At the heart of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) lies a simple but powerful belief – every learner, every pathway and every achievement matters.
Whether you’re a young person navigating school qualifications, an apprentice gaining hands-on skills, a college or university student, or an adult returning to learning later in life – your journey has value, and the SCQF is here to recognise and support it.
Why ‘All Learning Counts’
In Scotland today, learning is lifelong and it is happening everywhere – in classrooms, workplaces, community groups, online platforms, and through lived experience. Too often, people underestimate their skills or see certain routes as ‘lesser’ than others. SCQF Week 2025 is about challenging those perceptions and celebrating the wide range of pathways that help people succeed.
The SCQF provides a common language for learning, showing how qualifications and learning programmes relate to each other. By doing so, it breaks down barriers, opens doors and creates opportunities. From SCQF level 1 to level 12, every level has value, and every learner deserves recognition.
Recognition of Prior Learning
This week, we will be unveiling our revamped Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Hub, packed with guidance and resources for learners, RPL advisers and employers.
RPL enables learners to get credit for the skills and knowledge they already have, so they don’t have to repeat learning, saving them time and money. Significantly, RPL can help address skills gaps across Scotland by ensuring that people’s existing expertise is recognised and deployed effectively in the workforce, helping employers fill critical roles and supporting economic growth.
The Partnership has long called for a coherent Scotland-wide approach to RPL, and earlier this year we were asked by the Scottish Government to help them deliver the first phase of a national RPL system for Scotland. Work is already underway and we look forward to sharing our progress with you.
Looking ahead
2026 will mark the 25th anniversary of the SCQF, and as we look forward to that milestone, SCQF Week 2025 is a timely reminder of why the Framework matters. Scotland has one of the most inclusive and flexible education systems in the world, and the SCQF is central to making that a reality.
Join the conversation
Throughout SCQF Week, we’ll be sharing case studies, resources and insights on how the Framework is helping people take the next step in their learning or career. I encourage you to join the conversation, share your own stories and help us spread the message that all learning truly counts.
Together, we can ensure that no one’s achievements go unrecognised, and that every learner in Scotland sees the value of their journey.