CURRICULUM CHANGES UNDER QCF(Qualification and credit Frameworks)

Covering - VTCT,ITEC,Btec and City & Guilds qualifications

 

With extensive changes to vocational qualifications, students may be wondering how this will affect the awarding bodies that supplying courses to acreditted centres.  VTCT students can be assured that in England, Wales and Northern Ireland the transistion from National Qualification Framework (NQF) to the qualifications and credit framework(QCF) will be kept as simple as possible and in Soctland, the transfer to SCQF is underway.

You may be aware of the QCF, which is a new way of recognising skills and qualifications. The QCF is part of an education reform to ensure the country's knowledge and skills are in line with the rest of Europe. The aim of the QCF is to ensure that qualifcations are standardised and produced by awarding bodies that have expert knowledge, skills and experience in developing qualifications. it is anticipated the QCF will improve the stanard and feasibility of qualfications for all learners.

 

For learners the benfits include:

  • More flexible routes to gaining qualifications
  • learning at the pace that suit

meaning that two students could reach the same full qualification but reach it in a different way. One student  coudl do an NVQ, while another could do separate VRQs and achieve the same number of credits.

 

 

Qualifications have always been made up of units. These can be awarded separately or  can be gathered towards Certificates and diplomas. 

 

The new qualifcations are made up of   UNITS which now are also awarded credits. depending on the amount of credits  you can achieve an AWARD, CERTIFICATE OR A DIPLOMA.   Awards can also make up to Certificates and diplomas.

 

ALL the main for awarding bodies work under  the QCF. This means that all the qualifcations now offered by them are standardised and require the same Curriculum components.

 

Advantage to students:

 

  • you can now move from one awarding body to another with units covered

            For example:  health and safety, Anatomy, Physiology andPathology and the prinipals and practice of Complementary therapies 

           awards.  Before you would either have had to retake again with different awarding body or done a bridging assignment to cover

           areas that varied.

  • Saving financially be not having to pay out again for the above sections
  • that each body will be happy with your standard and what you have covered.

 

complementary Health gets regulated

 

Did you know that complementary healthcare now has its own regulatory body?

 

The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Counci(CNHC) was established in 2008 and opened its register in Janaury 2009. CNHC is tasked with regulating the complementary healthcare sector in public interst. Although a voluntary body, it takes its place alongside the other health regulators to ensure standards of education and practice are establsihed, maintained and developed. it has a robust fitness to practise standards based on its Code of Conduct and Ethics.

 

Who can register?

Currently practitioners who meet the relevant standards are elgible to register in:

  •  Aromatherapy
  • Alexander Technique
  • Bowen
  • Cranial Sacral
  • Massage
  • Nutritional therapy
  • Reflexology
  • Shiatsu
  • Sports and remedial
  • Yoga Therapy

Other disciplines will be eligible later this year. CNHC requirements for registration can be found on their website www.cnhc.org.uk

 

Kate Ling, Head of European and Specialist Legislation at the Department of Health, confirmed that, ' CNHC is the only volunatary regulatory body for complementary healthcare, which has official government backing. No other organisation has the same exacting criteria or focus on patient safety and quality across a range of therapies.The more people who register with the CNHC, the more it will be recognised as the only organisation which privdes the guarantees that members of the public are looking for'.