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"Learning Bites"

The structure of qualifications are changing and qualifications available for funding are being reviewed but previous qualifications and fundable qualifications are not going to disappear overnight.

Companies in the process and manufacturing sector which Proskills UK represents train their people to be effective and safe in the workplace. Much of this training is not recorded or recognised in any formal way. This means that money is wasted by employers in training people on things they already know, there is no trusted standard to rely on, and individuals suffer when they have to move on as they have no formally recognised skills to take with them.

Similarly with complex working environments, the need for multi-skilled, flexible workers means that a one size qualification (NVQ for example) does not necessarily fit all.

For these reasons employers have encouraged Proskills, through our boards and advisory groups, to embrace the opportunity to build on the existing qualifications framework where they work for the sector, and support plans to reform the qualification system to make it more flexible, simpler to understand and use.

Work on this has been underway for well over a year as the previous Government introduced the Qualifications Credit Framework (QCF) as part of the national strategy to raise skills levels. This is being rolled out across all sectors throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland this year.

However, the changes in the qualifications and the funding available has left many learners and providers confused about the future of current courses, with quite a lot of misleading information put forward through the press.

Yes qualifications are changing to a new modular ‘bite sized’ structure, but these changes do not mean that previous qualifications are going to disappear. Previous qualifications are still valid and recognisable.

Anyone currently studying towards or registered for a qualification has a time frame in which to complete that qualification. For example those on an NVQ level 2 have 2 years to complete and 3 years for an NVQ level 3.

Also, as of the 1st April 2010 new arrangements began for confirming public funding for qualifications delivered to learners aged 19 and above in England which are managed and operated by the Skills Funding Agency.

In the transition there are some qualifications which will be withdrawn from funding eligibility, however, funding will have been drawn down and will be made available for those already started, or registered to start those qualifications too, for the duration of the time allocated to complete those courses.

The Skills Funding Agency has an online list (http://qcf.skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/qcf-funding/confirmationfunding) that identifies the qualifications that have so far been confirmed as appropriate for public funding in the future and this list will be updated on a regular basis.

Only accredited qualifications will appear on the Skills Funding Agency list and Learning Aims Database.  Because of the scale of the change and demands on some parts of the system there is a backlog in the process of updating the published lists and it does not currently include all accredited qualifications; the current process to add qualifications is taking 5-8 weeks from accreditation.

For further information regarding the new qualifications framework, please contact Lisa Williamson on 07500 086 599, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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