Next year will see some of the biggest changes in the further education system for quite some time, but what are they and are they going to be of benefit to us, the employer?
Short or long answer?
Well the truth is no one really has any answers as the information is coming out very slowly and in no particular order, awarding bodies such as City and Guilds have already updated a large amount of their qualifications to meet the new framework but what is the difference?
Under the new framework learners will be assigned their own personal reference number so they can effectively build up their qualification over a period of time, the benefit of employers here is that the training can be relevant to their particular job and has the flexibility that has been need for so long. Learners can achieve three different levels; Award, Certificate and Diploma depending on the amount of credits they build up of period of time.
Sound good, well in theory it is a vast improvement and should allow colleges and training providers to tailor their service to meet employer needs. So what's the problem? Well as ever there are a few obstacles, firstly the time frame has been argued that it does not fully allow for changes of this kind but that will always be a sticking point for various people in the sector, but the main one is funding, which is the one area that dictates to providers how training is delivered. With the LSC disbanding next year they seem unwilling to commit on whether funding will be available per units as the QCF promotes or per minimum amount of units (i.e. a full qualification) which to be honest has no real difference to the system in place now. So when will we know?
Your guess is as good as mine, my main worry is that if the professionals in the education sector are not fully aware of what is happening how can the employer be informed of the options available to them?
We shall see.
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