Get to know the people behind the SCQF Partnership (SCQFP). In this new blog series, we shine a spotlight on our Board members and the valuable experience, perspectives and leadership they bring to the organisation. This week, it’s the turn of Claire McPherson.
Claire is Director of Universities Scotland and has spent much of her career working at the intersection of education, skills and public policy.
Having held senior roles across the Scottish Government, UK Government and the Scottish Funding Council, she brings extensive experience of the policies and partnerships that shape opportunities for learners across Scotland.
As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the SCQF, we caught up with Claire to learn more about her vision for the Framework’s future.
What’s been the most rewarding aspect of serving on the Board?
Although I am relatively new to the Board, one of the things that has struck me most is the breadth of organisations and perspectives that come together around a shared commitment to learners.
The SCQF is one of those rare pieces of national infrastructure that has relevance across schools, colleges, universities, employers and training providers.
Being part of conversations that bring those perspectives together, while keeping the learner at the centre, is both rewarding and important.
What do you see as the SCQF’s most important contribution to Scottish education and skills development in the past 25 years?
The Framework has helped Scotland create a more coherent and connected education and skills system.
It provides a common language that helps learners, educators and employers understand how different qualifications relate to one another and the opportunities that can follow from them.
Perhaps most importantly, it has helped to demonstrate that there are many different routes to success.
By recognising learning wherever it takes place and showing how qualifications connect, the SCQF has supported greater flexibility, mobility and opportunity for learners throughout their lives.
How do you see the SCQF evolving over the next 25 years?
The core purpose of the Framework remains as relevant as ever, but the environment around it is changing rapidly.
Learners are likely to experience more varied pathways, move between education and employment more frequently, and undertake learning throughout their careers.
The SCQF has an important role to play in helping people navigate that increasingly complex landscape.
I would like to see the Framework continue to support innovation in qualifications, strengthen understanding of different learning pathways, and become more visible to learners, employers and the public.
As Scotland’s skills needs continue to evolve, the Framework can provide the clarity and confidence people need to make informed choices.
Can you share an example of how you’ve seen the SCQF make a real difference to learners, training providers & employers?
One of the most powerful aspects of the SCQF is that it helps learners recognise that achievement is not always linear.
Many learners take non-traditional routes through education, whether that is progressing from college to university, returning to learning later in life, or combining work and study.
The Framework helps make those pathways visible. It allows learners to better understand where they are, what they have achieved, and the range of options available to them next. That transparency can make a real difference to confidence, aspiration and progression
Why should learners, training providers and employers care about the SCQF?
For learners, the SCQF helps make sense of a wide and sometimes complex qualifications landscape. It provides reassurance that different types of learning have value and that there are multiple routes towards a chosen goal.
For universities, the Framework supports fairness, transparency and progression.
It helps institutions recognise prior learning, supports articulation and access pathways, and enables clearer communication about entry routes and qualification levels.
It is an important part of ensuring that Scotland’s tertiary education system is connected and accessible.
What makes the Partnership model effective for Scotland’s qualifications landscape?
The Partnership model reflects a key strength of Scotland’s education and skills system: collaboration. No single organisation owns the learner journey. Schools, colleges, universities, employers, awarding bodies and government all have a role to play.
The SCQF Partnership provides a space where those different perspectives can come together in pursuit of a shared goal.
By working collectively, we can develop solutions that are more coherent, more practical and ultimately more beneficial for learners.
What’s one thing you would like more people to understand about the SCQF?
I would like more people to understand that the SCQF is not simply a framework for qualifications. At its heart, it is a framework for opportunity.
It helps people see how learning connects, how different pathways relate to one another, and how progress can be achieved in many ways.
In a rapidly changing world, that ability to recognise and value diverse forms of learning will only become more important.
The SCQF helps ensure that learners can navigate their own journey with confidence, whatever route they choose to take.
Get to know the people behind the SCQF Partnership (SCQFP). In this new blog series, we shine a spotlight on our Board members and the valuable experience, perspectives and leadership they bring to the organisation. This week, it’s the turn of Marie Hendry.
Marie Hendry is the Chief Executive of the College Development Network, which is the college sector’s development and enhancement agency.
Collaborating with SCQFP, she enhances the Framework’s impact across colleges and skills systems.
With 15 years experience in further and higher education, latterly as Depute Director at the Open University in Scotland, Marie has also worked at senior level in skills-development and roles in the private and third sector. Marie also serves on the Public Engagement Committee of the international development charity SCIAF.
As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the SCQF, we caught up with Marie to learn more about her vision for the Framework’s future.
