Qualifications Wales is inviting views on the options proposed following their built environment review of qualifications in Construction and the Built Environment – including recognising that the knowledge and skills for work on traditional and heritage buildings needs to be embedded in mainstream qualifications – with the consultation closing 13 April.
The review recommends robust reforms that are intended to deliver clearly articulated, coherent progression routes from 14 to19 for learners in Wales. It also recognises that the knowledge and skills to work on traditional and heritage buildings needs to be embedded in mainstream qualifications throughout all stages of learning.
This is seen as a major step forward for the historic environment of Wales and something that Cadw is actively promoting through its Strategic Skills Partnership Agreement with CITB, Historic England and Historic Environment Scotland.
Qualifications Wales writes:
Qualifications Wales has now published its sector review of qualifications and the qualification system in Construction and the Built Environment.
This has been a major project involving extensive research across Wales. The research has included:
- in depth stakeholder engagement;
- learner engagement;
- an online survey;
- an international review; and
- a technical review of qualifications.
The report, ‘Building the Future’, outlines our key findings and proposals. Some of the key findings are:
- the terminology used in some written assessments produced by awarding bodies can be difficult and quite advanced, and not the same as those used in the world of work;
- assessment can be excessive and ineffective, with significant repetition;
- the quality assurance of assessment can be inconsistent;
- Welsh speakers often don’t complete written tasks in Welsh, even when they are available, because the terminology is not in the ‘local’ Welsh they speak but rather in what they describe as ‘correct’ Welsh which they struggle to understand;
- apprenticeships can be too short – much shorter than those in other nations;
- some skills, such as working with mineral insulated cables, has been removed from the qualifications but many miles of the cables are still installed in homes across the country and newly-trained electricians need to know how to repair when faults occur;
- not enough is being done in schools to offer advice about the wide range of jobs available in vocational trades, with the emphasis being on academic qualifications and trades seen as the poor relation.
You can download a copy of the full report here.
Our proposals include some short time actions to address some of the issues identified in the review, and other options for longer term reform.
We are currently consulting on the options for reform and we encourage you to read the consultation document and provide your response via the online platform. This consultation closes at 18:00 on 13 April 2018.
We have also compiled an international comparison study to supplement the report, which can be found here.
DOWNLOAD the consultation document
