Regulatory Authorities
England:
The
regulatory authority in England is the Qualifications and Curriculum
Authority (QCA). QCA was established in 1997 when the National Council
for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ) and the School Curriculum and
Assessment Authority (SCAA) were merged. Under Section 24 of the
Education Act, QCA regulates all external qualifications.
The
QCA has been established by the UK Government to monitor standards
in education and training in England. QCA has the responsibility
for the development of a coherent framework and the accreditation
of school, college and work-based qualifications.
Scotland
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) was formed in 1997 to
combine the functions of the former Scottish Examination Board (SEB)
and SCOTVEC. Other than for degrees and professional qualifications,
SQA is the sole body responsible for Scottish Qualifications. It
is also responsible for the accreditation of SVQs and for providing
advice to the Scottish Executive on Scottish qualifications and
the education, training and assessment that contribute to qualifications.
Wales:
The
regulatory authority for Wales is the ACCAC (Awdurdod Cymwysterau,
Cwricwlwm Ac Asesu Cymru / Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment
Authority for Wales). The ACCAC was formed in 1997 by the merger
of the Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales (ACAC) and
the NCVQ (Wales office). ACCAC regulates all external qualifications
in Wales except for NVQs, which remain within the responsibility
of the QCA.
Northern
Ireland:
The
Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment
(CCEA) was created in 1997 when the Northern Ireland Schools Examinations
and Assessment Council (NISEAC) and the Northern Ireland Council
for the Curriculum (NICC) merged. CCEA also acts as an independent
awarding body, submitting its GCSE and GCE papers to QCA to equate
standards.
England,
Wales and Northern Ireland
Sector
Skills Councils (SSCs) / National Training Organisations (NTOs)
The
National Qualifications Framework
National
Qualifications
Awarding
Bodies
