the national qualifications framework

By Patrick McNeill

Why does the Framework matter?
Both the last Conservative government and the present Labour Government have made a big issue of the need to make sure that all educational and training qualifications are fit for their purpose and that standards are both consistent and maintained. They have aimed to sort out the jungle of qualifications that are available, to reduce their number, and to show how they relate to each other in terms of their levels of demand. Any awarding body that wants to introduce a new qualification now has to satisfy QCA that the qualification meets very stringent criteria and that it doesn't duplicate or overlap with qualifications that are already available: it has to fit into the Framework. If the new qualification (for example, all the recently-accredited AS and A levels and GNVQs) meets these requirements, it is accredited. The revised GCSEs are currently jumping through similar hoops. This doesn't automatically mean that every qualification in the Framework will be approved for funding in schools and/or colleges, but it is highly unlikely that any qualification that falls outside the Framework will be approved. So, if an awarding body wants its qualifications to succeed in the market-place, it is going to aim to have them included in the Framework.

What is the Framework?
The Framework is organised around six levels and three categories of qualification, as shown in the table. It covers only "external" qualifications ie those which are awarded by an organisation other than the school, college or employer which delivers them.

Reading the column headings from left to right, "General" qualifications are about attainment in a subject area (eg History, Chemistry, Psychology); "Vocationally-related" qualifications are about attainment in a vocational area (eg Health and Social Care, Business, Manufacturing); "Occupational" qualifications are about attainment in the workplace and cover a huge range of jobs and competences. Reading from bottom to top of the table, Entry level qualifications are aligned with National Curriculum levels 1, 2 and 3 and can be awarded at any of these three levels. There must be a progression route through the levels and into level 1 qualifications. Basic Skills qualifications, for example, can be achieved at these levels, as well as at levels 1 and 2 of the Framework. The table shows how levels 1, 2 and 3 relate to familiar qualifications such as GCSEs and GNVQs. At levels 4 and 5, there is overlap between the responsibilities of QCA and the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), which maintains standards in universities. To quote the official DfEE line, "The characteristics of qualifications at higher levels are under discussion". NVQs are clearly within the remit of QCA, but there will be a lot of "discussion" before the demarcation lines between QCA and QAA are agreed in the first two categories. Essentially, first degrees and above are not included in the Framework because QCA's remit does not cover them.

Where do key skills fit in?
Key skills units are available at level 1 and above. The standards are set by QCA and are identical for all awarding bodies who want to award the units. The specification for every qualification in the Framework has to signpost opportunities to achieve the first three key skills (Communication, Application of Number, Information Technology). The specifications for GCSEs, AS and A levels, and GNVQs have to signpost all six key skills (including Working with Others, Improving own Learning and Performance, Problem Solving).

Is the Framework going to be any use?
Like any educational innovation, the Framework isn't going to take root overnight but it has a good chance of:

• Reducing the huge number of external qualifications (over 18 000) and therefore simplifying the whole picture
  
• Guaranteeing the standard of any qualification that is included
  
• Clarifying the nature of each qualification so that users (including individuals, schools, colleges, universities and employers) know the level a particular learner has reached, what they know and can do, and into which category their qualification falls
  
• Showing progression routes through the system, and points at which individuals can step across from one category to another
  
• Showing where there are gaps in progression routes, which should be filled by new qualifications
  
• Making it easy (through the National
• Qualifications database) to find out what qualifications are available and at what levels
  
• Ensuring that qualifications are regularly reviewed and reaccredited.
  

If it can do all that, the National Qualifications Framework is very good news.

Patrick McNeill taught for 20 years in FE colleges before moving into the publishing side of FE at Collins Educational. Since 1995 he has been a freelance educational consultant. He has been an examiner for four different exam boards, and writes and lectures on all aspects of post-16 education and training, including key skills, curriculum development and the new A-levels.