Accreditation of Qualifications in UK

http://www.accreditedqualifications.org.uk/aboutus.aspx

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in England (QCA), the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) and the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment in Northern Ireland (CCEA) have a statutory remit to accredit and regulate qualifications. Since April 2008 the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) has operated as part of QCA to deliver its regulatory remit.
For further information on the regulators please visit the FAQ database.

The reason this is posted here is because there are many schools, institutes in UK that are not providing University degrees but instead are approved and accredited centers serving awarding bodies.

The qualifications are in the range of entry level to level 8. Level 6 usually is equated to Bachelor level 7 equated to Masters degree level award.

 

"Usually equated" is highly debatable. Yes, the Brits operate a qualifications framework, but I'm not convinced the equivalence suggested above isn't a bit bold.

 

Are you implying that the OP has some type of secret agenda he is trying to advance? Personally I'm very suspicious whenever someone posts about one of these nebulous UK "boards" or "authorities" (like QCA or City and Guilds) and how such and such level equates to bachelors or masters degree. It smacks of mill-type nonsense like portfolio assessment and prior learning assessment where, after you fill out some forms and your check clears, it turns out you met all the degree requirements and they mail you a diploma.

 

What is a "qualification"? What does the word mean?

I'm aware of the dictionary definition, but the word seems to have a more specific and technical use in British further-education speak.

It's hard for me to generate any opinion on the subject, or even to understand what this thread is supposed to be about, until that basic question is answered.

 

England, like the rest of the UK, Australia, NZ, Singapore, etc., has a framework of workplace (vocational) qualifications that, essentially, detail competencies to be acquired and performed in various occupations at multiple levels. Because universities have existed for a long time, they've tried to equate university degrees to levels in the QF. But it doesn't work very well the other way around. In other words, a doctorate might be equivalent to a Level 8 qualification in some systems (they vary), but a Level 8 qualification doesn't really equate to a doctorate. It's really just a way to fit university-trained professionals into the QF.

Qualifications, like degrees, are set up in a hierarchy meant to promote occupational growth and the transferability of recognized qualifications as one changes employers (again, very much like degrees). Imagine something along the lines of a CPA or PMP, but with multiple levels and controlled somewhat by the government.

It's the US that has a degree fetish; the rest of the world--even in highly industrialized states like Germany and Japan--have much lower percentages of adults with degrees. But Germany has a highly structured Dual Apprenticeship system and Japan has a highly structured internal system, both of which produced very skilled workers trained over several years (work mixed with training).

Hope this helps.

 

Dr R Douglas I had Charter member of NACES evaluated my UK qualifications on level 6 on NQF as equivalent to US RA Bachelors degree.

I think the professionals in such credential evaluation services are well qualified
to support the fact that in UK the higher Education on vocational level caries academic value.
These qualifications cary course study curriculum and work related internships.

In other countries such as Russian Federation also there is Higher Vocational Education that cary with it academic credit that is not a part of the main stream university providers.

Interesting comparison with doctorates, made me think and I agree with you.
I think lower level may be both ways.

 

I would like to add the NVQ - are national Vocational Qualifications and in the above database they are classified as such.

But other qualifications such as for example Graduate Diploma in Leadership and Management is not I repeat is not NVQ it is level 7 on national QUalification Frame work but its not calls NVQ but Higher Diploma. NVQ are listed as NVQ in the database, Higher Diplomas are not NVQ.

The prerequisite is level 6 diploma in the same subject.
The DIploma was awarded after successful completion of 12 classes that when compared can be seen as 3 academic credits each all equal to 36 semester hours on Masters degree level classes.

Types of Qualifications are HL (Higher Level), NQF, NVQ(National Vocational Qualifications), IVQ, VRQ (Vocational Related Qualifications),
NQF - stands for National Qualification Framework and this type of award is not the same as NVQ- it is academic qualification.


http://www.accreditedqualifications.org.uk/awarding-body/qualifications/Institute+of+Leadership+~and~+Management+qualifications.seo.aspx

Look at Type of qualifications above

Registration of unit standards on the NQF
Registration of qualifications on the NQF
NQF accreditation
Course approval
Accreditation to offer the course.

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Qualification guided learning hours

A notional measure of the substance of a qualification. It includes an estimate of the time that might be allocated to direct teaching or instruction, together with other structured learning time, such as directed assignments, assessments on the job or supported individual study and practice. It excludes learner-initiated private study.

