Northern Ireland

SfH’s main partners in qualification development in N Ireland are Ofqual (formerly the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA)) and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA). Ofqual is responsible for the regulation of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) while CCEA is a unique educational body that advises government on what should be taught in schools and colleges and also monitors standards and awards qualifications. In addition, we work closely with City and Guilds and other awarding bodies.

There are a wide range of qualifications and awards available and each accredited qualification below Higher Education has a level and credit rating on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), which will be replaced by the QCF from 2010. Higher Education qualifications sit on the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) and there are links between the two frameworks to allow comparisons.

In N Ireland as elsewhere in the UK, major reform of vocational qualifications is under way. At the heart of this process is the introduction of a Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF).which represents a new way of recognising skills and qualifications. It does this by awarding credit for qualifications and units (small steps of learning) and thereby enables learners to gain qualifications at their own pace along flexible routes.
For more information about the QCF please click here.

As part of this wider work, Skills for Health has developed a Sector Qualification Strategy (SQS) for N Ireland. This can be found by clicking here.

Other key developments include: 

• Creation of a set of Learning Design Principles, which can be found by clicking here.
• The SfH Higher Education Strategy including demonstration sites across the UK. For more information on these and the strategy itself, please click here.

One of Skills for Health’s key strategic aims is to profile the workforce in our sector.
As part of this work we have produced Labour Market Information manuals for each UK country and for the English Regions. These include comprehensive demographic and labour market information for each area.

The Northern Ireland LMI manual will be available soon.

We have also developed a web based LMI tool to provide employers and others requiring workforce information with a single point of access to available data sources for the health sector.

In Northern Ireland Skills for Health joined with 8 other Sector Skills Councils and the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA to do primary research into the skills needs and gaps of the voluntary and community sector. This piece of work was successful in attracting funding from the Department for Employment and Learning in NI. The final report was launched by the DEL minister Sir Reg Empey on 24th June 08.

Research is also being  undertaken currently on the Independent Sector in Northern Ireland which aims to profile the independent sector workforce and carry out primary research into  skills needs within the sector. We will continue to work with employers and other stakeholders to identify LMI and research priorities for our sector.

The development of Sector Skills Agreements (SSAs) is a key priority for all Sector Skills Councils. The aim of an SSA is to profile the skills needs and gaps within a particular sector, both now and moving into the future and to develop solutions to address these together with key partners and stakeholders.

The Northern Ireland SSA was formally signed off in June 2008 and provides a clear framework for action. Further agreements will be taken forward in N Ireland with stakeholders such Trade unions, FE&HE colleges and the Universities.

The SSA Document

Northern Health and Social Care Trust case study