Posted By Andrew Cartridge
Please tell me, what is wrong with a roadworker gaining a diploma? provided the right amount of work has been put in ?????????????

Are we not being a tad elitist.

Andy

Posted By Jay Joshi

It is vital to know what the "level" of the qualification is before doing any type of comparing/equivalence.

The NEBOSH Diploma is a Level 6 qualification whereas the ones announced today are mostly up to level 3. A Doctorate is broadly a level 8 qualification

There is a National Qualifications Framework(NQF) from which The Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF)has evolved.

The QCF is a new way of recognising achievement through the award of credit for units and qualifications. It provides flexible routes to gaining full qualifications,and enables qualifications to be achieved gradually.


Every unit and qualification in the QCF framework will have a credit value (one credit represents 10 hours, showing how much time it takes to complete) and a level between Entry level and level 8 (showing how difficult it is).

There are three sizes of qualifications in the QCF:

Awards (1 to 12 credits)
Certificates (13 to 36 credits)
Diplomas (37 credits or more).

So in the new framework you can have an award at level 1 or an award at level 8. This is because the qualification type 'award, certificate, diploma' represents the size of a qualification, not how difficult it is.

Each qualification title contains the following:

The level of the qualification (from Entry level at the bottom to level 8 at the top)
the size of qualification award /certificate / diploma ) details indicating the content of the qualification.

To understand the level of difficulty of the units and qualifications in the new framework it might be helpful to know that GCSEs (grade A*- C) are level 2, GCE A levels are level 3 and a PhD is a level 8. Knowing this can help to position the difficulty and challenge of each level in the framework.

McDonald's have achieved the standards for awarding accredited qualifications at Level 3.

Flybe will offer courses covering the work of cabin crews, engineers, call centre staff, some of which will reach Level 4 - degree level. Network Rail will offer courses up to A-level or Diploma standard at level 3 mainly to their track engineers at first.


For deatils refer to:-
http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_8150.aspx

http://www.qca.org.uk/li.../qca-06-2298-nqf-web.pdf

Posted By Pete48
If you read the opening statement of the article it says
"***** has won approval to offer courses which COULD FORM PART OF (my caps)of a qualification at the standard of A-levels or advanced Diplomas.

This is almost certainly a reference to the new Diplomas which start to come on stream in schools this September. The highest level diploma is equivalent to 3.5 A levels. (no don't question the 0.5 please!)
These Diplomas are an attempt to ensure a path to qualification based on more work related learning and skills development.
Contrary to the popular myths about companies like MacDonald's, (they suffer from the street myths as well) they have been great supporters of work related learning for youngsters and therefore I am not surprised that they are taking a leading role in these new developments.
If you want to know more about them from an educationalists view, you can go to the DCSF site (http://www.dcsf.gov.uk) and search on new diplomas.
I hope this information will be useful for those who might otherwise choose to mock or ridicule without the facts.

Usual disclaimer re any connections to MacDonald's. They are just one of many successful companies who are working hard with schools to offer opportunities to learn.

Posted By Jay Joshi
In order to be accredited by the QCA to be an awarding body(which the 3 mentioned are), there is a robust accreditation process.

Accrediting qualifications for the tests and trials:-

I understand that the 3 awarding bodies would have been required to use the "working specification for framework tests and trials" and meet the critieria in "The statutory regulation of external qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland 2004".

The statutory regulation of external qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland 2004 were not written to support a unit-based qualifications framework underpinned by a credit accumulation and transfer system and in some cases there is a prescribed process for disapplication of criteria

Detailed info at:-
http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_8150.aspx

Posted By RP
As said, not intending to be elitist in any way, my point is would the title of'diploma' fit with this equivilent to an A level given current titles referred to or will it cause confusion within any industry. My wife has spent 3 years getting a diploma and a futher 4 for a degree and then masters. What should it be called??...

Posted By Jay Joshi
It is unfortunate that even now, there is lack of understanding that the QCA can only give an awarding body accreditation after a robust process.

Please let us not comment without knowing the details of what QCA accreditatoin entails.



Refer to:-
Item 61 on page 22 in the link below

http://www.qca.org.uk/li...ernal_qualifications.pdf


Whereas there may be some political bias, surely, there is nothing wrong with the concept of the new Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF).

Gone are the days when there was a job/ single career for life --the QCF can be a possible route for those who do not or cannot be academically inclined.

Also, what is wrong if a plc is an awarding body? In order to become an awarding body, the "awarding function" has to be demonstated as independent of any training delivery function in the same orgnisation. At the end of the day, most if not all awarding bodies have charitable status, but will not survive unless they balance their books.

The comments on the BBC website in have your say are being made by people who have absolutely no idea of what QCA accreditation entails.

Posted By Tabs
Jean - you met a plonker, there are lots of them out there. Hopefully he won't be in a position to appoint people into jobs.

As for McDips, well done HMG! As a country we are looking at a bleak future if we don't keep looking at adapting to different ways of improving.

Many readers here would be amazed to know how many successful people have been a McD employee at some point.(I never was, but I know a few who were).

As for the name ... Perhaps the NEBOSH Diploma is wrongly named? I always thought far more work went into that than some of the Engineering Diplomas offered. But it doesn't matter really 0 someone looking for a Safety Professional is not going to accept a McDip as a suitable qualification, are they?