What is the QCF?

 

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The Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) is a new framework that is at the heart of a major reform of the vocational qualifications (VQ) system. It has been designed to simplify the current qualifications systems making it easier to understand and more responsive to employer and learner needs.

 

The QCF will provide a new way of recognising skills and qualifications by awarding Credit for qualifications and units enabling more bite-sized steps of learning than the current system, the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

 

Qualifications will be easier to understand and measure as each unit and qualification will have a Credit value (1 Credit represents 10 hours, showing how much time it takes to complete) and a Level between 1 and 8 to show how difficult it is. This means that you could have a Level 1 Award or a Level 8 Award because the qualification type i.e. Award, Certificate or Diploma, represents the size of the qualification not the difficulty, which is shown by the level, as in the following diagram.  

       

There are three sizes of qualifications in the QCF: 

  • Awards (1 - 12 Credits)

  • Certificates (13 – 36 Credits)

  • Diplomas (37 Credits or more)

The title will tell you the general content of the qualification; how difficult it is and how long it will take the average learner to complete it.

 

For further information visit - http://www.ofqual.gov.uk/51.aspx