Stakeholder confidence in non-degree qualifications in Wales and the qualifications system
Beaufort Research and Cardiff Metropolitan University carried out a qualitative research study to understand stakeholder confidence of qualifications and the qualifications system in Wales.
To help it meet these aims and this mission, Qualifications Wales commissioned Beaufort Research, in partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University, in autumn 2020 to carry out a three-stage qualitative research study to understand stakeholder confidence in these areas. This document reports on the second stage of the study.
The research generated feedback on a broad spectrum of areas that stakeholders associated with qualifications and the qualifications system in Wales, as participants were able to talk spontaneously about what affected their confidence in qualifications and the system in Wales.
Our reforms of qualifications in Health and Social Care & Childcare and Construction & Building Services Engineering are some of the most ambitious and significant reforms of vocational qualifications in Wales ever to have taken place. Reform and change always bring challenges alongside the benefits that they deliver, and these challenges were exacerbated by the reforms coinciding with the global pandemic.
Earlier this year we conducted a Rapid Review of the level 3 qualifications in Health and Social Care and are overseeing a number of actions to address some of the concerns that were raised including, notably, the development, by WJEC, of a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care Principles and Contexts which will support the development of learners wanting to progress to Higher Education. We continue to engage with learning providers, including through a new Sector Qualification Group for Health and Social Care and Childcare, to listen to and address, where appropriate the concerns they have.
We have, similarly, completed more recently, a Rapid Review of the implementation of new qualifications for Construction and Building Services Engineering that were taught in FE colleges from September 2020. We will engage with the sector and awarding bodies on these qualifications.