can make a comparison between both frameworks confusing at a first glance. In addition, the titles of qualifications are also slightly different. However, if we know that Doctoral Degree is Level 12 in the SCQF and Level 8 in the QCF, it is quite easy to determine equivalent qualifications in the two frameworks.

Scotland’s qualifications are regulated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), the national accreditation and awarding body which is responsible for accreditation of all qualifications with the exception of degrees.

The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) is a European-wide qualifications framework which joins the qualifications of different EU members together. In a way, it is a translation of different national qualifications which makes qualifications in different EU countries easier to understand. The EQF aims to facilitate mobility of students and workers within the EU in order to encourage development mobile and flexible workforce throughout Europe and to help develop lifelong learning.

The EQF was formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in April 2008. The UK has completed the cross reference of its frameworks – the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) and the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) but so far, only a minority of the EU member countries decided to do the same. The EQF is voluntary and the member countries are not obliged to cross reference their frameworks but the number of completed cross references is expected to increase in the near future.

The EQF enables the learners, learning providers and employers to compare qualifications between different national systems. This is thought to help increase mobility in the labour market within and between the countries because it makes it easy to determine a person’s level of qualification which in turn will improve the balance between demand and supply of knowledge and skills.

The EQF is a lifelong learning framework and covers all types of qualifications ranging from those acquired at the end of compulsory education (Level 1) to the highest qualifications such as Doctorate (Level 8 in the QCF and Level 12 in the SCQF). It also includes vocational qualifications. Just like the QCF, the EQF consists of 8 levels which indicate the difficulty level. And just like the QCF as well as the SCQF, the EQF is focused on the outcome of learning and the person’s actual knowledge and skills rather than the amount of study needed to complete the qualification programme.

The EQF is intended to provide information and facilitate comparison between different national qualification systems. But it will not:
• replace the national qualifications or require any adjustments
• include or reference individual qualifications
• have any regulatory role or power
• have any qualification awarding functions or power
• describe levels of qualifications in terms of outcome of learning

The framework that was adopted by the Bologna Process covers three cycles of higher education qualifications – 1st cycle which usually awards the Bachelor’s Degree, 2nd cycle awarding the Master’s Degree and the 3rd cycle which awards the Doctoral Degree. The EQF, on the other hand, is designed as a lifelong learning framework and as a result, it covers all qualifications including but not exclusively academic ones like the Bologna Process.

The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) is the regulator of qualifications, examinations and assessments in England and the regulator of vocational qualifications in Northern Ireland. It is responsible for ensuring that all qualifications and assessment meet high quality standards by monitoring awarding organisations, assessments and examinations and taking the necessary action to ensure that the qualifications meet the needs of learners, higher education institutions and employers. The Ofqual is responsible to the Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

In 2007, Ed Balls who was at the time the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families announced replacement of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) with a new independent regulator and in April 2008, the new regulator started its interim work. The Ofqual was officially established with the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 when it was named as the regulator for qualifications, examinations and assessments. It started its work as an independent regulator on 1 April 2010.

The Ofqual Board is responsible for compliance of the regulator with its statutory responsibilities. It also provides direction and leadership to the organisation. The current Chair of the Ofqual is Amanda Spielman. Other members of the Ofqual Board include Glenys Stacey who joined the Ofqual as Chief Executive in March 2011, Sandra Burslem acting as Deputy Chair, Ray Coughlin, Neil Watts, Dame Denis Holt, Maggie Galliers, Tim Balcon, Philip Fletcher, Barnaby Lenon, Anne Heal, Professor Julius Weinberg, Roger Taylor and Tom Taylor.

The main “job” of the Ofqual is to ensure that the learners are provided an access to high quality qualifications which meet appropriate standards. This is achieved by monitoring the awarding bodies and taking action whenever and wherever there is a risk to quality. The Ofqual also makes sure that the qualification by awarding organisations are of comparable quality with other qualifications in the UK and overseas, that the candidates have an equal access to qualifications and assessment, and encouraging a debate about topics such as standards of qualifications.

