Consultation - New Regulatory Arrangements for Vocational
Qualifications (Northern Ireland)
From: Department for Employment and
Learning
Date published: 11 August 2008
Response due: 31 October 2008
Semta response submitted: 31 October 2008
Summary
Qualifications are currently regulated across England, Northern
Ireland and Wales by three regulatory bodies, who act jointly to
maintain a three-country qualifications framework: the
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA, the English
regulator), the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum,
Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) and the Department for Children,
Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS, the Welsh
regulator).
This consultation sets out proposed arrangements for a new
system for the regulation of vocational qualifications in Northern
Ireland. The nature of the new regulator, Ofqual, has a direct
impact upon this regulation because of the wider remit of the QCA
to include the regulation of all vocational qualifications in
Northern Ireland (dependent upon the passage of the Education and
Skills Bill through the Westminster Parliament) and the proposed
transfer of regulatory functions from QCA to Ofqual. A decision
must now therefore be taken about whether QCA’s current and
anticipated functions in Northern Ireland should be transferred to
Ofqual.
The Department for Employment and Learning is recommending in
this consultation that Ofqual’s remit should also extend to
Northern Ireland, i.e. that it should continue the proposed
functions of QCA: to regulate all vocational qualifications in
Northern Ireland.
The consultation paper posed a number of key questions regarding
the operation of Ofqual in Northern Ireland and views were sought
on the full range of activities in which it is proposed Ofqual will
be engaged.
Next steps
Semta responded to this consultation through its Awarding Body
Forum.
Documents and Links
Semta's
response
DELNI website on the
consultation
Semta represents the view of our employers across government and
the media. If you are an employer in the science,
engineering, or manufacturing technology sectors, we welcome your
views at policy@semta.org.uk
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Consultations
7 November 2008