Understanding qualifications

A graphic of a person looking confused, with multiple bubbles around their head. Each bubble contains a different type of qualification, such as Apprenticeships, Highers and Professional Development Awards.

Scotland’s qualifications
landscape is changing

Scotland’s qualifications have evolved considerably over the years. O Grades and Standard Grades are in the past, and school pupils are now gaining a wider variety of qualifications than ever before.

With so many courses on offer, from National Progression Awards and Skills for Work Highers, to Apprenticeships and Professional Development Awards, it’s more important than ever to understand Scotland’s qualifications.

What is the SCQF?

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides a way of describing and comparing the difficulty and ‘size’ of a range of qualifications. The framework is organised by SCQF levels, from one to 12, and features more than 9,500 qualifications.

SCQF levels help you to understand the difficulty of the qualification, while credit points indicate the amount of learning involved.

In addition to mainstream qualifications such as Nationals, Highers, HNCs, HNDs and degrees, the SCQF features apprenticeships, SVQs, Skills for Work and Professional Development Awards, among others.

Interactive Framework

Use the Interactive Framework to
explore Scotland’s qualifications

New v Old qualifications

Got qualifications from back in the day?
See how they compare to today’s
qualifications, and find your SCQF level

Qualifications Can Cross Boundaries

You can use our Qualifications Can
Cross Boundaries leaflet to compare
qualifications across the UK and Ireland

Various different hands hold up various pieces of equipment used in the workplace, including a rolling pin, stethoscope, tools, a hard hat and a calculator. It represents the range of industries that the SCQF supports by helping them to understand qualifications.

Revolutionise your
recruitment

Are you an employer? Explore our free Inclusive Recruiter programme and find out how the SCQF can boost your business.