Hilary’s team have recently carried out a survey to gather feedback on the changes proposed to the units and assessments under review and will be starting work on these revisions shortly. They are looking for practitioners to work with them to write, vet and provide additional support to their qualifications. If you are interested in getting involved in this review please complete and return the attached Expression of Interest form to Hilary, or get in touch with her if you…
A new report, produced by the Edge Foundation, entitled The Digital Revolution [PDF], highlights the importance of digital skills to the UK economy. The report quotes Davos when it describes the current changes in society as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which I previously mentioned. It points out the significant changes in employment that are about to occur in most advanced economies – particularly the decline in administrative and manufacturing jobs, and the increase in technical positions. The report makes eight…
I attended the launch of SQA’s new learner guides for digital literacy yesterday, which was held in the Wheatley Group offices in Glasgow. Some time ago, SQA signed up to the Scottish Government’s Digital Participation Charter and, as part of that initiative, we pledged to produce a range of learner guides to cover basic skills in computing. The guides are now available. There are 19 guides in total, covering such things as applying for a job, buying a train ticket, and…
I’ve received a few enquiries about the review of PC Passport so I thought that it would be a good time to provide an update. PC Passport was originally introduced in 2004 and first reviewed in 2007. We commenced the second review in 2013. This second review was “parked” for a while since it was decided to split the development into two: one to develop a new suite of qualifications entitled “Digital Passport” and one to update PC Passport. Digital…
The web page for this new qualification is now live. The qualification was validated some time ago, but you can now access a dedicated web page about this revised award. You’ll find the Group Award Specification (GAS) and other information on that page. The GAS defines the structure of the award and contains information about how to deliver and assess the qualification. This new qualification is an ideal introduction to digital skills. It is at SCQF Level 3 and contains three (mandatory)…
I came into good news this morning — the NPA Digital Literacy at SCQF Level 3 has now been validated. A number of conditions and recommendations were placed on it at the recent validation event, but these have now been addressed. This (almost) brings to a conclusion a development that commenced last February. The final stage is to “operationalise” the qualification (code it, put it on the website, add it to our database, etc.) so that centres can register candidates for…
The validation event for the revised NPA in Digital Literacy was held this morning. The Validation Panel was chaired by Loraine Johnston of Ayrshire College. I’m pleased to report that the qualification was validated with a few conditions and recommendations. There is nothing major to change. The qualification structure was approved without change and the rationale and aims of the award were accepted (with minor changes). The Panel made helpful comments about assessment, core skills and employment opportunities. It won’t take…
The new Higher National Unit entitled Digital Skills is now available [PDF] on the SQA website. This Level 7 Unit is designed for non-specialists who want to gain essential knowledge and skills in digital technologies. Its contents are up-to-date including a range of digital devices (such as PCs, tablets and smartphones) and digital services (including social media). The Unit also covers online safety, cyber security, information skills, and rights and responsibilities. It should be appropriate to a wide range of learners including, perhaps,…
