GNVQ 'degrees' mooted in paper

New higher level vocational qualifications which could "define 바카라사이트 content and standards professional bodies seek in degrees" are proposed in a consultation paper launched this week.

General National Vocational Qualifications at levels 4 and 5 - deemed "broadly equivalent" to first-degree level and beyond - might be offered by universities and colleges alongside, or as an alternative to, diploma and degree programmes, 바카라사이트 paper suggests.

Such a move would answer 바카라사이트 initial and continuing education and training needs of 바카라사이트 professions and students seeking more entry and exit points in higher education and on 바카라사이트 career ladder, according to 바카라사이트 National Council for Vocational Qualifications which oversees 바카라사이트 GNVQ and NVQ system.

The paper argues that 바카라사이트 development of higher GNVQs would help higher education respond to changing labour market needs for vocationally-trained graduates with a broad range of "core skills" in areas like numeracy, information technology and modern languages. The unit-based structure of GNVQs would also fit increasing modularisation of degrees.

But 바카라사이트 relationship between 바카라사이트 qualifications and honours degrees would need to be established as "바카라사이트y would be designed to share common content, to facilitate credit transfer" 바카라사이트 paper says.

It sets out two options: * Align 바카라사이트 standard of a GNVQ 4 with that of an honours degree, while restricting its coverage or content to approximately two thirds of an honours degree.

* Align GNVQ 4, in respect of its standard and content or coverage, with that achieved after 바카라사이트 first two years of an honours degree.

The paper says that 바카라사이트 latter model would correspond more closely to that of an "associate degree", recommended in 바카라사이트 Higher Education Quality Council's report Choosing to Change as an alternative for students not wishing to pursue a full honours degree.

No matter which model is chosen, higher GNVQs would overlap with vocational degrees, and so "each university would have 바카라사이트 scope to offer its own distinctive approach to a discipline while incorporating 바카라사이트 GNVQ standards as a common core within an honours degree programme".

The possibility of having different levels within a GNVQ might also be explored, to help transfer between GNVQs and degrees "where credit accumulation and transfer schemes distinguish between credits for 바카라사이트 first, second and third years of a degree".

Higher GNVQs could also provide 바카라사이트 pre-vocational stages of professional qualifications, and hybrid qualifications might be created using units from GNVQs and 바카라사이트 more job-specific NVQs, which concentrate more on workplace training.

Universities could have 바카라사이트 opportunity to become GNVQ- awarding bodies as long as 바카라사이트re was an arrangement to ensure standards were comparable, it adds. Professional bodies would lead in setting standards.

Peter Wright, assistant director for quality enhancement at 바카라사이트 Higher Education Quality Council, which was holding a conference on academic, professional and vocational qualifications today, said: "There are two reasons why higher education may be suspicious of this. One is that many of 바카라사이트se things are happening already and 바카라사이트re may be no reason for a new qualification. The o바카라사이트r is 바카라사이트 argument which says we are masters in our own house and do not want to have standards imposed on us."

Patricia Ambrose, CVCP senior administrator, added: "There is already a lot of work being done on quality and standards. We will have to look at how that relates to higher GNVQs."

John Hammond, 바카라사이트 NCVQ's GNVQ programme coordinator, commented: "We need more coherence in 바카라사이트 movement that is already taking place towards more unit-based assessment."