British Vocational Qualifications is an indispensable reference for careers advisors, human resource managers, employers, teachers and students, featuring up-to-date information on over 3,500 vocational qualifications available in the United Kingdom. These include Vocational Qualifications (VQs), National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs), Related Vocational Qualifications (RVQs) and apprenticeships. The directory also covers the latest developments within the fast-changing field of vocational qualifications, and details of awarding, examining and validating bodies. British Vocational Qualifications is a simple guide for anyone who needs to understand vocational education, whether researching what is available, verifying a qualification for legal purposes, or reviewing where best to study for them.

In a single volume, the new edition of this guide gives comprehensive coverage of the developments within the fast-changing field of professional, academic and vocational qualifications. career fields, their professional and accrediting bodies, levels of membership and qualifications, and is a one-stop guide for careers advisors, students and parents. It should also enable human resource managers to verify the qualifications of potential employees.

Paul Ryan has brought together the writings of the most prominent British research into vocational preparation in Britain in comparison to the other advanced economies, primarily within the EEC. The book, originally published in 1991, documents various aspects of inadequacy in British practice at the time, concentrating upon intermediate skills, which are of crucial importance for economic performance. The introduction outlines the strengths and weaknesses of comparative research. Part 1 discusses the use which has been made of it by policy makers in Britain and various aspects of comparative methods in practical comparisons, including an Anglo-Scottish one. Part 2 concerns vocational preparation in connection with productivity and produce markets, noting its importance for economic performance and its dependence upon companies’ product choices. Part 3 contains studies of the organization of skills and work and the finance of training within the EEC as a whole. Part 4 comprises studies of training in relation to labour market structures, each of which indicates similar alternatives for training policy in Britain – alternatives whose relevance and political prospects can only be enhanced by the demise of Thatcher government deregulatory policies.

Competence-based assessment is the cornerstone of the UK Government's reforms of vocational training and of non-academic full-time education post-16. Australia has adopted similar policies, and there is considerable interest in the notion of 'competence' in both Europe and North America. Alison Wolf describes the main characteristics of the competence-based approach as it has emerged in the UK, and traces its origins in American experimental programmes of the 1970s. The arguments for the approach are discussed in detail. Many of these arguments derive from the demonstrable limitations of more conventional assessment, especially in predicting work performance. She then analyses the theoretical assumptions which competence-based assessment shares with the criterion-referenced movement as a whole, distinguishing clearly between those claims which can be sustained and those which cannot. She also synthesizes the growing body of evidence on implementation. Many lessons have now been learned about whether and how one can establish a workable, robust and reliable competence-based system. It has become evident both that the preconditions for success are often missing, and that, if they are ignored, competence-based 'reforms' may have largely negative consequences. The final chapter reviews the prospects for competence-based awards, and offers some conclusions on what is essential to a competence-based approach.

A comprehensive guide to all the main labour market initiatives and agencies combining education and employment in the UK, this encyclopaedia presents an historical progression from the Guilds and Statute of Artifices in 1563 through to present day initiatives and changes. Fully cross-referenced throughout, with a full list of acronyms, bibliographic and internet resources, the encyclopaedia includes: Detailed descriptions of all major government initiatives connecting education, training and employment Documentation covering England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and initiatives in Ireland up to Irish independence A brief history of education and employment in the UK Chronological history of Government Departments Outlines of all major public agencies and qualifications An extensive glossary of acronyms Information on rarely recorded and inaccessible historical documents With over 1500 entries, this encyclopaedia crosses knowledge boundaries providing for the first time an integrated map of national human capital development. It addresses: preschool initiatives, primary, secondary, further and higher education; vocational education and training; labour market interventions including those designed to return people to employment; and, government strategies designed to enhance economic and technological competitiveness. The cross-referenced structure provides connections to associated items and a chronological tracing of agencies and initiatives. This encyclopaedia will appeal to those involved in all aspects of education, training, employment, careers information, advice and guidance; and policy making.

Paul Ryan has brought together the writings of the most prominent British research into vocational preparation in Britain in comparison to the other advanced economies, primarily within the EEC. The book, originally published in 1991, documents various aspects of inadequacy in British practice at the time, concentrating upon intermediate skills, which are of crucial importance for economic performance. The introduction outlines the strengths and weaknesses of comparative research. Part 1 discusses the use which has been made of it by policy makers in Britain and various aspects of comparative methods in practical comparisons, including an Anglo-Scottish one. Part 2 concerns vocational preparation in connection with productivity and produce markets, noting its importance for economic performance and its dependence upon companies’ product choices. Part 3 contains studies of the organization of skills and work and the finance of training within the EEC as a whole. Part 4 comprises studies of training in relation to labour market structures, each of which indicates similar alternatives for training policy in Britain – alternatives whose relevance and political prospects can only be enhanced by the demise of Thatcher government deregulatory policies.

Dated July 2016. Print and web pdfs available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications Web ISBN=9781474132381

Jessup's widely acclaimed book provides explanations of the many facets of National Vocational Qualifications: who they are for, why they have been developed, how they work, and the benefits they confer. The author explains how NVQs relate to a wide range of issues in education and training.