Vocational qualifications – the right skills for your business

In driving growth for the economy, we know that you need employees with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time. In order to achieve this, work-related qualifications have been reformed to better meet the needs of employers, employees and people entering work.

Qualifications are now based on what you need as an employer and what learners can easily access whilst including the best parts of existing vocational qualifications. Fundamentally, they bring choice, clarity and confidence to vocational qualifications.

Choice, clarity and confidence for employers

Choice: benefit from improved retention rates and profitability

• Having more say on what qualifications are developed

Vocational qualifications are developed in response to you, the industry’s, demands. Sector Skills Councils are independent, employer-led organisations that support you in this development process through Sector Qualifications Strategies. These Sector Qualifications Strategies are based on detailed labour market intelligence about skills needs in the sector.

• A more flexible qualifications system

Under the new structure, learners can build up qualifications on a unit-by-unit basis. This makes training more accessible to a wider range of learners. The new qualifications on the QCF offer greater flexibility by allowing learners to include sector- and employer-specific units.

Clarity: benefit from easier and effective succession planning

• Understanding and comparing qualifications more easily

All vocational qualifications under the new structure have straightforward titles that tell you about its size, its level of difficulty and the skills area it covers, so you'll have a better idea of the skills an employee has as a result of completing the qualification.

Confidence: benefit from motivated staff who reach their potential

• A better skilled workforce

All vocational qualifications must be approved by Sector Skills Councils as being robust and fit for purpose. Having staff with nationally recognised qualifications means that you can be confident that they have the right knowledge and skills to do the job.

What does this mean for the creative and cultural industries?

There is now a new process for developing and recognising vocational qualifications. This processdirectly involves you, in order to ensure that the skills needed to improve productivity, generate employment and drive our economy are developed. Under the new process you can:

1. Influence sector strategies for skills by voicing views on, for example, training gaps and priority skills areas
2. Map your in-house training to nationally recognised qualifications
3. Work with training providers to develop relevant units that can be taken as part of a nationally recognised qualification
4. Join forces with other employers in the sector to create relevant skills and training

For more information please see our Qualifications page or contact qualifications@ccskills.org.uk.