In addition to regulating qualifications, examinations and assessments in England, the Ofqual is also responsible for regulating vocational qualifications such as art and music production courses in Northern Ireland. The Ofqual staff that is based in Belfast works closely with the Northern Ireland Government departments and organisations in order to make sure that all vocational qualifications meet the needs of the learners and employers.

The Ofqual can be contacted via email and telephone from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Both the email and telephone number can be found on the official Ofqual website. Its headquarters are on the B4101 road in Coventry near the Canley railway station in London, while the Ofqual office for Northern Ireland is located on 6 Murray Street in Belfast.

The Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) is a department of the Welsh Government which amongst other also acts as the regulator of general and vocational qualifications in Wales. The DCELLS, however, is not responsible for regulating university degrees.

The DCELLS regulates general and vocational qualifications in Wales. It does that by accrediting and monitoring the qualification programmes in order to ensure their compliance with the DCELLS criteria. The DCELLS also develops qualification frameworks and works with awarding bodies in order to make sure that they maintain the quality standards in awarding qualifications and assessments. Other responsibilities of the DCELLS include:

• making sure that all learners have an access to quality education and that their qualifications are correctly valued
• evaluation of awarding organizations
• recognition of awarding organizations

The DCELLS works closely with the England’s regulator, the Ofqual and Northern Ireland’s Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA). Together with the mentioned regulators, the DCELLS runs an accreditation system which ensures that all qualifications which are awarded by recognized awarding bodies meet appropriate standards and quality criteria.

The DCELLS regulates qualifications in two ways:
• accreditation
• monitoring

Through accreditation of qualifications, the DCELLS ensures that the qualifications are of high quality and meet the appropriate standards before they become available to the learners. In order to make sure that the available qualifications maintain high quality and appropriate standards, the DCELLS monitors the awarding bodies after they have been accredited.

As the Wales’ regulator of general and vocational qualifications, the DCELLS is responsible for ensuring that all accredited units and qualifications meet specific criteria. Before accrediting units or qualification, the DCELLS carefully reviews the submitted proposals for accreditation in order to make sure that the unit or qualification programme has relevant content and appropriate methodology for assessment. Once the unit or qualification is accredited, it is listed in the Register of Regulated Qualifications. The DCELLS’ and awarding organisations’ job, however, does not end at accreditation of qualifications.

Once the proposed qualification has been accredited by the DCELLS, the latter looks closely at the qualifications quality and administration and has the power to withdraw the existing accredited qualification if the latter no longer meets appropriate standards and quality.

The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) is Northern Ireland’s examination board which also acts as the regulator of qualifications and awarding body in Northern Ireland. The CCEA was established in April 1994 and replaced both the Northern Ireland Schools Examination and Assessment Council and the Northern Ireland Schools Examination Council. It is the only Northern Ireland based examination board that has the power to award GSCE and A Level qualifications, however, the Northern Ireland’s learners can also enrol in schools which are regulated by other UK examination boards such as the England’s Ofqual and Wales’ DCELLS. The CCEA is responsible for regulation of general qualifications alone. Vocational qualification in Northern Ireland are regulated by the Ofqual.

The CCEA has a wide range of responsibilities. In addition to setting examinations, the CCEA also advises the Northern Ireland’s Government on curriculum and what should be taught in schools, offers support and guidance to the Government on development of qualifications and monitors the qualifications and examinations, similar than the Ofqual in England and the DCELLS in Wales. It reports to the Department of Education in Northern Ireland.

The CCEA Accreditation is managing regulation of all qualifications in Northern Ireland with the exception of vocational qualifications which are regulated by the Ofqual. In regulating qualifications including ITIL and APMP certification, the CCEA Accreditation works closely with its partner regulatory bodies in England and Wales. Just like the Ofqual in England and the DCELLS in Wales, the CCEA Accreditation is focused on ensuring high quality qualifications that are fit for purpose, meet appropriate standards and meet the needs of both the learners, higher education institutions and employers. As a result, only qualifications which are approved by the CCEA Accreditation (and the Ofqual accredited vocational qualifications) are listed in the Register of Regulated Qualifications.

