Scotland’s qualifications framework has a pivotal role to play in preparing people for a rapidly changing world of work, Minister Alyn Smith said as the SCQF marked its 25th anniversary at a special conference in Glasgow.
The SCQF@25 Conference, held at the Glasgow Science Centre on 22 September, brought together 130 guests from across education, skills, industry and government to celebrate 25 years of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) and consider its role in Scotland’s future learning and skills landscape.
The Framework was established to help learners, employers and educators understand and compare qualifications and learning achievements.
Minister calls for ‘much more flexible opportunities’
Speaking at the conference, Mr Smith highlighted the pace of change in the world of work and the need for more flexible opportunities for people to learn, retrain and develop their skills throughout their lives.
Mr Smith, who is Minister for Innovation, Technology and Tertiary Education, told the audience: “The SCQF is going to be pivotal to what I’m pushing going forward. We need to get right back to what we’re all for, and that’s for training people to be fit for the world of work of the future.
“The world of work is changing at a pace that hasn’t happened since the Industrial Revolution, and we need to be ready for it.
“We need to make sure that everybody has a lifelong learning journey, with much more flexible opportunities for people to retrain, reskill, augment their skills and reorientate what they’re doing.”
Coming together to celebrate SCQF@25
Hosted by Stuart McKenna, Chief Executive of the Scottish Training Federation, the conference brought together representatives from schools, colleges, universities, employers, professional bodies, training providers and government organisations.
The event featured keynote contributions from The Real David Cameron and Dr Lee Coutts, Head Teacher of Ullapool High School, whose own learning journey demonstrates the transformative power of lifelong learning.
Delegates also took part in interactive workshops exploring key issues facing Scotland’s education and skills system, including tackling the attainment gap, addressing skills gaps through apprenticeships, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), and third-party credit rating.
The conference concluded with a panel discussion bringing together perspectives from education, skills and industry to explore the future of qualifications, learning and workforce development in Scotland.
‘A significant milestone’
Marissa Lippiatt, interim Chief Executive of the SCQF Partnership, said: “SCQF@25 has been a fantastic opportunity to celebrate 25 years of the SCQF and the difference it has made to the way learning and qualifications are understood across Scotland.
“We were delighted to welcome 130 guests from such a broad range of organisations and backgrounds. The discussions throughout the day showed just how important it is to bring people together to share ideas and consider how we can support learning throughout people’s lives.
“While 25 years is a significant milestone, it is also a chance to look forward. The education, skills and employment landscape is changing rapidly, and the SCQF has an important role to play in helping people understand, recognise and value learning in all its forms.”
‘The value of collaboration’
John Evans, Chair of the SCQF Partnership Board, said: “Twenty-five years of the SCQF is a significant achievement and one that deserves to be celebrated.
“The Framework has become an important part of Scotland’s learning landscape, helping people make sense of different qualifications and learning achievements and supporting progression between different stages of learning.
“Today has provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on that journey, but also to look ahead. The conversations we have had at SCQF@25 demonstrate the value of collaboration across education, skills and industry as we consider what learning in Scotland needs to look like over the next 25 years.”
Sponsors
The SCQF Partnership would like to thank its SCQF@25 sponsors – Qualifications Scotland, Tigers Group, YouthLink Scotland and the Awards Network – for their support in making the conference possible.
View the presentations
Recognition of Prior Learning workshop
Third Party Credit Rating workshop
Bridging the Attainment Gap workshop (Dr Lee Coutts)
Bridging the Attainment Gap workshop (Springburn Academy)