Also -\\The New Zealand Qualifications Authority Board has approved the process for the registration of National Degrees, following consultation with the tertiary education sector in October-November 2009. M

 

Qualifications are credentials that are awarded by accredited or accrediting
body that demonstrates that the holder of the credential is QUALIFIED to cary out professional activity , work. It also provides to what level that person is qualified. Entry level, intermediate or advanced.
based on the type and level of the qualification to be employed in one of the following industry sectors and academic subjects.

Nurse is a qualification - in US level can be CNA, LVN, RN, Nurce Practitioner and also levels can be AS degree level or BSN, MSN etc.
The we have Plumbers, Electricians, and many more qualification. Qualified Technician, is one who undergone education and training.

01 Health, Public Services and Care
01.1 Medicine and Dentistry
01.2 Nursing and Subjects and Vocations Allied to Medicine
01.3 Health and Social Care
01.4 Public Services
01.5 Child Development and Well Being
02 Science and Mathematics
02.1 Science
02.2 Mathematics and Statistics
03 Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care
03.1 Agriculture
03.2 Horticulture and Forestry
03.3 Animal Care and Veterinary Science
03.4 Environmental Conservation
04 Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies
04.1 Engineering
04.2 Manufacturing Technologies
04.3 Transportation Operations and Maintenance
05 Construction, Planning and the Built Environment
05.1 Architecture
05.2 Building and Construction
05.3 Urban, Rural and Regional Planning
06 Information and Communication Technology
06.1 ICT Practitioners
06.2 ICT for Users
07 Retail and Commercial Enterprise
07.1 Retailing and Wholesaling
07.2 Warehousing and Distribution
07.3 Service Enterprises
07.4 Hospitality and Catering
08 Leisure, Travel and Tourism
08.1 Sport, Leisure and Recreation
08.2 Travel and Tourism
09 Arts, Media and Publishing
09.1 Performing Arts
09.2 Crafts, Creative Arts and Design
09.3 Media and Communication
09.4 Publishing and Information Services
10 History, Philosophy and Theology
10.1 History
10.2 Archaeology and Archaeological Sciences
10.3 Philosophy
10.4 Theology and Religious Studies
11 Social Sciences
11.1 Geography
11.2 Sociology and Social Policy
11.3 Politics
11.4 Economics
11.5 Anthropology
12 Languages, Literature and Culture
12.1 Languages, Literature and Culture of the British Isles
12.2 Other Languages, Literature and Culture
12.3 Linguistics
13 Education and Training
13.1 Teaching and Lecturing
13.2 Direct Learning Support
14 Preparation for Life and Work
14.1 Foundations for Learning and Life
14.2 Preparation for Work
15 Business, Administration and Law
15.1 Accounting and Finance
15.2 Administration
15.3 Business Management
15.4 Marketing and Sales
15.5 Law and Legal Services

 

That's doubtless true. But in real life, it's hard to imagine how a government can possibly define the skills necessary to practice an occupation. Occupations are fluid and constantly changing things. One employer might need rather different skills than the next employer. What an employer needs today might not resemble what he needed ten years ago.

So the argument in all of these threads is that Americans like myself should recognize and accept a whole parallel higher (or further, or something) education sector alongside higher education and somehow equivalent to it? We should be recognizing 'qualification X' as equivalent to an American bachelors degree and 'qualification Y' as equivalent to a masters or a doctorate?

Is this typically done in Europe? Are "qualifications" really interchaneable with university degrees over there? All the time? Sometimes?

Are "qualifications" really equivalent to entire university degrees? Or are they shorter courses and the level is just telling us about their relative sophistication and prerequisites?

As an American I can imagine taking a single university class from a university here, with a '400' prefix that says that it's a relatively advanced fourth-year undergraduate class, or a '600' prefix that suggests that it might be a doctoral seminar. But while completing a class gives me some credit at the undergraduate or graduate level, it doesn't imply that I have completed the equivalent of a bachelors or a doctoral degree.

Maybe the US does have a "degree fetish", but I note that it isn't the Americans who are insisting that we recognize these "qualification" things as if they were degrees.

We have all kinds of post-secondary diplomas and certifications and on-the-job training over here in this country too. In some industries they can have lots of utility, sometimes attracting more employer interest than degrees. But people haven't starting insisting that in everything but name they are degrees. (Yet.)