The CCEA is led by a Council which consists of 8 members who are appointed by the Department of Education and a Chairman. All members of the council, including the Chairman typically come from sector of education, industry and commerce. They are appointed for a period of three years but can apply for another term.

Since January 2001 when the Chairman Mr David McKee passed away, the CCEA is working without an appointed Chairman. Council meetings are currently chaired and led by the Vice-Chair, Helen McClenaghan. Other CCEA Council members include Jim Clarke, James Collins, Michele Crilly, Helen McClenaghan OBE, Patricia O’Farrell, David Thompson, John Wilkinson, Dorothy Black and Government Assessor Adrian Arbuthnott from the Department of Education.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is Scotland’s national awarding and accreditation body. It accredits all qualifications in Scotland with the exception of degrees and recognises awarding bodies in Scotland. And just like the regulators of qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Scottish regulator also works closely with educational institutions and industry in order to make sure that the qualifications are inclusive, equally accessible, flexible and of high quality. The SQA main aim is to ensure the learners a clear path to further education or employment and the employers with knowledgeable and skilled personnel.

The SQA has two main responsibilities. The first one is to accredit and the second one is to award qualifications. The SQA accreditation duties involve recognition of qualifications with the exception of degrees and approval of awarding bodies who wish to award these qualifications. As an awarding body, the SQA also develops, validates and assesses qualifications, ensures quality education and training for the learners who are taking its qualifications and awards certificates to candidates.

As mentioned in the section above, the SQA has two main jobs – to accredit and award qualifications. The organisation is therefore divided into two distinct sections – the SQA Accreditation and the SQA Regulation which operate separately from each other. Like its name suggests, the SQA Accreditation is responsible for accrediting awarding bodies and their qualifications. The SAQ Regulation, on the other hand, has the responsibility to:

• monitor awarding bodies and centres in order to make sure that they comply with the SQA criteria and standards
• check compliance and complaints
• support awarding bodies in maintenance of quality of their programmes and compliance with the SQA criteria and standards

The SQA is directed and overseen by a Chair and Board of Management that are appointed by the Government. They are aided by the Advisory Council which is also appointed by the Scottish Government. The current Chairman is Mr Graham Houston, while Dr Janet Brown is acting as SQA’s Chief Executive. Other members of the Board of Management include Jim Edgar, Willie Gallagher, Kenny McKay, Raymond O’Hare, Professor John Simmons, Dr Paul Thompson, Susan Walsh and Carole Wilkinson.

The Chief Executive, Dr Janet Brown heads a permanent staff and manages the development and awarding of qualifications. She is aided by the Executive Team – Karen McCallum as Director of Operations, Maidie Cahill as Director of Corporate Services, John McMorris as Director of Business Development, Gill Stewart as Director of Qualifications Development, Rob Gibson as Director of Business Systems and Linda Ellison as Director of Finance.

In order to have a qualification recognised in the UK and be able to transfer credits between learning courses, educational institutions and occupations, the qualification must be accredited through one of qualification awarding bodies in the UK. These are regulated by the regulators – the Ofqual in England, DCELLS in Wales, CCEA in Northern Ireland and SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) in Scotland.

More than 160 institutions in the UK have the power to award qualifications. In addition to institutions with degree awarding powers, there are also hundreds of colleges and other institutions which are not approved by the UK regulators, however, they provide courses which enable their learners to gain recognised degrees. These institutions are regulated by those who have the power to award degrees and even help with getting teaching jobs abroad and in the UK.

Since the mid-2012, higher education qualifications (university degrees) can be awarded only by institutions who have a minimum of 1,000 full-time higher education students of which a minimum of 750 are degree seeking students, while at least 55% of all students attend higher education programmes. Higher education students who are enrolled in institutions that do not have degree awarding powers may still gain a recognised degree if the institution they are studying at is a listed body. In contrary to recognised bodies who have the power to award degrees, the so-called listed bodies may provide courses that lead to a recognised degree.

All qualification awarding organisations are listed on the official websites of the regulators. The most extensive one is the Register of Regulated Qualifications which can be found on the Ofqual official website. But as mentioned in the section above, the organisations can provide courses that lead to accredited qualifications as long as they are validated by the bodies which have recognised qualification awarding powers.

