A Scottish Vocational Qualification, or SVQ, is a certificate of
vocational education
Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an i ...
in Scotland. SVQs are available to people of all ages. SVQs are developed by Sector Skills Councils, in partnership with industry and awarding bodies. After the SSC has developed the SVQ structure, awarding bodies can develop the full SVQ and then seek to have the SVQ
accredited by the Accreditation Unit of the
Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). SVQs can be awarded by an awarding body, once the awarding body has been approved by SQA Accreditation.
Scottish Vocational Qualifications are based on standards of competence that describe a candidate's ability to work in real conditions - having an SVQ is a confirmation that they are competent to the standards on which the SVQ is based. The standards of competence are developed by
Sector Skills Councils on behalf of industry.
There are five levels of SVQ, whose definitions are as follows:
:
Work is now underway to ensure that all SVQs, as the structures are being developed by the Sector Skills Councils and awarding bodies, will be credit rated for the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.
See also
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Education in Scotland
Education in Scotland is overseen by the Scottish Government and its executive agency Education Scotland. Education in Scotland has a history of universal provision of public education, and the Scottish education system is distinctly diffe ...
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National Qualifications
External links
SVQs pageat Scottish Qualifications Authority
Educational qualifications in Scotland
Vocational education in Scotland
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