Vocational qualification reforms will help address skills mix - Empey

7 February 2008

Minister for Employment and Learning, Sir Reg Empey, today announced a new framework for vocational qualifications which is part of a UK wide reform programme.

Speaking at the Council for Curriculum Examination and Assessment’s (CCEA) Vocational Qualifications Reform Conference, the Minister said: “Our ultimate goal is to contribute to a competitive and productive economy, in which everyone can fulfil his or her potential.  These reforms will increase learning opportunities to ensure that employers have the right mix of skills to successfully support their businesses and individuals have the skills they need to be employable.

“As part of this reform programme, we are moving to a system that will be built from units, each of which has a credit value and level.  These credits can be accumulated towards qualifications and will be transferable between awarding bodies and learning providers. This will mean that all of an individual’s achievements will be recognised irrespective of whether it was carried out in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. I am also particularly keen to explore how we, in Northern Ireland, can ensure that a wide range of in-house, employer training programmes can receive national recognition, and that those employees, going through these programmes, will have guaranteed currency and progression.”

CCEA was commissioned by the Department, in January 2006, to work with regulatory colleagues in the other UK countries to take forward the Vocational Qualifications Reform Programme.  This Programme of work has now reached a vital stage as it moves from development stage into implementation.

CCEA Chairman, David McKee commented: “CCEA is committed to supporting the Minister in implementing the Vocational Qualifications Reform Programme and more widely the Northern Ireland Skills Strategy.  The purpose of today is to engage with key strategic stakeholders as we go forward and to maintain a dialogue with them. Through engagement with these stakeholders and working with our regulatory colleagues from across the UK, we can implement a vocational qualifications system that provides clarity, flexibility and progression opportunities for learners and users.”

The Minister also outlined plans for aligning the New Framework with the emerging European Qualifications Framework.  He said: “This will ensure that credit achieved in any one of the UK countries will be readily transferable within Europe.  This will also ensure that migrant workers and individuals from the Republic of Ireland can have their qualifications recognised by NI employers.  Subject to a successful testing period, I intend to move to full implementation mode from September this year.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

  1. The UK Vocational Qualifications Reform Programme (VQRP) covers all four UK countries and is overseen by a main Programme Board working to a joint remit from Ministers.  The broad scope of the programme is to bring about the reform of vocational qualifications across the four nations and to introduce a revised unit-based, credit rated qualifications framework for England, Wales and Northern Ireland which will be populated with these reformed qualifications.  It supports the Northern Ireland Skills Strategy and will provide a mechanism of recognising a wide range of learner achievements in a flexible and responsive manner.
  2. For further information contact the Department for Employment and Learning Press Office on 028 9025 7872.
  3. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.