In this case, it could be a foreign university that awards degrees which, however, are not recognised in the UK. Foreign higher education institutions in the UK are not regulated by the UK’s regulators and these cannot guarantee for quality of the programmes.

The UK has completed the European Qualification Framework which will facilitate credit transfer, however, it is only one of six EU members to complete the cross reference of its framework. Whether credit transfer will be allowed or not depends on the completed qualification and the institution at which the qualification was acquired. But the approval of credit transfer also varies greatly from one organisation to another because they have the power to decide whether to recognise the accumulated credit points fully, partially or not at all.

In the UK, in order for a qualification to be recognized as part of either the following frameworks, SCQF (Scotland), QCFW (Wales) and England’s Qualifications Credit Framework (QCF), and transferable between courses, institutions and occupations, it must be accredited through one of the United Kingdom Awarding Bodies that is regulated by the three government-appointed statutory education bodies.

These are the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in England, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland, and the Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority (DELLS) in Wales.

There are around 120 of these Awarding Bodies listed at the . Some specialize in specific subjects. Others specialize in types of qualifications, such as ‘A’ levels, GCSEs and vocational competence or Knowledge based QCF units and qualifications.

An Awarding Body does not always provide courses that lead to a qualification. Often an Awarding Body will provide an approval process for independent training providers who, if they meet the criteria, are able to award qualifications that are accredited by that Awarding Body. Further information around the QCF can be gained from http://register.ofqual.gov.uk/ around the QCF in England.

A qualification from an Awarding Body is always clearly identified as being at one of 9 Levels. These begin with ‘Entry Level’ and then run from Level One through to Level Eight. They have approximate equivalences with Academic Qualifications. Level Five is commensurate with a Bachelors degree and Level Eight is equivalent to a Doctorate degree.

Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA)

The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) was an exempt charity, and an executive non-departmental public body (NDPB) of the Department for Education. In England and Northern Ireland, the QCDA maintained and developed the National Curriculum and associated assessments, tests and examinations, advising the minister formerly known as the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and later known as the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, on these matters.

Regulatory functions regarding examination and assessment boards have been transferred to Ofqual, an independent regulator.

Education and qualifications in Scotland and Wales are the responsibility of the Scottish Government and Welsh Government and their agencies. In Scotland, for example, the Scottish Qualifications Authority is the responsible body.

In May 2010 the Secretary of State announced his intention to promote legislation that would abolish QCDA. The newly formed Standards and Testing Agency took on the functions of the agency from 3 October 2011. The QCDA closed in March 2012.

Partners

QCDA worked closely with its main strategic partners, including the Department for Education,the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), employers’ organisations, the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA), the Skills Funding Agency, the former General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) and the Sector Skills Councils (SSC).

QCDA also collaborated with the other public qualification agencies in the UK: the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), the former Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales (ACCAC) and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment in Northern Ireland (CCEA).

QCDA was based in Coventry.

History

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCDA’s predecessor) was formed on 1 October 1997 through a merger of the National Council for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ) and the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (SCAA). The QCA had additional powers and duties granted to it by the Education Act 1997, which established the role of the QCA. Under Section 24 of this Act, QCA was granted the right to regulate all external qualifications in England.

In April 2004, the QCA launched the National Assessment Agency to take over its role in the delivery and administration of National Curriculum assessments. However, on the recommendation of The Sutherland Enquiry the National Assessment Agency was disbanded and its functions subsumed within the management structure of the QCA.

Formation of Ofqual

On 26 September 2007, DCSF announced that the regulatory functions of the QCA were to become statutorily independent with the creation of a new body, Ofqual.

On 8 April 2008, Ofqual began work as the independent regulator of exams and tests in England, accountable to Parliament rather than to government ministers. The remaining work of the QCA was transferred to the QCDA. The QCA was formally dissolved on 1 April 2010 when the QCDA and Ofqual gained their statutory statuses. The QCA was not ‘dissolved’, the QCDA was the same body corporate, just with a new name.