My own reaction to this is kind of stuff from a continent and an ocean away is decidedly mixed, I guess. There are many British 'further-education' diplomas that I do consider the equal of our American associates with some perhaps approaching bachelors level. (Higher National Diplomas are somewhere in that range, I guess.) But in other cases, people are simply taking exams and then insisting that they have the equivalent of a graduate degree -- and that everyone else had better damn well better recognize it too. I'm less eager to go there. So overall, I remain somewhat skeptical.

 

It looks like the question has been answered.

 

Rather than go point-by-point again, I'll just try to clarify a few things.

First, I think I made it clear that degrees are equivalent to qualifications, but not the other way around. A master's degree is a Level (whatever) but a Level (whatever) isn't a master's degree. University degrees predated the qualifications framework, so they're retro-fitted into it. But there's not an assumption of comparability.

Qualifications aren't courses. They're designations that one is qualified to perform his/her craft/occupation/profession at a certain level. They're made up of training, job experience, and job performance.

What goes into a qualification isn't decided by the government, IIRC. Rather, boards made up of industry representatives determine content. That makes the qualifications more likely to be robust and current. It doesn't always succeed, of course, which is why you have some qualifications more popular than others. (Meaning, some occupations covered by qualifications get more of their practitioners to complete the qualification than in others. If the qualification doesn't jibe well with job requirements and advancement, employees are going to want to do it and employers aren't going to expect it.)

Anyone who's read a resume, trying to figure out if a job candidate can do the work, knows how hard it is. Qualifications, in theory, are designed to remove some of the mystery by documenting one's experience, knowledge areas, capabilities, etc., making it more transportable and identifiable. Qualifications are successful at this to varying degrees.

Finally, back to the equivalence issue: they're not. Degrees can get you qualifications, but qualifications are most certainly not degrees.

 

Tom,


These qualifications are fully recognized and more then that , professionals with in NACES member credential Evaluation services evaluate them accordingly.

Mill like nonsense is BA in 4 weeks . Well more like 6 months.
This to me smacks of mill-type nonsense.

The question is it recognized credential or not.

Apparently it is , but you are not alone there are unhappy usually University personnel related persons who maybe rightfully don't like this comparison.

But I think if you look in to the education evolved in achieving such credentials then I'm sure you will have a more positive view of them.

In addition to my ILM and City and Guilds qualifications I also earned degrees in traditional university.
Qualifications can be on academic level and some are equivalent to degree.

 

How many professors at UK schools teach with a qualification instead of a doctorate? If the answer is "none," then they're not equivalent.

 

I will kindly disagree with Dr RD.

Not all qualifications are of the same type.

There are types of qualifications that come with transcript and classes on academic level.

They are earned in succession Level 3, level 4 level 5 and further.

Student earning qualification on level 6 required to have other lower level qualifications as prerequisite.

NACES evaluator, in my case a 30 year veteran of top Business School Admissions officer in US and serving , lecturing for many years on the board of NAFSA and AARCEO etc.

Looked at supplement to the QUALIFICATION, determined that the classes
and the other academic requirements are equivalent to US RA Bachelors Degree.

I think that it is somewhat similar to NA Vs RA debate.

Dr RD also should note that many universities in UK are willing to accept people with Qualifications in to final year of Bachelor degree program depends
on the level and supplement.

For sure holder of Higher National Diploma in MEchanical Engineering or Management etc - level 5 City and Guilds can enter in to final year of some 27 UK Universities.

Many UK universities recognize the Qualifications for entry to Grad School.

As far as Doctoral Level, to be hones I'm yet to see QCA accredited level 8 award.

They all stop at level 7 as far as I know.So they all go up tp Masters Degree equivalency. And Yes they make a person eligible to enter post graduate program in leading UK universities.


On the Brochures of City and Guilds qualifications the final pages usually list universities that accept level 4 certificate in to 2 final years of Bachelor degree program etc.

I will post a link to such pdf doc

http://www.cityandguilds.com/documents/EP_CS_INT_2565-03_ME_plant_tech_v03_09Sept.pdf

This will allow to enter university for further study.