What’s been the most rewarding aspect of serving on the Board?
For me, the most rewarding aspect has been seeing how the Framework helps people to understand and value their own learning.
Across Scotland’s education and skills system, there is such breadth in what learning means — from school pupils taking their first steps, to apprentices, college and university students, adult returners, people in work, and those rebuilding confidence or changing direction.
Being part of the SCQFP Board has reinforced just how important that shared language is.
The SCQF helps people see that their learning matters, and that there is always a next step available to them.
What do you see as the SCQF’s most important contribution to Scottish education and skills development in the past 25 years?
I think the SCQF’s greatest contribution has been giving Scotland a clear, shared way of talking about learning and achievement. That may sound simple, but it is incredibly powerful.
Across education and skills, it helps show the value and rigour of different types of learning, whether academic, vocational, technical, professional or work-based.
Over the past 25 years, the Framework has helped make the system more transparent and more inclusive. It has also supported something I care deeply about: recognising that people learn in different ways, in different places, and at different stages of life.
How do you see the SCQF evolving over the next 25 years?
Looking ahead, I think the SCQF will become even more important as learning becomes more flexible and more lifelong.
People are no longer following one single route through education and work. They are building skills through school, college and university study, apprenticeships, work-based learning, short courses, community learning and, increasingly, more modular forms of learning.
The Framework can help join that up, and help recognise prior learning.
Across the education and skills system, the opportunity is to keep using the SCQF in practical, meaningful ways — in curriculum design, learner support, progression, quality enhancement and Scotland’s wider skills agenda.
Can you share an example of how you’ve seen the SCQF make a real difference to learners, training providers & employers?
The difference is often very personal. I think of learners who are unsure of where they fit, or uncertain about whether previous learning or life experience really counts. The Framework is a fantastic and accessible way to show them that it does.
Whether someone is moving through school, college, university, an apprenticeship, community learning or work-based learning, the Framework helps make the pathway visible. That can be a real confidence-builder.
It helps learners see not just where they are and what they’ve achieved but where they could go next.
Why should learners, training providers and employers care about the SCQF?
The SCQF helps make all learning understandable and valued.
For learners, it can demystify qualifications and give clarity about level, credit and progression.
For colleges, it supports curriculum planning, Recognition of Prior Learning, credit rating, progression agreements and conversations with employers. But more than that, it helps colleges tell the story of what they do so well: widening access, recognising skills, supporting people into work and further study, supporting the economy through business engagement and strengthening communities across Scotland.
What makes the Partnership model effective for Scotland’s qualifications landscape?
The Partnership model works because Scotland’s qualifications landscape only makes sense when the different parts of the system work together.
Schools, colleges, universities, employers, communities, awarding bodies and national agencies all have a vital role to play.
The SCQFP brings that wider system together around a common purpose.
That partnership approach keeps the Framework grounded in real learner journeys and real skills needs, rather than being something that sits at a distance from practice.
What’s one thing you would like more people to understand about the SCQF?
I think one of the biggest misconceptions about the SCQF is that it is only relevant to those who work in education. In reality, it is a tool for everyone. Learners, parents, employers and communities can all use it to understand qualifications, compare learning pathways and explore opportunities for progression.
The SCQF plays an important role in supporting lifelong learning. It helps people understand how different types of learning and achievement connect, whether gained through formal education, work or community-based learning.
That is why the SCQF matters. It makes learning easier to understand, supports progression between education and employment, and helps people navigate lifelong learning with greater confidence.
Get to know the people behind the SCQF Partnership (SCQFP). In this new blog series, we shine a spotlight on our Board members and the valuable experience, perspectives and leadership they bring to the organisation. This week, it’s the turn of Nick Page.
Nick is the Chief Executive of Qualifications Scotland. He began his career teaching geography in London before becoming a deputy headteacher in North Wales, where he developed a strong commitment to inclusive education and values-led leadership.
He later moved into the private sector, leading educational projects and international studies focused on integrated services for children and families – a theme that has shaped his career.
In local government, Nick served as Strategic Director of Children’s Services in Salford and Chief Executive of Solihull Council, driving transformational change to improve outcomes for children, young people and families.
Now leading Qualifications Scotland, he continues that mission, guided by the values of being open, connected, caring and brave. These principles underpin his leadership and his commitment to fairness, kindness and courage in change.
As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the SCQF, we caught up with Nick to learn more about his vision for the Framework’s future.
What’s been the most rewarding aspect of serving on the Board?
One of the great things about the SCQF Partnership is just that – it is a partnership.
