The SCQF Partnership (SCQFP) has announced that SCQF Week 2025 will run from Monday 15 to Friday 19 September 2025, with the theme ‘All Learning Counts’.

This year’s celebration will highlight the many ways learning takes place throughout life – from skills and qualifications gained in school, college, and university to those achieved through work, volunteering, hobbies or in the community.

The week will showcase how all forms of learning can be recognised and valued through the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF), empowering people at every stage of life to keep learning and progressing.

Recognition of Prior Learning Hub

A key highlight will be the relaunch of the SCQFP’s Recognising Prior Learning (RPL) Hub, providing practical tools and resources to help employers, educators and individuals identify and value existing skills and knowledge, reducing the need for repeated learning.

Pauline Radcliffe, Chief Executive of the SCQF Partnership, said: “Learning doesn’t stop when you leave school or university – it’s something we do every day, often without realising it.

“SCQF Week 2025 will shine a light on the many ways people develop skills across their lifetime, and the relaunch of our RPL Hub will make it even easier to recognise and value learning wherever it happens.

“Our theme ‘All Learning Counts’ reinforces the idea that lifelong learning is for everyone, and that no skill or experience should be overlooked.”

Get involved in SCQF Week 2025

Throughout the week, the SCQFP will share inspiring personal stories, practical resources and opportunities to get involved.

You can also download our SCQF Week 2025 social media toolkit, which contains graphics and suggested posts.

For more information, visit follow @SCQFPartnership on social media.

Glossary Term

Authority

Appears at Level 12 only where it is used in the phrase ‘demonstrate substantial authority’, reflecting a recognised high level and depth of expertise/expert knowledge and understanding, along with confidence. It does not mean ‘exercise authority over staff and resources’ etc, as that could clearly apply at earlier levels.

Glossary Term

Exercise

Used in connection with management and/or supervisory responsibility, denotes a requirement of a formal, substantive role.

Glossary Term

Directive

Applied to ‘supervision’, signifies a task or activity that is guided.

Glossary Term

Graphical Data

Encompasses maps, plans, diagrams, tables and graphs.

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Synthesis

Combine discrete elements into a coherent whole.

Glossary Term

Analysis

Examine in detail with a view to explanation and interpretation.

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Present

Set out, put forward, deliver information using a variety of mediums as appropriate.

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Hypothetical

Supposed, assumed for the sake of argument.

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Straightforward

Clear and uncomplicated activity, but not as demanding or systematic and therefore not as advanced as ‘routine’.

Glossary Term

Creativity

Often used in combination with ‘originality’. There is overlap in definition, but the defining characteristic of creativity appears to be imagination.

Glossary Term

Originality

Often used in combination with ‘creativity’. There is overlap in definition, but the defining characteristic of originality appears to be independence.

Glossary Term

Professional

Used throughout as an adjective and applied to terms including level, skills, techniques, practices, contexts, and issues where it bears broad interpretation as ‘behaving appropriately/doing things properly and well and to notions of accepted, (including externally) prescribed standards’, as well as narrow, relating to a specific occupation designated as a profession. In this latter sense, the term applies in all contexts including academic study, eg footnoting properly.

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Unfamiliar

New territory for an activity.

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Routine

Used as an adjective throughout and applied to terms including skills, tasks, elements, practices, contexts, methods and problems where it describes activity that is standard, usual, unvarying, customary, common.

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Everyday

Slightly more advanced and beyond personal but a known experience/activity encountered/applied regularly - less advanced than ‘familiar’.

Glossary Term

Familiar

Often encountered or experienced; common; something one has a good knowledge of - more advanced than ‘personal’ and ‘everyday’, not as advanced as ‘routine’.

Glossary Term

Personal

An experience relating only or primarily to the person – one would expect to start here then widen out into the rest of the world, so not as advanced as ‘familiar’.

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Critical

Fully informed, capable of supporting in-depth analysis and assessment.

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Discerning

Using judgement to recognise differences but not fully equipped/informed to analyse and discuss them in depth, so less advanced than critical.

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Awareness

Consciousness, including a background consciousness. Can be a starting point for further exploration.

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Appreciation

A sense, perception, a hold, fix or grasp of one or more of the various aspects of a subject/discipline/sector.

Glossary Term

Understanding

A thorough and firm grasp of a subject/discipline/sector or an element or elements of it, derived from education/study, experience and reasoning in appropriate combination. Can be defined as ‘know why’, as opposed to ‘know that’. More holistic knowledge of processes and contexts, so more advanced than appreciation and knowledge.

Glossary Term

Simple

Undemanding activity not necessarily part of a formal structure - not as advanced as ‘basic’.

Glossary Term

Knowledge

Facts, ideas, theories and concepts in a subject/discipline/sector acquired through experience and/or education – a surer grasp than appreciation so more advanced.

Glossary Term

Basic

Activity is early stepping stone on a structure or framework that can be built upon – more advanced than ‘simple’.