ERIC Number: ED367854
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1993-Nov
Pages: 25
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Skills Standards, British Style. Linking Assessment and Training in the United Kingdom. NOICC Occasional Paper 6.
Newton, Wendy M.
A major review of vocational education and training has occurred across the United Kingdom since 1986. Employment requirements are being identified in the form of occupational standards that provide the foundation for the new system of vocational qualifications, National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). Standards describe what people need to be able to do in the work environment and are expressed in terms of the outcomes people are expected to achieve. Each NVQ is made up of a selection of units from the standards. Each unit consists of element titles, performance criteria, and range statements. A nationally agreed methodology for developing standards has been established and refined under the aegis of the Employment Department. Employers are to play a key role in setting and operating the national standards. They are expected to set up assessment systems approved by awarding bodies and ensure that they have the capacity to provide training or to negotiate for training needs to be met through contracts with outside providers. Benefits for employers attributed to standards and NVQs include the following: improved staff motivation, improved quality of product or services, a tool for workforce planning, skill-mix review and job redefinition, attracting and retaining staff, and recruitment advertising. Individuals benefit, since the movement towards flexible delivery of learning materials is given considerable impetus through NVQ developments. (Contains 11 references.) (YLB)
Descriptors: Competency Based Education, Developed Nations, Educational Certificates, Educational Development, Employment Qualifications, Foreign Countries, Job Skills, Minimum Competencies, Minimum Competency Testing, National Standards, Occupational Information, Postsecondary Education, Student Certification, Vocational Education
Publication Type: Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee (DOL/ETA), Washington, DC.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A