Being able to play my part in bringing Qualifications Scotland’s perspective to the board is important, of course, but I am always energised and motivated by opportunities to work together in partnership with other organisations.
The SCQF provides the perfect opportunity to do so; we come together to support, steer and champion one of the cornerstones of Scottish education and skills – that is the envy of many, even those that work in the kinds of international skills systems we often compare ourselves to.
The Framework brings benefits to many different stakeholders and participants in the education and skills system, so to be part of the team who steward and nurtures that is a privilege.
What do you see as the SCQF’s most important contribution to Scottish education and skills development in the past 25 years?
The SCQF does something very important in allowing everyone to compare the level and size of different qualifications. This is hugely important as it allows everyone to see how things relate to each other, can open up conversations about progression and – with the inclusion of HE programmes and qualifications in the same Framework as all those offered in schools, colleges and training providers – is a tangible and important living example of commitment to a parity of esteem across different pathways and qualifications.
Baking this parity in via the Framework has been, and continues to be, a valuable commitment to the kind of education and skills system Scotland aspires to have.
How do you see the SCQF evolving over the next 25 years?
For the future, I think it is less about how the Framework evolves and more about how it helps ensure that whatever the future of qualifications looks like, they remain grounded with clarity about their level and their size.
One strength of the Framework is that it can be a home to qualifications of all different types, aims and styles – so long as we maintain that, while ensuring that the ground rules of clear outcomes, formal assessment and quality assurance are maintained – then the Framework will evolve as qualifications evolve.
Can you share an example of how you’ve seen the SCQF make a real difference to learners, training providers & employers?
The Framework is embedded in Qualifications Scotland’s qualifications – so every time a learner is entered for one of our qualifications, the SCQF is playing its part in supporting that learner journey.
We also work with many organisations that speak to us about our customised awards offer, or indeed as our role as a credit rating body. We know from our experience that the ability to place an organisation’s learning programme on the SCQF is a major benefit.
Why should learners, training providers and employers care about the SCQF?
Learners – and parents and carers – training providers and employers should care about the SCQF as it provides them with a map to the qualifications that are available. It enables purposeful learner journeys aiming at a destination, showing that there are different routes to get where you want to be.
What makes the Partnership model effective for Scotland’s qualifications landscape?
The partnership model embodies Scotland’s approach to education and skill. It’s a system where all the players understand that they need each other and work best when they do so in harness.
What’s one thing you would like more people to understand about the SCQF?
The SCQF is a brilliant example of this partnership in action. If there’s one thing I’d like people to understand it is just that: the Framework shows what we can do when we work across our institutional boundaries for the good of Scotland. It shows that collaboration and partnership are a direct route to delivering solutions that work – and the 25 years of contribution made to thousands of learner journeys by the SCQF is testament to that.
Get to know the people behind the SCQF Partnership (SCQFP). In this new blog series, we shine a spotlight on our Board members and the valuable experience, perspectives and leadership they bring to the organisation. This week, it’s the turn of Martin Jones.
Martin has over 30 years’ experience in tertiary education, primarily working within a law school environment.
During 15 years at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), he held a number of leadership roles, including leading the law team.
More recently, he has worked within the University of the Highlands and Islands as Principal and CEO at UHI Argyll.
In 2025, he became Dean and CEO of the Institute of Law, Jersey.
An advocate for technology in learning, he is passionate about widening access to the legal profession and is a member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Education and Training Committee.
As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the SCQF, we caught up with Martin to learn more about his vision for the Framework’s future.
What’s been the most rewarding aspect of serving on the Board?
Seeing key representative stakeholders in Scotland’s educational landscape engage around the Framework as an important calibration of education and training in Scotland and how that is never more relevant than today. Also seeing, how the SCQFP’s impact is driven by a relatively small team of dedicated staff.
What do you see as the SCQF’s most important contribution to Scottish education and skills development in the past 25 years?
The opportunity that the Framework gives for learners to situate themselves within the levels and to plot an individual journey which may be navigated in a concentrated burst through school, college, university and workplace or alternatively in a more ad hoc fashion over a considerable number of years – but all tied together with a sense of benchmarked, coherent progression.
How do you see the SCQF evolving over the next 25 years?
The adoption of the Framework wherever learning and skills acquisition takes place has been central to the last 25 years.
Those opportunities for learning will likely expand in the context of digital offerings and may emerge in ways that are not entirely obvious at this moment in time and from providers that may be outside traditional contexts too.
The need for SCQF to remain present and to anchor learning as people are driven to learn to remain relevant in a changing job market will be paramount.
