The SCQF journey continues…

by Aileen Ponton, Chief Executive Officer, Scottish Credit & Qualifications Framework Partnership. Continuing our guest blog series featuring Informed Scotland subscribers writing on the theme Making connections across the learning & skills landscape.

As some of you may know, we at the SCQF Partnership are now heaving a collective sigh of relief after a very hectic six months in the organisation of our conference, SCQF: An Unexpected Journey, which took place on 19 February 2015. The event, attended by over 200 delegates from 115 organisations in 19 countries, set out to explore the past, present and future of the SCQF and to celebrate the journey the Framework has taken since its inception in 2001.

The conference was opened by Dr Alasdair Allan MSP, Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland’s Languages, who highlighted the varied and important role that the SCQF plays within Scottish education.

Delegates were then able to see a video clip developed by current and former students from Glasgow Clyde College which plotted the development of the SCQF since 2001.

This was followed by a wide range of prominent speakers on issues relating to lifelong learning in Scotland including Louise Macdonald, Chief Executive of Young Scot, who challenged the audience on whether we have collectively inspired young people to succeed.

Prof Pamela Gillies, Principal & Vice-Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University, spoke about innovative approaches in recognising prior learning and the new school for work-based education at GCU which supports this.

There was a chance to attend a variety of engaging workshops showcasing the many ways in which the SCQF is supporting learners, and demonstrating its breadth and flexibility as a tool to facilitate lifelong learning in Scotland.

I am extremely happy to report that the event was a great success. Our thanks go to the many stakeholders who supported us in our efforts and participated in what was a really lively, inspiring and engaging event.

However, the work does not stop there. We are in the process of pulling together a legacy plan to ensure that we capitalise on the momentum generated by the conference, so that as we move into the future, the SCQF continues to fly the flag for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), to work with schools and Scottish Government for the recognition of wider achievement for pupils whose experience is so much more than exams, and to demonstrate what an attractive proposition we have for employers of all shapes and sizes.

As one of our conference speakers put it so well, ‘The SCQF is not a cost, it is absolutely an investment‘. Do you feel the same way? If you’re not sure, challenge us – we will do our best to convince you.

For further information contact [email protected]

Read our 2014 guest blogs: UCAS maps student movement across the UK, Prof Laurie O’Donnell’s Digital creativity and computing in the classroom, SQA’s So what is open education? and UKCES makes connections between disparate ideas.