25.02.2010
Food and drink sector skills council Improve is urging employers to visit a new website recently launched to raise awareness of a large scale overhaul of sector-based qualifications.
The site is part of a joint project with Business Link and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), designed to ensure that businesses are at the heart of the changes.
Jack Matthews, chief executive of Improve said: “Over the past few months we’ve been working hard consulting with employers on what represents a radical overhaul of qualifications for the food and drink industry. We have announced the introduction of two new families of qualifications – Improve Proficiency Qualifications (IPQs) and Improve Vocational Qualifications (IVQs) – which are being developed in partnership with employers to make them as flexible, effective and relevant to the workplace as possible.
“Because of the way these qualifications will be structured, employers will be able to specify the content, process and delivery of skills training. It will be tailored by training providers to meet each employer’s specific needs. This system will also offer scope for employers to develop new content from scratch, which is why their involvement in development is so important.”
Skills & Further Education Minister Kevin Brennan said: “Employers are now looking to put themselves in the best position to take up the opportunities of growth – skills will be crucial to taking on that challenge. That is why we are simplifying and modernising the system of vocational qualifications and I believe these changes will be invaluable to businesses and learners alike.
“For anyone who wants to get the skills they need into their business or take up training opportunities themselves, the website gives them a great opportunity to find out more.”
IPQs and IVQs are the first work-related qualifications developed specifically for the food and drink industry. IPQs will be aimed at developing the skills of people already working in the industry, while IVQs will be learning-based vocational courses for people looking to enter the industry or take on a new job role.
The new families of qualifications will be structured around a system of units, with each individual unit being based on the skills and knowledge needed to carry out a particular job role. Learners will earn credits for each unit completed, accumulating credits over time as they work towards a full qualification.
These changes come amid a wider reform of vocational qualifications across all sectors. The Vocational Qualification Reform programme will see qualifications across every industry streamlined so that they are easier to understand and access.
The new set of bite-size qualifications will have simpler titles and clear indicators of size, level of difficulty and content.
The Government believes that these new qualifications will help to build a better skilled workforce - leading to improved retention rates and increased profitability across all industries.
The website recently launched provides links for employers to find out more about the reforms process and gives them an opportunity to influence skills strategies for their industry.
It includes links to help employers map in-house training to nationally recognised qualifications, work with training providers to develop relevant units that can be taken as part of a nationally recognised qualification and to join forces with other employers in their industry to create high quality skills and training opportunities.
Employers who are interested should go to www.businesslink.gov.uk/vocational/qualifications, or for more information about Improve, IPQs and IVQs, go to www.improve-skills.co.uk