Ofqual

The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) is a non-ministerial government department that regulates qualifications, exams and tests in England and vocational qualifications in Northern Ireland.

Ofqual’s role is to maintain standards and confidence in qualifications.

Area of governance

It regulates exams, qualifications and tests in England and NVQs in Northern Ireland. Wales and Scotland are regulated by each respective national government. It works closely with the Department for Education on general qualifications, such as GCSEs and A levels, and with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on vocational qualifications such as NVQs and BTECs. In Northern Ireland it regulates NVQs on behalf of the Department for Employment and Learning.

Ofqual’s remit and responsibilities are established in law by the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 and the Education Act 2011. As a Non-ministerial department Ofqual is accountable to Parliament, through the Education Select Committee. It is not accountable to Government ministers and as such is independent from Ministerial Government.

History

In September 2007 Ed Balls, the then Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families announced that responsibility for regulating exams and qualifications would move from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) to a new independent regulator. The new agency was named, and details of its structure and functioning were proposed, in December 2007. It began its interim work on 8 April 2008,and was officially established on 1 April 2010.

Structure

Ofqual’s Chief Executive is Glenys Stacey, who was previously the Chief Executive of Standards for England. She replaced Isabel Nisbet on 1 March 2011.

Amanda Spielman has been Ofqual’s Chair since 2011 and in 2014 was reappointed for a further 5 year period.

It has four directorates:
• Strategy, risk and research
• Vocational qualifications
• General qualifications
• Operations

The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) is the regulator of qualifications, examinations and assessments in England and the regulator of vocational qualifications in Northern Ireland. It is responsible for ensuring that all qualifications and assessment meet high quality standards by monitoring awarding organisations, assessments and examinations and taking the necessary action to ensure that the qualifications meet the needs of learners, higher education institutions and employers. The Ofqual is responsible to the Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Brief history of Ofqual

In 2007, Ed Balls who was at the time the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families announced replacement of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) with a new independent regulator and in April 2008, the new regulator started its interim work. The Ofqual was officially established with the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 when it was named as the regulator for qualifications, examinations and assessments. It started its work as an independent regulator on 1 April 2010.

The Ofqual Board

The Ofqual Board is responsible for compliance of the regulator with its statutory responsibilities. It also provides direction and leadership to the organisation. The current Chair of the Ofqual is Amanda Spielman. Other members of the Ofqual Board include Glenys Stacey who joined the Ofqual as Chief Executive in March 2011, Sandra Burslem acting as Deputy Chair, Ray Coughlin, Neil Watts, Dame Denis Holt, Maggie Galliers, Tim Balcon, Philip Fletcher, Barnaby Lenon, Anne Heal, Professor Julius Weinberg, Roger Taylor and Tom Taylor.

What Does the Ofqual Do?

The main “job” of the Ofqual is to ensure that the learners are provided an access to high quality qualifications which meet appropriate standards. This is achieved by monitoring the awarding bodies and taking action whenever and wherever there is a risk to quality. The Ofqual also makes sure that the qualification by awarding organizations are of comparable quality with other qualifications in the UK and overseas, that the candidates have an equal access to qualifications and assessment, and encouraging a debate about topics such as standards of qualifications.

The Ofqual in Northern Ireland

In addition to regulating qualifications, examinations and assessments in England, the Ofqual is also responsible for regulating vocational qualifications such as art and music production courses in Northern Ireland. The Ofqual staff that is based in Belfast works closely with the Northern Ireland Government departments and organisations in order to make sure that all vocational qualifications meet the needs of the learners and employers.

Ofqual Contact Information

The Ofqual can be contacted via email and telephone from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Both the email and telephone number can be found on the official Ofqual website. Its headquarters are on the B4101 road in Coventry near the Canley railway station in London, while the Ofqual office for Northern Ireland is located on 6 Murray Street in Belfast.

The Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) is a department of the Welsh Government which amongst other also acts as the regulator of general and vocational qualifications in Wales. The DCELLS, however, is not responsible for regulating university degrees.