Can you share an example of how you’ve seen the SCQF make a real difference to learners, training providers & employers?
In my former working life at UHI Argyll seeing the Framework being used to plan and create coherent learner pathways from school through college and university qualifications in a single tertiary institution is exactly how it can be used strategically for individual benefit.
Also, at Ocean Youth Trust (Scotland) I saw how the achievement of benchmarked qualifications achieved in the context of a boating adventure was so important to some young people who may have struggled to achieve the equivalent at school.
Why should learners, training providers and employers care about the SCQF?
I would highlight, in particular, the role of employers in looking at the range of qualifications that any potential employees might be bringing to the table and, therefore, be looking at them as individuals.
Equally, when planning to invest in the education and training of their employees, it enables them to make the right decision about what is the best next step for the benefit of the organisation and the individual.
What makes the Partnership model effective for Scotland’s qualifications landscape?
Partnership is just that. Nobody can ‘own’ the SCQFP or set its agenda without collaborating with the voices from all corners of the skills and education landscape in Scotland.
That is also reflective of the fact that learners will likely engage with the various constituent parts across their lifetime.
What’s one thing you would like more people to understand about the SCQF?
Engaging with the Framework is not a single linear journey to reach the highest pinnacle that you can in a particular specialism.
The nature of learning and skills acquisition is such that you may have concurrent or parallel journeys as you develop your career, change career or engage for the love of learning across your lifetime.
As the Scottish Credit & Qualifications Framework (SCQF) marks its 25th anniversary in 2026, we’re shining a spotlight on the people shaping its direction — the SCQF Partnership (SCQFP) Board. First in the series, we meet our Chair, John Evans, who shares his insights into the Framework’s successes and challenges.
John was appointed to the role of SCQFP Board Chair in December 2023.
He holds a number of non-executive positions in the private, public and third sector and is also a director of a Scottish League Football Club. John has worked in senior leadership roles across a range of sectors, including education.
About John’s role
Q: What motivated you to apply for the role of SCQFP Board Chair?
A: I had worked with the SCQFP during my time as HR Director with the police and also as Chair of a Sector Skills Council. I knew the importance of the work and the role to be played in creating a mobile and skilled workforce in Scotland. I felt I could bring an employer’s perspective o the Board.
Q: What’s been the most rewarding aspect of serving on the Board?
A: Seeing the SCQFP team and our contribution develop has been the most rewarding aspect. I believe we now truly understand our value and impact and how we can make a difference. For example, the recent collaboration with the British Council Scotland showed just how much we can offer to other countries.
Strategic vision
Q: What do you see as the SCQF’s most important contribution to Scottish education and skills development in the past 25 years?
A: The most important contribution has been providing a framework and common language for learning and qualifications in Scotland. We often take it for granted, but it’s been a long journey and we’ve benefitted from some fantastic contributions and people.
Q: How do you see the SCQF evolving over the next 25 years?
A: Recognition of Prior Learning will become increasingly important, particularly as people move between roles and sectors throughout their careers. For the SCQF, that means continuing to ensure that the processes around RPL are robust, trusted and clearly communicated. We are in the midst of a skills and work revolution that is possibly greater than the Industrial Revolution and we need to make sure that we have a mobile, agile and skilled workforce. I believe that AI makes human skills and judgement even more important and our work will be at the forefront of that evolution.
Impact and value
Q: Can you share an example of how you’ve seen the SCQF make a real difference to learners, training providers & employers?
A: I have seen first-hand how the SCQF can transform training and development. One example that stands out is my work with the Scottish Police College, where learning moved from a largely rote-based approach to a more work-based model. Crucially, it gave that learning a recognised currency, allowing it to be understood and valued beyond policing. That shift did more than strengthen skills and knowledge – it helped broaden routes into leadership, influenced the profile of people being recruited, and ultimately supported better outcomes for communities across Scotland.
Q: Why should learners, training providers and employers care about the SCQF?
A: It gives us a common currency, understanding, standards and dialogue that connects employers, learning providers and qualification bodies and, most of all, has the learner at the heart of that framework.
Collaboration
Q: What makes the Partnership model effective for Scotland’s qualifications landscape?
A: Just that …. it’s a partnership.
Q: What’s one thing you’d like more people to understand about the SCQF?
A: We need to make it simpler to understand – for everyone involved. I’m not sure that when a learner (or parent/carer) sees an SCQF level on a certificate they always know what it means. Likewise for employers. We do our utmost to help people understand the SCQF, but there’s always work to be done.
Learn more about the SCQFP Board at How We Operate.