Qualifications Wales publishes its Strategic Priorities Plan
As regulator of all qualifications in Wales other than degrees, we've published our inaugural Strategic Priorities Plan outlining our vision for the next five years.
The plan covering the period 2022 to 2027, is inspired by a desire to ensure that learners in Wales benefit from an assessment system that is amongst the most innovative and modern in the world, making the most of a wide range of assessment techniques and building flexibility into how, and when, learners are assessed.
Philip Blaker, Chief Executive of Qualifications Wales unveiled the plan at Qualification Wales' Awarding Bodies Forum 2022, which was attended by representatives of the more than 90 different awarding bodies recognised by Qualifications Wales.
The Plan, which builds on the organisation’s corporate strategy which ran from 2018 to 2022, outlines how, over the next five years, Qualifications Wales will:
- complete its programme of sector reviews and begin to evaluate the benefits and impact of its reforms
- work with Welsh Government, the new Commission for Tertiary Education and Research, awarding bodies and others to secure and strengthen a sustainable range of robust qualifications for post-16 learners and apprentices
- continue its review of qualifications in Wales to ensure that there is a clear relationship between qualifications at 14-16 and progression to higher education
- complete its review and reform of Essential Skills Wales qualifications, ensuring that there is a joined-up and robust approach to the assessment of literacy, numeracy and other relevant skills to meet the needs of learners
- work with awarding bodies to increase the range of qualifications available in both Welsh/Cymraeg and English, so that the number of learners able to access qualifications in either language increases significantly
- promote modern, robust and innovative approaches to assessment
“It is seven years since Qualifications Wales was established and a great deal has changed in that time,” says Philip Blaker, Qualifications Wales’ Chief Executive
“We have cemented our position within the education sector in Wales and beyond. Alongside partners and stakeholders, we continue to respond to some of the greatest challenges ever faced by the qualifications system. We have learned a lot from our wide-ranging regulatory and reform activities. Now is the time to take stock and look to the future.
“This plan developed with the support of key stakeholders, presents the longer-term vision for how our work will evolve with our partners. It outlines how we will continue to ensure Welsh learners can choose from trusted, valued and globally portable qualifications that are relevant, fair, flexible and bilingual.
“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 thriving language and a vibrant culture. Our qualifications system is fundamental to that prosperity, which is why this Strategic Priorities Plan is so important.”
Read the plan in full.