The QCF is dead; long live the RQF

Bethany HughesSenior Manager – Regulatory Policy & Vocational Qualifications Policy

Aim of the session

• To help you:

• Understand Ofqual’s role

• Understand the new regulatory requirements

• Understand the RQF and how it differs from the QCF

• Understand what the changes mean to you

• Consider the role of employers in qualifications

Part 1

Ofqual’s role

About Ofqual

We are a non-ministerial Government department

We are the regulator of qualifications in England (except for degrees) and vocational qualifications in Northern Ireland – Recognise c165 awarding organisations to offer regulated

qualifications – 21000+ regulated qualifications on our register

“We regulate so that qualifications are sufficiently valid and trusted” (Corporate Plan, 2015-18)

We look at assessment and qualifications– Not at curriculum, funding or performance tables– Not at quality of teaching or training

Recognition and regulation

We ‘recognise’ awarding organisations

We need to be satisfied that an organisation will provide sufficiently valid qualifications and that they have the expertise, governance, controls and financial capacity to continue to do so

Once recognised, awarding organisations must continue to meet our requirements (General Conditions)

Our Regulatory Strategy Statement explains our expectations of awarding organisations

What makes a qualification sufficiently valid?

Should effectively assess the skills and knowledge taught in the qualification

Should enable results to be trusted as a measure of what a person can do

Purpose and content should meet the needs of end users e.g. employers

Should be kept under regular review – Whole lifecycle is important:

from design of qualification to evaluation of assessment

Part 2

Understanding the

new regulatory requirements

30th September 2015 – QCF Regulatory arrangements withdrawn

Withdrawn

Withdrawal of the QCF

We have removed the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) rules, following review and consultation last year– Rules were too inflexible, sometimes got in the way of the most

appropriate qualification and assessment design– Unitised ‘building block’ approach did not guarantee quality of the

overall qualification when pieced together

No forced changes to qualifications and no new design rules– Not asking awarding organisations to change their existing

qualifications – Still have to comply with all our Conditions– Expect awarding organisations to be able to explain to us how

they are checking for validity

1st October 2015 – revised General Conditions of Recognition come into effect

With:

• new supporting guidance

• new criteria on Total Qualification Time (TQT)

• new requirements and guidance on qualification and component levels

Part 3

Understanding the RQF and

how it differs from the QCF

The Regulated Qualifications Framework

• The new framework is created by the new Conditions on level and size

The framework allows us to avoid this…

RQF bookcase

Downloadable ‘postcard’ available at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulated-qualifications-framework-a-postcard andpinterest.com/ofqual/postcards

…and achieve this

The RQF

The Regulated Qualifications Framework:

– Provides a way of understanding and describing the relative level and size of qualifications

– It says nothing about the design, structure or assessment of qualifications

– It is just a framework

Part 4

Understanding what this means for you

What do I need to do?

Answer:

Very little!

Why?

These changes are ‘under the bonnet’:

• We are not recalibrating qualification levels

• Removing ‘QCF’ from the title does not change a qualification

• It is the responsibility of awarding organisations to review their qualifications’ size

But…

You may be asked for your assistance:

• Awarding organisations must gather information from a reasonable* number of centres which offer their qualifications and other third parties, for example employers

• Awarding organisations may ask your views on other changes to their qualifications

* ‘Reasonable’ has its ordinary meaning – fair, proper, moderate in the circumstances

What does the withdrawal of the QCF regulatory arrangements mean for you?

Or…..

What matters now?

That:

Qualifications assess effectively the knowledge, skills and understanding set out in the specification

Qualifications are trusted as a measure of what a person can do

Users believe that learners will benefit from the qualification

Improving information on qualifications

CURRENT VERSION

Improving information on qualifications

CURRENT VERSION

Part 5

The role of employers in qualifications

What we think employers want from knowledge and skills in qualifications

Right level of challenge

Current

Deliverable

Meet employer

needs

Transferable

Core skills to help move from job to job

Relevant to the sectorRelevant to large employers and SMEsFor recruitment, or development

Skills that can be taught and assessed

Up to date skills that reflect current working practice and recognise advancements

Skills at a level relevant to the job they enable/help

Find out more…

Regulated Qualifications Framework:https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/reforming-regulation-of-vocational-qualifications

https://ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2015/10/01/explaining-the-rqf/

Speeches:www.gov.uk/government/speeches/qualifications-place-in-a-high-performing-vocational-system

Register of Regulated Qualifications:Current: http://register.ofqual.gov.uk

Alpha (prototype): http://alpharegister.ofqual.gov.uk/