National Qualifications Framework
Chapter 4 Section 1

Recommendation(s): 22

Recommendation 22:

We recommend that the Government, the representative bodies, the Quality Assurance Agency, other awarding bodies and the organisations which oversee them, should endorse immediately the framework for higher education qualifications that we have proposed.

4.1 The Government endorses in principle the recommendation that there should be a national higher education qualifications framework, along with the recommendation of the Garrick report that there should be a parallel framework for Scotland. It will look to the responsible bodies in the higher education sector to agree the detail of the framework, taking the Committee’s outline as the starting point. The Quality Assurance Agency, in consultation with interested bodies, will have a central role. The major elements of the framework should be in place by the year 2000. The Government will be asking for regular progress reports.

4.2 In the context of lifelong learning and more generally the Government attaches particular importance to two aspects of the framework:

  • The need for a national credit accumulation and transfer system in England, to underpin the qualifications framework. More developed systems are already in place in Scotland and Wales. Projects are being funded to help integrate the different credit-awarding systems in England, while in Wales funding is being made available specifically to improve the linkages between credit accumulation and transfer systems in the further and higher education sectors and in Northern Ireland a regional credit accumulation and transfer system relating to both sectors is being developed.

  • The introduction of more "stopping-off points", separately accredited, during higher education courses. This will enable building blocks of qualifications to be put in place over time so that people will know what particular blocks of learning are worth. Those concerned with developing the higher education framework should work closely with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authorities for England and Wales, the Scottish Qualifications Authority, the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment and the Teacher Training Agency in areas of mutual interest.

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