Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency

Last updated: 10 July 2009

Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) approved for implementation

The former Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (now the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills or BIS) tasked the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), Ofqual and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to implement the QCF.

QCA is responsible for getting the education sector ready for implementing the QCF and has commissioned key delivery partners to reach the main stakeholder groups:

• The Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) and the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) are working with awarding organisations
• The Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), the Association of Learning Providers (ALP) and the Association of Colleges (AOC) are working with learning providers
• The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) / The Alliance for Sector Skills Councils (ASSC) are working with sector skills councils and sector skills bodies.

QCA continues to play a critical role in coordinating this and will develop materials to enable the education sector to fully operate in the QCF.

The qualifications regulators Ofqual, the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) in Wales and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland are responsible for ensuring the QCF is an effectively regulated qualifications framework. The overall purpose of regulating the QCF is to safeguard the interests of learners by securing the robust operation of the QCF and maintaining public confidence in its value and benefits.

The LSC have been remitted by ministers to develop the QCF service layer, which captures learners' achievement data from awarding organisations. LSC is also responsible for planning, funding and performance systems to support the QCF.