 

The prove is in the pudding .
http://www.cityandguilds.com.hk/download/Recognitions-7235.pdf

Vocational Qualifications from City and Guilds
IVQ level 3 - Technician Diploma and Level 4 Advanced Technician Diploma

University of Hertfordshire
Advanced Technician Diploma
Technician Diploma, Diploma
Holders of the Advanced Technician Diploma in
Information Processing or in Business Information
Technology will normally be eligible to apply for entry to
the second year of relevant BSc programmes offered by
the Faculty of Engineering & Information Sciences,
depending on availability of s (very large first year).
Holders of the Technician Diploma in Information
Processing will normally be eligible to apply for entry to the
first year of relevant BSc programmes.
Holders of the Diploma in Software Applications will
normally be eligible to apply for entry to the first year of
relevant BSc programmes.
University of Hertfordshire
College Lane
Hatfield
Herts
AL10 9AB
England UK
T +44 (0) 1707 284800
F +44 (0) 1707 284870
www.herts.ac.uk
The University that works for you

Bournemouth University
Full Technological Diploma (former Certificate)
Advanced Technician Diploma
Technician Diploma, Diploma
Students holding a Full Technological Diploma (former
Certificate) or an Advanced Technician Diploma may be
considered for entry to the second year of a Bournemouth
University Bachelors degree, provided that evidence is
submitted that they have already studied the subjects that
they would have covered within the first year of this
Bachelors degree.
Students holding a Technician Diploma may be
considered for first year entry to a Bournemouth
University Bachelors degree.
Each application will be judged on the merit of the
student’s full profile, including grades achieved during full
schooling, English language capabilities, extra curricular
activities and relevant employment experience. The above
City & Guilds IVQs will provide a suitable benchmark entry
point though successful completion will not assure that an
offer is made to the candidate.
Bournemouth University
Talbot Campus
Fern Barrow
Poole
Dorset
BH12 5BB
England UK
T +44 (0) 1202 524111
F +44 (0) 1202 702 736
www.bournemouth.ac.uk

Sheffield Hallam University
Advanced Technician Diploma
Technician Diploma, Diploma
The University welcomes applications from individuals
holding the Technician Diploma for entry to the first year of
appropriate degree programmes.
The University would also consider holders of the
Advanced Technician Diploma for entry with advanced
standing, that is to the second and third levels of the
appropriate degrees.
All applications would be considered on an individual basis
and, as with all vocational qualifications, the University will
reserve the right to request additional qualifications to
ensure that the applicant is appropriately prepared for the
demands of degree level study.
Sheffield Hallam University
City Campus
Howard Street
Sheffield
S1 1WB
England UK
T +44 (0) 114 2255555
F +44 (0) 114 2254023
www.shu.ac.uk


University of Abertay Dundee
Advanced Technician Diploma
Technician Diploma, Diploma
Holders of the Advanced Technician Diploma in
Information Processing will normally be considered for
entry to Year 1 of the following programmes: BA (Hons)
Information Management or BSc (Hons) Business
Computing. Entry to Year 2 may be possible, depending on
quality of articulation.
Holders of the Advanced Technician Diploma in Business
Information Technology will normally be considered for
entry to Year 1 of the following programmes: BA (Hons)
Information Management or BSc (Hons) Business
Computing. Entry to Year 2 may be possible, depending on
quality of articulation.
Holders of the Technician Diploma in Information
Processing will normally be considered for entry to Year 1
Diploma of Higher Education in Computing & Information
Technology.
Holders of the Diploma in Software Applications will
normally be considered for entry to Year 1 of the following
programmes: BSc (Hons) Computing or BA (Hons)
Information Management or BSc (Hons) Business
Computing.
University of Abertay Dundee
Bell Street
Dundee
DD1 1HG
Scotland UK
T +44 (0) 1382 308080
F +44 (0) 1382 308081
www.abertay.ac.uk

 

http://www.accreditedqualifications.org.uk/QualificationSearchResults.aspx?Type=AdvancedQln&Level8=Active&QualificationType=NotSet&Page=1&PageSize=10

I do see level 8 qualification that require some 8 classes and other .

These would be Post Masters degree - post grad diploma equivalent on the level of Docotorate but I'm not sure if these are fully Doctorates.

 

This document compares National Qualifications Framework (NQF) to the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ).

 

It's no mystery that the UK is mostly organized around diploma programs, usually entailing 2 to 3 years of studies. Therefore, a 2 year diploma would be comparable to a two year degree in the US. Frankly, I would much rather hold a diploma from a top notch UK academic institution, than I would an associates degree from a US community college. But, that's just me.

 

It been a long time since I lived in the UK but it used to be that UK diplomas and degrees were very specialized (no general education requirements) so two years study in the UK, say in Chemistry, might include the same chemistry content as a four-year US degree in chemistry.

 

It sounds similar to the career diploma paths in the US, which focus solely on the specialization, lasting from one to two years of study.