Promoting awareness of the benefits of regulated qualifications

What the legislation says

It is Ofqual’s objective to promote awareness and understanding of:

  • the range of regulated qualifications available
  • the benefits of regulated qualifications
  • the benefits of recognition to awarding organisations.

It is Ofqual’s objective to promote public confidence in regulated qualifications and regulated assessment arrangements.

Ofqual will be required to publish:

  • a register of recognised awarding organisations and the qualifications they offer
  • a qualifications regulatory framework setting out how it will perform its monitoring and enforcement duties
  • an annual report setting out how it has performed its functions that year.

21.1 Effective and transparent regulation of qualifications and assessments will underpin our efforts to promote understanding of the benefits of, and confidence in, regulated qualifications and assessments. Learners and those who make use of regulated qualifications should be confident that an awarding organisation has been judged to be fit to offer trustworthy qualifications.

21.2We will build on the work we have already undertaken to explain the structure and regulation of certain qualifications, to open up discussions about standards and reliability and to learn more about learners’ concerns and interests.1 We will target information through a communication strategy. Our use of media such a Youtube and Twitter will be developed further.

We will continue to undertake research and surveys into levels of understanding and public confidence in regulated qualifications and assessments and respond accordingly.

21.3We propose that we should use surveys of, among others, learners, parents, carers, teachers, employers and higher education institutions to help us measure our success in achieving our objectives. We will refine the approaches we have taken in response to the findings from such studies. We will continue to learn from panels of representative groups who have views on regulated qualifications and assessments. We will develop a plan for spreading awareness amongst employers of the benefits of regulation, including the opportunities provided by recognition as an awarding organisation within the QCF.

The register of awarding organisations

21.4We will publish a register of recognised awarding organisations. For each organisation this will include:

  • the qualifications in respect of which it is recognised
  • the forms of those qualifications which are being awarded
  • where appropriate, the number of guided learning hours attached to those qualifications.

21.5We may include other information on the register and we seek views on this.

21.6We intend that the register should be maintained online, be readily accessible to learners and the public, and be capable of interrogation by users so that they can find the information that they require. The register should provide links to awarding organisations so that individuals are able to find out more information about a qualification in which they are interested. It could include search facilities and tools to allow comparisons.

Questions:

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  1. See for example, our guides to qualifications, our animation on our reliability project and videos of meetings with learner panels. [↩]

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