The DCELLS regulates general and vocational qualifications in Wales. It does that by accrediting and monitoring the qualification programmes in order to ensure their compliance with the DCELLS criteria. The DCELLS also develops qualification frameworks and works with awarding bodies in order to make sure that they maintain the quality standards in awarding qualifications and assessments. Other responsibilities of the DCELLS include:

• making sure that all learners have an access to quality education and that their qualifications are correctly valued
• evaluation of awarding organisations
• recognition of awarding organisations

The DCELLS works closely with the England’s regulator, the Ofqual and Northern Ireland’s Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA). Together with the mentioned regulators, the DCELLS runs an accreditation system which ensures that all qualifications which are awarded by recognised awarding bodies meet appropriate standards and quality criteria.

The DCELLS regulates qualifications in two ways:

• accreditation and
• monitoring

Through accreditation of qualifications, the DCELLS ensures that the qualifications are of high quality and meet the appropriate standards before they become available to the learners. In order to make sure that the available qualifications maintain high quality and appropriate standards, the DCELLS monitors the awarding bodies after they have been accredited.

As the Wales’ regulator of general and vocational qualifications, the DCELLS is responsible for ensuring that all accredited units and qualifications meet specific criteria. Before accrediting units or qualification, the DCELLS carefully reviews the submitted proposals for accreditation in order to make sure that the unit or qualification programme has relevant content and appropriate methodology for assessment. Once the unit or qualification is accredited, it is listed in the Register of Regulated Qualifications. The DCELLS’ and awarding organisations’ job, however, does not end at accreditation of qualifications.

Once the proposed qualification has been accredited by the DCELLS, the latter looks closely at the qualifications quality and administration and has the power to withdraw the existing accredited qualification if the latter no longer meets appropriate standards and quality.

The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) is Northern Ireland’s examination board which also acts as the regulator of qualifications and awarding body in Northern Ireland. The CCEA was established in April 1994 and replaced both the Northern Ireland Schools Examination and Assessment Council and the Northern Ireland Schools Examination Council. It is the only Northern Ireland based examination board that has the power to award GSCE and A Level qualifications, however, the Northern Ireland’s learners can also enrol in schools which are regulated by other UK examination boards such as the England’s Ofqual and Wales’ DCELLS. The CCEA is responsible for regulation of general qualifications alone. Vocational qualification in Northern Ireland are regulated by the Ofqual.

The CCEA has a wide range of responsibilities. In addition to setting examinations, the CCEA also advises the Northern Ireland’s Government on curriculum and what should be taught in schools, offers support and guidance to the Government on development of qualifications and monitors the qualifications and examinations, similar than the Ofqual in England and the DCELLS in Wales. It reports to the Department of Education in Northern Ireland.

The CCEA Accreditation

The CCEA Accreditation is managing regulation of all qualifications in Northern Ireland with the exception of vocational qualifications which are regulated by the Ofqual. In regulating qualifications including ITIL and APMP certification, the CCEA Accreditation works closely with its partner regulatory bodies in England and Wales. Just like the Ofqual in England and the DCELLS in Wales, the CCEA Accreditation is focused on ensuring high quality qualifications that are fit for purpose, meet appropriate standards and meet the needs of both the learners, higher education institutions and employers. As a result, only qualifications which are approved by the CCEA Accreditation (and the Ofqual accredited vocational qualifications) are listed in the Register of Regulated Qualifications.

The CCEA Council

The CCEA is led by a Council which consists of 8 members who are appointed by the Department of Education and a Chairman. All members of the council, including the Chairman typically come from sector of education, industry and commerce. They are appointed for a period of three years but can apply for another term.

Since January 2001 when the Chairman Mr David McKee passed away, the CCEA is working without an appointed Chairman. Council meetings are currently chaired and led by the Vice-Chair, Helen McClenaghan. Other CCEA Council members include Jim Clarke, James Collins, Michele Crilly, Helen McClenaghan OBE, Patricia O’Farrell, David Thompson, John Wilkinson, Dorothy Black and Government Assessor Adrian Arbuthnott from the Department of Education.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is Scotland’s national awarding and accreditation body. It accredits all qualifications in Scotland with the exception of degrees and recognises awarding bodies in Scotland. And just like the regulators of qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Scottish regulator also works closely with educational institutions and industry in order to make sure that the qualifications are inclusive, equally accessible, flexible and of high quality. The SQA main aim is to ensure the learners a clear path to further education or employment and the employers with knowledgeable and skilled personnel.

