As we begin SCQF Week 2026 and celebrate 25 years of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework, we’re reflecting on how much learning, work and careers have changed since 2001.
In this blog, John Evans, chair of the SCQF Partnership Board, looks back at where he was 25 years ago and considers what those changes can teach us about the future of learning and skills – and the role the SCQF can play in helping Scotland prepare for what comes next.
Where were you 25 years ago?
It’s a simple question, but one that can take us back to a very different time.
Perhaps you were at school, starting your first job, studying, beginning a new career – or simply figuring out what’s next. Whatever you were doing in 2001, it’s unlikely that you could have predicted quite how much the world of learning and work would change over the next 25 years.
SCQF Week 2026
As we open SCQF Week 2026, which runs from September 21 to 25, that question feels particularly appropriate.
This year marks 25 years of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) – 25 years of helping people understand the level and value of learning, wherever and whenever that learning has taken place.
It is a significant milestone, but it is also much more than an anniversary. It is a chance to reflect on how far Scotland’s education and skills landscape has come, the difference the SCQF has made, and what we need from it over the next 25 years.
When the SCQF was introduced in 2001, the educational landscape looked very different. The internet was gradually becoming part of everyday life, but smartphones, social media, online learning platforms and artificial intelligence were still years away from transforming the way we communicate, learn and work.
Since then – and throw in a pandemic – Scotland has seen enormous changes in education and skills.
Where was I 25 years ago?
When I look back to where I was 25 years ago, my life was very different from what it is today. I was working for a global organisation as a divisional HR director and my first son had just arrived. I was learning rapidly on all fronts!
Education and learning was siloed in so many ways – not just in schools and colleges but in the workplace too. Mobility between departments and functions was not easy. However, I worked with a trade union leader who was very focused on employability and skills for life and we worked hard to help our people build sustainable careers, regardless of whether that was with us or elsewhere.
I learned skills that I’ve used in HR and elsewhere. I’ve had to brush up technical skills in recent years and the softer skills of leadership, communication and problem solving never leave you … but can always be improved!
And I suspect that is true for many of us.
The qualifications we gained, the skills we developed, the opportunities we took and the experiences we had have all helped shape where we are today. Learning is rarely a straight line, and increasingly, neither are our careers.
What does the future hold for educaiton?
So, if our lives and the world around us can change so dramatically in 25 years, what does that mean for the way we think about learning, skills and qualifications?
That is one of the questions we will explore during SCQF@25, our 25th anniversary conference at Glasgow Science Centre on Tuesday, 22 September.
Bringing together people from across education, skills, industry and beyond, the conference will look at the SCQF’s past, present and future. We’ll reflect on how the Framework has developed and the contribution it has made over the past quarter of a century, but we’ll also look beyond the anniversary and ask what Scotland needs from its qualifications and skills landscape in the years ahead.
How do we make sure that learning is recognised, wherever it happens?
How do we help people understand the skills and knowledge they already have?
And how do we ensure that qualifications and learning continue to open doors?
These are not simply questions for education providers or policymakers. They affect all of us – individuals making decisions about our futures, employers looking for skills, and organisations working to create opportunities for people to learn and progress.
Making sense of the big questions
The SCQF has always had a role in helping make sense of this complexity. By providing a common framework for understanding qualifications and learning, it has helped people see how different forms of learning relate to one another and, importantly, recognise the value of learning beyond traditional routes.
But a 25th anniversary should not simply be about looking back at what has been achieved. It should also prompt us to think differently about what comes next.
During SCQF Week 2026, we’ll be doing just that. Alongside celebrating 25 years of the Framework, we’ll be sharing stories from people across Scotland about where they were 25 years ago and how their own learning and careers have evolved since then.
Where you were you 25 years ago?
I hope these stories will prompt you to think about your own journey. Where were you in 2001? What have you learned since then? And, perhaps most importantly, what might you be doing 25 years from now?
Because, if the last 25 years have taught us anything, it is that we cannot predict what the future of learning will look like.
What we can do is make sure that Scotland is ready for it – with a learning and skills system that recognises people’s achievements, supports them to keep learning and gives everyone the opportunity to build on what they already know.
Join us in celebrating SCQF Week 2026 – find out how you can get involved here.