The report provides an interesting perspective of stakeholders regarding the education and training landscape. Qualifi as an Ofqual regulated Awarding Organisation develops vocationally related qualifications in response to the needs of employers, ensuring our qualifications are both valid and recognised.
“Ofqual is the independent qualifications regulator for England, responsible for regulating awarding organisations, providing 17,784 live qualifications.
The organisation has five statutory objectives as stipulated in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009, which are as follows:
- Objective 1: To secure qualifications standards
- Objective 2: To promote National Assessment standards
- Objective 3: To promote public confidence in regulated qualifications and National Assessment arrangements
- Objective 4: To promote awareness of the range of benefits of regulated qualifications
- Objective 5: To secure that regulated qualifications are provided efficiently”
Key findings –
Use of qualifications for recruitment and training
- Around half of training provided typically results in a qualification, regardless of the level of role (i.e. admin, skilled etc.), although the proportion is slightly lower among admin and entry roles (45% say training leads to a qualification) than skilled & supervisory roles (53%) and professional & managerial (52%). There is a higher proportion of large businesses that report providing training that leads to a qualification, compared with small and micro businesses.
- Where training leads to a qualification, Vocational and Technical qualifications are most commonly offered (among nearly two-thirds of respondents, compared with nearly a quarter that say training led to a Functional Skills qualification). Most Vocational and Technical qualifications achieved are at Level 3, whereas most Functional Skills qualifications achieved are at Level 2.
- The most important considerations for employees when identifying which qualifications to offer employees are the relevance of the qualification for their organisation, that the qualification is recognised/valued in their sector, and that it is of an appropriate level to meet their needs.
- Vocational and Technical qualifications are second only to relevant work experience in terms of importance to respondents recruiting to skilled & supervisory roles. Functional Skills in maths and English are almost as important as maths and English GCSEs when respondents recruit to entry level and administrative roles.
Vocational and Technical qualifications
- Awareness of Vocational and Technical qualifications is predominantly high, with 87% of respondents having some form of understanding and 66% of respondents saying they have a very or quite good understanding. There is greater awareness of Vocational and Technical qualifications reported by medium and large businesses, compared with micro businesses.
- Depth interviewees that hold positive perceptions of Vocational and Technical qualifications predominantly base their views on organisational culture i.e. accustomed to always recruiting or training in Vocational and Technical qualifications, rather than because they understand what the qualifications offer. However, employers working in sectors where qualifications are a regulatory requirement have greater knowledge and were able to give a detailed view about fitness for purpose of qualifications.
- Around three times as many large businesses say they recruit people with, or train people in Vocational and Technical qualifications, compared with micro businesses.
- Employers tend to have slightly better perceptions of Vocational and Technical qualifications than they do of Functional Skills qualifications. Employers who have been involved in supporting the development of Vocational and Technical qualifications, and those that describe themselves as employer training providers, hold more positive perceptions than other respondents. Those that typically recruit or train in Vocational and Technical qualifications are more positive about them than those that do not. Larger businesses report more favourable perceptions of Vocational and Technical qualifications than small and micro businesses do.
- Employers thinking about Vocational and Technical qualifications in the context of apprenticeships have consistently more positive perceptions of them, then when they are considering them as standalone qualifications
The percentage of employers who responded to the questionnaire, stated that when recruiting new employees into Professional and Managerial roles, wanted applicants to hold:
- 81% – Degree
- 72% – Masters
- 69% – PhD
Qualifi provides flexible routes to first Degree and Masters qualifications via its Level 5 to Level 8 vocationally related qualifications.
If you are an employer we invite you to visit our qualifications page and to contact us if you would like to discuss how we can support access to and delivery of our qualifications for your staff.
If you are an employee please do not hesitate to contact us in order to discuss your circumstances and the options available to you.