You print a statement from Ann Watson, the Managing Director of EMTA Awards Limited (EAL) concerning the new Government Qualifications and Credit Framework.
She is, no doubt, extremely keen take the new opportunity to promote her company in this field as a major player.
I regret that my experience of EAL in the field of further education leads me to the view that there is a long way to go before EAL can be regarded as such.
Not withstanding the alarming number of errors to be found in schemes of work, test papers and general documents, there is also the small matter of proving the competence of students at various levels of Vocationally Related Qualifications (VRQs) and National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). At the requisite time, on certain subjects a student is offered a multiple choice paper consisting of six or ten questions. Generally, the pass mark is around 60%. Should the student fail, one waits a short period, minimum one week and then offers the student the same paper again. This process keeps going until the student achieves a score of 60% or more.
There are no other question papers to offer the student. Furthermore these papers are used for every year that the particular course is run.
Sadly, City & Guilds are equally guilty of the same crime.
My view was confirmed by a Managing Director of a large engineering firm in Teeside who said that in his view NVQ meant “Not Very Qualified”.
C.S. Simmons-Jacobs, Faversham, Kent
© PE Publishing, February 2010
