About Us
Qualifications Wales is the independent regulator for non-degree level qualifications in Wales offered by recognised awarding bodies.
We are independent of government and accountable to the people of Wales through Senedd Cymru.
Introduction
Our education system is central to our nation’s future. It is essential to the creation of a prosperous Wales with more equality of opportunity, a vibrant culture and a thriving Welsh language.
Qualifications - and people’s confidence in them - are fundamental to that prosperity.
Qualifications Wales is the independent regulator for non-degree level qualifications in Wales offered by recognised awarding bodies. We want everyone in Wales to be confident that the qualifications achieved by our learners are fair, trusted and valued throughout the UK and internationally.
Just as important to maintaining that confidence is shaping how qualifications will meet the future needs of learners - and that’s part of our role too.
Our strategic priorities are intended to create a stronger, more robust and more resilient qualifications system that meets the needs of future generations.
Our role
We are an independent statutory body funded by the Welsh Government and accountable to the people of Wales through Senedd Cymru.
We were established as a regulator through legislation in the Qualifications Wales Act 2015 and our activities are overseen by a publicly appointed board.
Our role is broader than that of a conventional qualifications regulator. We have additional powers to commission new qualifications and to restrict the range of qualifications offered. We also support Welsh-language assessment and the qualifications system by issuing dedicated grants.
We have an interest in the potential for innovation within qualifications and the qualifications system to meet future requirements. This means that we both seek opportunities to be innovative ourselves and wish to be supportive of awarding bodies when they innovate.
This extended role has many benefits, but when undertaking this type of work, we will always consider the potential impact on our core regulatory role.
Our work
We maintain confidence in the qualifications we regulate by ensuring that they are fair, trusted and valuable in Wales and beyond.
Our principal aims are:
- to ensure that qualifications, and the Welsh qualification system, are effective for meeting the reasonable needs of learners in Wales
- to promote public confidence in qualifications and in the Welsh qualification system
We achieve these by:
- setting rules for recognised awarding bodies to make sure they deliver qualifications that accurately reflect the knowledge, skills and understanding of all learners
- shaping the range and the design of qualifications funded by Welsh Government
- making sure that qualifications meet the needs of learners
- working closely with the wider education community and involving the people and organisations of Wales in our work
Our vision
Our intention is to ensure that all Welsh learners can take the qualifications they need to help them progress in life, learning and work.
We want to see a qualifications system which incorporates:
- an inclusive and sustainable range of relevant qualifications
- modern and robust learner-focused assessment
- opportunities for the delivery of quality learning experiences
- assessment in both Cymraeg and English
- meaningful and fair recording of achievement
- an expert, integrated, efficient and inclusive infrastructure
Our values
We achieve our vision by being:
- collaborative in the way we work
- thoughtful in the approaches we take
- positive in our outlook
- learning from experience and others
We engage and involve the people and organisations of Wales in the development of qualifications at all stages by:
- inviting, listening and responding to the views of learners and stakeholders, and maintaining effective relationships with them
- creating transparent and meaningful consultations
- drawing on the expertise and knowledge of stakeholders
- producing clear, informative and timely communications, which we regularly review in order to make improvements
- working with other regulators
- carrying out regulatory impact assessments to assess the costs, benefits and risks associated with our policies and action