Qualifications Credit Framework (QCF)
The QCF (Qualifications Credit Framework) is the new system used to recognise skills and qualification. Credits are awarded for units and enables learners to gain, transfer and develop their qualifications at their own pace along flexible routes.
QCF has four objectives:
1. To provide a wider range of learners the opportunity to get the qualifications they need, in a way that suits them.
2. Recognises smaller steps of learning and enables learners to build up qualifications bit by bit
3. Helps learners achieve skills and qualifications that meet industry needs
4. Enables work-based training to be nationally recognised
What is the QCF?
The QCF is the Qualifications and Credit Framework and is a new way of recognising achievement through the award of credit for units and qualifications. There are eight levels within the QCF, entry and level 1 which forms the Foundation Learning Tier and levels 2 - 8. The level of the units and qualifications shows the difficulty level. Each unit and qualification will have a credit value which reflects how much time it takes for a learner to complete. 10 hours of learning is equal to 1 credit. There will be three sizes of qualification in the QCF:
- Awards (1- 12 credits)
- Certificates (13 - 36 credits)
- Diplomas (37+ credits)
When will the QCF start?
The QCF is currently live and is running alongside the the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). From the 1st January 2011 the NQF will cease to exist and all qualifications will be accredited on the QCF. All awarding bodies including Active IQ are currently reviewing and rewriting our qualifications in order to transfer them on to the new QCF over the next 12 - 18 months to ensure there isn't a gap in provision.
What happens if you have already registered on the NQF qualification and a new QCF version then becomes available?
Any learners registered on the NQF version will have two years to complete the qualification even if their completion dates are after the qualification has expired. There is no need to transfer them on to the new qualification.
Why do all qualifications on both the NQF and the QCF currently expire during 2010?
All qualifications on the NQF will expire over the next 18 months and be replaced by QCF versions. Currently Ofqual (the regulators) are not in a position to accredit qualifications on the QCF past 31st December 2010, this will mean initially all of our new qualifications will have expiry dates of 31/12/2010. We anticipate that this will change by April 2010 when we will be able to extend these expiry dates until 2014. We would like to reassure centres that we will not be changing the content of any of our QCF qualifications once they are accredited but we will be applying to extend them as soon as this is possible.
