Meet Sheila Dunn, Head of Quality Enhancement and Recognition

What is your role within the SCQFP?

I am currently the Head of Quality Enhancement and Recognition. This means that I am responsible for the activities relating to the quality and integrity of the Framework such as the direct support given to new and existing credit rating bodies (CRBs). This includes workshops, advice and guidance on credit rating and RPL as well as managing the quality assurance models to ensure the integrity of credit rating activities. I also work on activities relating the SCQF and its relationship to other frameworks in the UK and beyond, and was previously a member of the European Qualifications Framework Advisory group prior to the UK’s exit from the EU. I am currently a member of the Apprenticeship Approval group in Scotland.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I like the fact that the work is really varied and the organisations I work with are of different types, sizes and come from a range of different sectors. So every day can be a learning day for me as well!

I enjoy talking to people about the benefits of the SCQF and having the opportunity to champion lifelong learning and the need for parity of esteem of learning no matter where and how that learning takes place.

Tell us a bit about your career to date

I have worked in education in Scotland in a number of roles over 30 years, starting as a Research Fellow in Higher Education researching Quality Systems in Education and then moving on to a number of roles in quality assurance working in FE and also for a short while for QAA Scotland where I was involved in the first launch event for the SCQF.

My links to SCQF continued in my next role in FE where I set up and managed the SCQF credit rating process in the college. I then took that experience and growing interest in SCQF and embarked on my role with the Partnership joining in 2012.