Please note this is not a UVAC event.  Please direct any enquiries to:

David Smith
Contact Strategy Officer
Westminster Employment Forum
T: 01344 864796
F: 01344 420121

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
Venue: Central London
This event is CPD certified

This seminar will provide a timely opportunity to discuss the future of England’s adult vocational qualifications system following a series of wide-ranging Ofqual consultations on reform.

Delegates will discuss Ofqual proposals to withdraw the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF), to lift the requirement for all vocational qualifications to be accredited prior to being listed on the Register of Regulated Qualifications and plans – due to be set out in Autumn 2014 – for all qualifications to be ‘underpinned by a validity strategy’ that will show how a qualification provides value for students and employers.

Sessions will also include discussion on the future funding arrangements for adult vocational qualifications as Government considers reform in light of Ofqual’s decision on the QCF. Key challenges for the design of the new funding system, as set out in Government’s March 2014 Reform plan for vocational qualifications, will be discussed including – rewarding responsiveness to employer-demand, ensuring a range of qualifications suitable for learners of different abilities and incentivising innovative uses of technology such as online course delivery.

The seminar will bring together key policymakers with stakeholders including awarding bodies, colleges and training providers, employers and trade associations, trade unions and academics with an interest in these important issues.

Jeremy Benson, Executive Director for Vocational Qualifications, Ofqual has agreed to deliver a keynote address at the seminar.

Further speakers include: Professor Joy Carter, Vice-Chancellor, University of Winchester and Chair, University Vocational Awards Council; Professor Ewart Keep, Chair in Education, Training and Skills, University of Oxford; Rebecca Garrod-Waters, Chief Executive, Ufi Charitable Trust; Suzy Gunn, Executive Director, Active IQ; Tim Thomas, Head of Employment Policy, EEF; Paul Warner, Director of Employment and Skills, Association of Employment and Learning Providers and Jenny Williams, Director of Vocational Education and Training, The Education and Training Foundation.

Lord Aberdare, Member, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning and Director, WALTZ – Training for Work and Apprenticeships in London and Baroness Garden of Frognal, former Government Spokesperson for Higher Education and Skills have kindly agreed to chair this seminar.

For more information and to book, click here.