Looking at the different levels in the Framework is like looking at a road map. You can see where you are now and the different routes you can follow - like the different routes to learning - to reach your next destination. The Framework is also like a climbing frame, with the possibility of lots of horizontal as well as vertical routes to successful learning.

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) was developed to meet the needs of Scotland's learners and was created by bringing together all Scottish mainstream qualifications into a single unified framework. It was developed in partnership by the Scottish Qualifications Authority, Universities Scotland, Quality Assurance Agency Scotland and the Scottish Executive and was launched in December 2001. It uses two measures to describe qualifications and learning programmes: level and credit. There are 12 levels within the Framework which indicate the complexity of learning, and credit points which show the volume of learning undertaken to achieve the qualification. The aims of the SCQF is to:

• assist people of all ages and circumstances to access appropriate education and training over their lifetime to fulfil their personal, social and economic potential;
• enable employers, learners and the public in general to understand the full range of Scottish qualifications, how they relate to each other and how different types of qualifications can contribute to improving the skills of the workforce.

The SCQF is also intended to help describe programmes of learning that lead to the various qualifications; support the development of routes to progress from qualification to qualification; and maximise the opportunities to transfer credit points between qualifications. It will do this by making the overall system of qualifications and relevant programmes of learning easier to understand and providing a national vocabulary for describing learning opportunities.

The SCQF will also assist in making clear the relationships between Scottish qualifications and those in the rest of the UK, Europe and beyond, thereby clarifying opportunities for international progression routes and credit transfer.

For more information on updates and developments, contact the SCQF Core Team on:

Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
Room H037
William Harley Building
Glasgow Caledonian University
Cowcaddens Road
Glasgow
G4 0BA
Tel: 0141 331 3303
Fax: 0141 331 3575
info@scqf.org.uk

The Core team are always interested in hearing about developments in various sectors pertaining to the SCQF. If you are a learner, employer or learning provider and have examples of how you have found the SCQF useful, feel free to complete the form and email onto us at info@scqf.org.uk