An update on sector reviews: - what have we learned? - what next?     Cassy Taylor Associate Director (Vocational Qualifications)

Sector Reviews - Aims Understand the qualifications landscape in a priority economic sector Identify the views of stakeholders on the effectiveness of existing qualifications Determine whether qualifications meet the needs of learners, employers and higher education institutions Identify any lessons to be learned from qualifications in other comparable nations Identify whether Qualifications Wales should take, or recommend others to take, any actions to improve the effectiveness of the qualifications and/or the system Publish a report on findings and proposals for action

Focus of Sector Reviews Qualifications used in publicly funded programmes of learning, especially: Qualifications taken by learners aged 14-16 Qualifications taken by learners aged 16-18 in full time learning (school or FE) Qualifications used in apprenticeship frameworks As well as Other qualifications (or features of the qualifications system) that the sector tells us it's important to look at or which the sector raises concerns about

Review methodology Learner engagement Stakeholder engagement Technical review International comparison Sector advisors Stakeholder panel

Cross-cutting findings Complex and unclear pathways and progression Currency of content Repetition across levels Unengaging or irrelevant assessment – sometimes relying too much on command verbs Burden of assessment Expertise of internal assessors Inconsistency across awarding bodies Limited learning where competence-assessment used

A child learning to speak Bloom’s Taxonomy A child learning to speak Knowledge Recognise sounds as words Understanding Attribute meaning to those words Application Say those words back to others Analysis Derive meaning from sequences of words Synthesis Construct sequences of words to convey meaning Evaluation Work out whether others understand their sequences of words Norman Gealy - 2018

“We are actually assessing vocational students, who have chosen a vocational route, academically. We are possibly stopping those who could be the best trades people from progression simply because we are judging them on academic values.” Head of Construction in a Further Education College

Valid Reliable Manageable Engaging

Health and Social Care (including Childcare) New commissioned qualifications from 2019/2020 Construction and the Built Environment New commissioned qualifications from 2021 for Further Education and Apprenticeships New GCSE and A level Built Environment from 2021/2022 ICT Phasing out of older qualifications in favour of newer ones in FE Potential introduction of T level qualification New GCSE and A level Digital Technologies from 2021/2022

Research arising from sector reviews The use of technology in the assessment of vocational learning Indicators of engagement in vocational assessment

Sector Review 4 – Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing and Energy Sept 2018 - Start-up Dec 2018 - Stakeholder panels Nov 2018 to Apr 2019 - Learner engagement Jan to Sep 2019 - Stakeholder interviews and engagement Jan to June 2019 - International comparison study Summer 2019 - Technical review Sep 2019 to Mar 2020 - Analysis and options testing Autumn 2020 - Report

Sectors 5 and 6 2021 Financial Services 2022 Travel, Tourism and Hospitality

Thank you! cassy.taylor@qualificationswales.org