The 'fast-track' route to a level 3 childcare qualification, which was accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in England in September 2003, is the first Government-devised award to use the APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning) assessment methodology.
After a meeting convened by the Scottish Executive in December last year, representatives of the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) discussed the pros and cons of the APEL qualification and how it would fit in with the Scottish system.
Karen Crawford, SQA qualifications officer, said that after the meeting they decided not to go ahead with the APEL system.
She said, 'This was for a whole host of reasons. From an SQA perspective we were not convinced that there was a market for it, and the SSSC did not feel that the qualification as it stood met the qualifications criteria for registration. Our perspectives have not changed since the meeting.'
Ms Crawford said Scotland had its own accreditation system for those with prior learning and that qualifications such as the SVQ, HNCs and NVQs 'should be used instead'.
Alice Sharp, owner of the training organisation Experiential Play, welcomed the introduction of some form of qualification that recognised prior learning, but said, 'I would go by the SQA's recommendations as they know the routes in to childcare and what's best. I think it's important to do the whole qualification to get the balance right.'
Frances Scott, SSSC learning and development adviser, said, 'Any qualification that we determine suitable for entry to our qualifications-based register has to fulfil three criteria: it needs to combine theory and practice, the content must be consistent with SSSC codes of practice and the qualification must sit on the SCQF (Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework).'
Ann McEwan, the owner of ABC Nurseries, a chain of three nurseries based in the Scottish Borders and Cumbria, said when she first heard of the APEL qualification she thought her 'prayers had been answered'. 'Three of my staff fall into the APEL category, and with the introduction of the new registration process they will need to hold childcare qualifications by 2007,' she said.
She said she often received job applications from APEL-qualified practitioners who had studied at Carlisle College in England but 'I can't employ them because, after the registration process, the APEL qualification will not be recognised in Scotland.'
The SCQF is putting together guidelines to assist learning providers who need to accredit either experiential learning, formal learning or prior informal learning. The guidelines, based on public consultation on the recognition of prior informal learning and available at www.scqf.org.uk/rpl, will be produced in March 2005.
Ms Scott said the guidelines needed to be in place before the introduction of an award that merited prior informal learning. She said, 'Anyone who wants to find out how to be accredited for their prior learning should visit their local training provider.'
