An Overview of the SCQF Sharing Good Practice Event 13th March

Presenters from NHS Scotland in front of projection screen at SCQF Credit Rating event in March 2020

Universities, Colleges, approved SCQF Credit Rating Bodies and SCQF Partners attended this event to discuss a broad range of uses of the SCQF. The speakers from Young Enterprise Scotland (YES), NHS Education (NES) and Skills Development Scotland (SDS) presented inspirational, aspirational and progressive uses of the Framework.

The speakers shared their practice on how they are using the Framework. The successful YES Company Programme has been credit rated by Glasgow Kelvin College giving learners an SCQF qualification to add to their CV. NES are rolling out a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) scheme to its employees to recognise and retain employees in our National Health Service. SDS discussed how Scotland’s apprenticeships are generating skills for the future which are all on the SCQF Framework.

YES Company Programme SCQF Level 6 SCQF Credit Points between 26 and 30

The YES Company Programme inspires young people to learn and succeed through enterprise via a range of activities and programmes. The programme which is built around nine key employability skills was credit rated in 2019 in partnership with Glasgow Kelvin College.

Learners gain valuable meta skills that employers are searching for such as:

There are 8 milestones within the Company programme and these lend themselves to individual units which were developed and are supported by a range of online support material via the GKC Moodle platform.

Since the programme has been credit rated a number of new schools have come on board and the Company programme is being delivered across a range of schools via a range of volunteers – for session 19/20 this means 2000 learners are taking part in the challenge with 220 student companies set up.

Credit rating the Company programme means learners now receive formal recognition for all the great work that they undertake and the programme has also been registered with Insight which is another benefit derived from the having the programme on the SCQF.

Geoff Leask and Fraser Morrison inspired our audience with their presentations and are delighted with the outcome of this activity and also the partnership working that has developed with Glasgow Kelvin College and the hope is that in the future further programmes will be credit rated.

NHS Education for Scotland -Transforming Lives Through Lifelong Learning

In 2019 guidance materials were finalised and workshops delivered for staff involved in a pilot scheme within the NHS. This has identified NHS Board Leads who will support RPL activity in line with local requirements for the national roll out in 2021 for NHS Scotland. The RPL five-step process has many anticipated benefits for staff and the NHS.

Staff will have their learning validated and feel happier and more confident in their roles using SCQF to benchmark learning and plan for future learning if desired.

The NHS anticipate improved staff retention, minimising duplication of learning and offering a more supportive environment where careers are inclusive and flexible. Laura Christie and Stuart Caulfield demonstrated the aspiration and foresight of our NHS and a real life example of RPL using the SCQF level descriptors, which provided much debate within the group!

SDS Apprenticeships and Skills for the Future

Suzanne Hendry rounded off the morning by highlighting that research has shown that the world of work is changing and Scottish Apprenticeships need to be ready for the future, and that an effective apprenticeship system will benefit all of us. Suzanne spoke about “An internationally-respected apprenticeship system equipping businesses and citizens with the right knowledge, skills and capabilities to fuel a thriving Scottish economy” SDS aim to:

• Engage more employers in the creation and quality assurance of standards and frameworks
• Ensure standards & frameworks are relevant and meet the needs of learners and employers
• Build coherent learner journeys: linking across the apprenticeship family
• Deliver better value for money through more cost effective development, and greater uptake and use of standards

SDS define Meta Skills as “Meta-skills are embedded in Scottish apprenticeships, which in the work of work includes skills such as focusing, communication and creativity, skills which will help individuals to perform in a rapidly changing work environment”

Any future work to develop the future apprenticeship family will include a range of key partners from the labour market, social partners, education and training providers and across both government and public sector bodies.

And Finally…………

All of our speakers brought something different to the event showcasing the different uses of the SCQF, with a common thread of how important our national Framework is to Scotland and its future development within the education and employments landscape of Scotland.

Should you want to find out more about the Yes programme, the NES Recognition of Prior Learning Scheme and SDS Apprenticeship Schemes you can look them up on the following links:

YES Programme
NHS Recognition of Prior Learning
Skills Development Scotland Apprenticeships