Background to SQA

The Scottish Qualifications Authority is Scotland’s national awarding and accreditation body. We are trusted to oversee thousands of qualifications that are available in schools, colleges and workplaces, not just in this country, but around the world. We have about 1000 employees over 2 sites in Glasgow city centre and just outside of Edinburgh.

How did you find out about the SCQF Inclusive Recruiter programme & why did you decide to join up?

SQA is part of the SCQF Partnership board and, as an organisation, we had already been using SCQF levels in our recruitment, so it made sense to formalise this by signing up to the Inclusive Recruiter programme.

How has using SCQF levels in your recruitment benefited your organisation?

It helps us identify candidates’ attainment levels to ensure an even platform and also in an easy way. For example, specifying that applicants are required to have qualifications at SCQF Level 9 rather than 'Degree or Equivalent' offers clarity around the skills and experience required to do the job and opens up the application process to a wider group.

How easy was it to embed the SCQF Inclusive Recruiter principles within your organisation’s recruitment processes?

It was very easy to build into our job descriptions and all adverts indicate the SCQF level required for the role. We are currently revamping our online application form and are aiming to make it more user-friendly and accessible for applicants. The form will, in future, incorporate the SCQF framework diagram to help candidates understand the SCQF level of their qualifications, skills and experience.

Do you have any plans to further embed the SCQF within your organisation e.g. performance management/job evaluation/workforce planning?

At this time no but in the future we may review this and utilise it further.

Get more information on the SCQF Inclusive Recruiter programme and how using SCQF levels in your recruitment can have a positive impact on your business.