All the latest & archived general news on vocational training, including the latest on end point assessment, competency schemes, apprenticeships & qualifications.
Emergency Response Driver Training Ltd (ERDT), has launched an industry-first Level 3 Award driving qualification, and a suite of driving and instructors’ Certificate of Achievements, to address planned changes in the legislation covering the driving of emergency vehicles. The qualification is awarded by SfJ Awards. John Clark, Head of Awards…
The End-Point Assessment (EPA) is a requirement of the new ‘Future Apprenticeship’ scheme. It is an independent assessment, which is undertaken at the very end of an apprenticeship and takes into account the knowledge, skills and behaviours of the learner.
There is increased demand for Assessor Training as the construction industry declares a shortage of on-site Assessors.
From September, Childcare settings will find it easier to meet the government’s promise to provide 30 hours’ free early years education for children between 2 and 4 years old. Since 2014, anyone wishing to work towards a level 3 qualification in childcare had to gain a grade C in GCSE English and Maths. This contributed to…
Confusion over what constitutes ‘off-the-job’ training could be stopping employers from providing apprenticeships. The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) is calling for the government to review its rules on apprenticeships off-the-job training requirements. The apprenticeship levy funding scheme went live on the 1st May and means that employers can draw down funds from…
Today is the International Day of Happiness! Great. But it’s Monday…and it’s still cold, and wet…and you’re still stuck in the same job with the same conversation over the same watercooler/vending machine/car-park space (delete where applicable), so why should today be happier than any other day? It seems that everyone is hunting for happiness –…
What do you know about the apprenticeship levy? As the start of the apprenticeship levy approaches, assessor training and trainer courses have never been more relevant. From April 2017, companies with a payroll bill in excess of £3million will have to pay a 0.5% apprenticeship levy. The good news is that employers will be able…
The Skills Minister, Nick Boles, has this month launched ‘The Post-16 Skills Plan’, due to be implemented in 2019. The Skills Plan, developed in response to an independent report into technical education by an expert panel chaired by Lord Sainsbury, proposes replacing the current outdated system of more than 20,000 courses provided by 160 different organisations…
Are academia finally seeing the benefits of alternative forms of assessment, just like NVQ assessments, with the rise of essay-writing companies…? Nothing new perhaps, but it’s good to see that academia are realising there’s far more to it than just writing stuff down… Here’s the BBC report: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36276324
VQ Day is a celebration of vocational achievement. There are GCSE and A-Level results days so why not a day to celebrate VQs? Hence VQ Day! Vocational qualifications have never been more important to the economy and the individual; they deliver the trained, talented employees businesses are crying out for and ensure young people have…
At the beginning of October 2015 OfQual withdrew the Regulatory Arrangements for the QCF (Qualification Credits Framework) and replaced it with a new framework for qualifications called the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF). So what does this mean? Basically, QCF was very prescriptive about how qualifications should be structured – the RQF allows more flexibility for…
The flagship scheme for certifying builders has been called into question after a string of test centres were caught rigging health and safety exams. Read BBC news article here.
Change is upon us once again with the introduction of a new national framework for qualifications to replace the current Qualifications and Credits Framework (QCF). The new ‘Regulated Qualifications Framework’ (RQF) officially comes into effect today with a phased transition for existing qualifications to meet its new requirements by 31 December 2017. For a discussion…
John Waite investigates a company which claimed to be the UK’s leading training provider and held tax-payer funded contracts worth millions of pounds for courses designed to get people back to work. But he discovers how some of its learners were given certificates for courses they never completed and others have had qualifications revoked for…
As VQ Day 2014 gets underway, Jan Hodges argues that to get rid of the two-tier system, further education must ensure its success stories aren’t just a well-kept secret. Jan Hodges OBE, Guardian Professional, Wednesday 4 June 2014. The past 60 years has seen a steady, constant expansion in the higher education sector, with parents…