Scottish Qualifications Authority

SQA – AN INTRODUCTION

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is Scotland's national body responsible for the development, accreditation, assessment and certification of qualifications other than degrees.

SQA works in partnership with people in education, industry, commerce and government to develop qualifications that are relevant to the needs of individuals, society and the economy. This includes working with the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the CBI, the Skills for Business Network and the Scottish Funding Council in influencing the Scottish labour market and increasing the availability of education and training.

SQA INTERNATIONAL

But SQA does not limit its work to Scotland.

SQA believes in the benefits of global interaction in education and training through the sharing of expertise and experience. With increasing mobility of labour, the demand for education and qualifications that cross national borders is growing. SQA has a long track record of involvement in UK-wide, European and international projects to reform and enhance education and training and there are learners taking SQA qualifications in centres all around the world.

SQA qualifications can be used to gain entry to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in many overseas countries, or to develop the knowledge and skills required for local courses and programmes.

For further information on SQA's international work, go to www.sqa.org.uk/international

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF): www.scqf.org.uk

With greater mobility of learners and workers across the UK, Europe and internationally, it is vital that learning is understood and recognised globally. Qualifications frameworks are a key tool in supporting the flexibility and portability of qualifications.

SCQF was developed to meet the needs of Scotland’s learners and was created by bringing together all Scottish mainstream qualifications into a single unified framework. All SQA qualifications sit within the framework as can be seen from the diagram below:

One of the key aims of the SCQF is to enable employers, learners and the public in general to understand the full range of Scottish qualifications, how they relate to each other and how the different types of qualifications can contribute to improving the skills of the workforce. And through its close relationships with other Frameworks in the UK, Europe and internationally, the SCQF also assists in making clear the relationships between Scottish qualifications and those from other parts of the world.

To find out more about all SQA qualifications and how they relate to qualifications from the rest of the UK and Ireland, please use the interactive link: www.qualifications-across-boundaries.org/compare/uk_ireland

THE SCQF AND EUROPE

On 5 September 2006 The European Commission adopted a proposal to establish the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (EQF).

The EQF will act as a meta-framework to which national frameworks such as the SCQF, can relate.

It will provide a common language to describe qualifications across the EU's diverse education and training systems, and will give support to individuals, as they move across borders to take up wider opportunities to work and study. It will support employers, as they recruit from a Europe-wide pool of skilled workers, and education providers, as they recruit students from across Europe. It also supports governments. The EQF is a tool to assist the promotion of a flexible and mobile workforce across Europe.

Work is currently being undertaken to ensure that the SCQF and its associated level descriptors relate to the EQF.