Over the last decade as the importance of vocational qualifications has been firmly established, the system has become increasingly complex and hard to grasp. Now in its sixth edition, this popular and accessible reference book provides up-to-date information on over 3500 vocational qualifications in the UK. Divided into five parts, the first clarifies the role of the accrediting and major awarding bodies and explains the main types of vocational qualifications available. A directory then lists over 3500 vocational qualifications, classified by professional and career area, giving details of type of qualification, title, level, awarding body and, where possible, the course code and content. The third section comprises a glossary of acronyms used, together with a comprehensive list of awarding bodies, industry lead bodies, professional institutes and associations, with their contact details. Section four is a directory of colleges offering vocational qualifications in the UK, arranged alphabetically by area. Finally, section five is an index of all qualifications, listed alphabetically by title.

In a single volume, the new edition of this guide gives comprehensive coverage of the developments within the fast-changing field of professional, academic and vocational qualifications. career fields, their professional and accrediting bodies, levels of membership and qualifications, and is a one-stop guide for careers advisors, students and parents. It should also enable human resource managers to verify the qualifications of potential employees.

Now in its 50th edition, British Qualifications 2020 is the definitive one-volume guide to every recognized qualification on offer in the United Kingdom. With an equal focus on both academic and professional vocational studies, this indispensable guide has full details of all institutions and organizations involved in the provision of further and higher education, making it the essential reference source for careers advisers, students, and employers. It also contains a comprehensive and up-to-date description of the structure of further and higher education in the UK, including an explanation of the most recent education reforms, providing essential context for the qualifications listed. British Qualifications 2020 is compiled and checked annually to ensure the highest currency and accuracy of this valuable information. Containing details on the professional vocational qualifications available from over 350 professional institutions and accrediting bodies, informative entries for all UK academic universities and colleges, and a full description of the current structural and legislative framework of academic and vocational education, it is the complete reference for lifelong learning and continuing professional development in the UK.

Now in its 47th edition, British Qualifications 2017 is the definitive one-volume guide to every qualification on offer in the United Kingdom. With an equal focus on vocational studies, this essential guide has full details of all institutions and organizations involved in the provision of further and higher education and is an essential reference source for careers advisors, students and employers. It also includes a comprehensive and up-to-date description of the structure of further and higher education in the UK. The book includes information on awards provided by over 350 professional institutions and accrediting bodies, details of academic universities and colleges and a full description of the current framework of academic and vocational education. It is compiled and checked annually to ensure accuracy of information.

Paul Ryan has brought together the writings of the most prominent British research into vocational preparation in Britain in comparison to the other advanced economies, primarily within the EEC. The book, originally published in 1991, documents various aspects of inadequacy in British practice at the time, concentrating upon intermediate skills, which are of crucial importance for economic performance. The introduction outlines the strengths and weaknesses of comparative research. Part 1 discusses the use which has been made of it by policy makers in Britain and various aspects of comparative methods in practical comparisons, including an Anglo-Scottish one. Part 2 concerns vocational preparation in connection with productivity and produce markets, noting its importance for economic performance and its dependence upon companies’ product choices. Part 3 contains studies of the organization of skills and work and the finance of training within the EEC as a whole. Part 4 comprises studies of training in relation to labour market structures, each of which indicates similar alternatives for training policy in Britain – alternatives whose relevance and political prospects can only be enhanced by the demise of Thatcher government deregulatory policies.

Competence-based assessment is the cornerstone of the UK Government's reforms of vocational training and of non-academic full-time education post-16. Australia has adopted similar policies, and there is considerable interest in the notion of 'competence' in both Europe and North America. Alison Wolf describes the main characteristics of the competence-based approach as it has emerged in the UK, and traces its origins in American experimental programmes of the 1970s. The arguments for the approach are discussed in detail. Many of these arguments derive from the demonstrable limitations of more conventional assessment, especially in predicting work performance. She then analyses the theoretical assumptions which competence-based assessment shares with the criterion-referenced movement as a whole, distinguishing clearly between those claims which can be sustained and those which cannot. She also synthesizes the growing body of evidence on implementation. Many lessons have now been learned about whether and how one can establish a workable, robust and reliable competence-based system. It has become evident both that the preconditions for success are often missing, and that, if they are ignored, competence-based 'reforms' may have largely negative consequences. The final chapter reviews the prospects for competence-based awards, and offers some conclusions on what is essential to a competence-based approach.