The SQA has two main responsibilities. The first one is to accredit and the second one is to award qualifications. The SQA accreditation duties involve recognition of qualifications with the exception of degrees and approval of awarding bodies who wish to award these qualifications. As an awarding body, the SQA also develops, validates and assesses qualifications, ensures quality education and training for the learners who are taking its qualifications and awards certificates to candidates.

The SQA Accreditation and Regulation Sections

As mentioned in the section above, the SQA has two main jobs – to accredit and award qualifications. The organisation is therefore divided into two distinct sections – the SQA Accreditation and the SQA Regulation which operate separately from each other. Like its name suggests, the SQA Accreditation is responsible for accrediting awarding bodies and their qualifications. The SAQ Regulation, on the other hand, has the responsibility to:

• monitor awarding bodies and centres in order to make sure that they comply with the SQA criteria and standards
• check compliance and complaints
• support awarding bodies in maintenance of quality of their programmes and compliance with the SQA criteria and standards

The SQA Board of Management and Executive Team

The SQA is directed and overseen by a Chair and Board of Management that are appointed by the Government. They are aided by the Advisory Council which is also appointed by the Scottish Government. The current Chairman is Mr Graham Houston, while Dr Janet Brown is acting as SQA’s Chief Executive. Other members of the Board of Management include Jim Edgar, Willie Gallagher, Kenny McKay, Raymond O’Hare, Professor John Simmons, Dr Paul Thompson, Susan Walsh and Carole Wilkinson.

The Chief Executive, Dr Janet Brown heads a permanent staff and manages the development and awarding of qualifications. She is aided by the Executive Team – Karen McCallum as Director of Operations, Maidie Cahill as Director of Corporate Services, John McMorris as Director of Business Development, Gill Stewart as Director of Qualifications Development, Rob Gibson as Director of Business Systems and Linda Ellison as Director of Finance.

Qualification Awarding Bodies in the UK

In order to have a qualification recognised in the UK and be able to transfer credits between learning courses, educational institutions and occupations, the qualification must be accredited through one of qualification awarding bodies in the UK. These are regulated by the regulators – the Ofqual in England, DCELLS in Wales, CCEA in Northern Ireland and SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) in Scotland.

More than 160 institutions in the UK have the power to award qualifications. In addition to institutions with degree awarding powers, there are also hundreds of colleges and other institutions which are not approved by the UK regulators, however, they provide courses which enable their learners to gain recognised degrees. These institutions are regulated by those who have the power to award degrees and even help with getting teaching jobs abroad and in the UK.

Since the mid-2012, higher education qualifications (university degrees) can be awarded only by institutions who have a minimum of 1,000 full-time higher education students of which a minimum of 750 are degree seeking students, while at least 55% of all students attend higher education programmes. Higher education students who are enrolled in institutions that do not have degree awarding powers may still gain a recognised degree if the institution they are studying at is a listed body. In contrary to recognised bodies who have the power to award degrees, the so-called listed bodies may provide courses that lead to a recognised degree.

All qualification awarding organisations are listed on the official websites of the regulators. The most extensive one is the Register of Regulated Qualifications which can be found on the Ofqual official website. But as mentioned in the section above, the organisations can provide courses that lead to accredited qualifications as long as they are validated by the bodies which have recognised qualification awarding powers.

In this case, it could be a foreign university that awards degrees which, however, are not recognised in the UK. Foreign higher education institutions in the UK are not regulated by the UK’s regulators and these cannot guarantee for quality of the programmes.

The UK has completed the European Qualification Framework which will facilitate credit transfer, however, it is only one of six EU members to complete the cross reference of its framework. Whether credit transfer will be allowed or not depends on the completed qualification and the institution at which the qualification was acquired. But the approval of credit transfer also varies greatly from one organisation to another because they have the power to decide whether to recognise the accumulated credit points fully, partially or not at all.