This paper reports teacher and learner perspectives on how assessment and reform influences pedagogical practices and behaviours. The research was conducted in a context of policy reform, at a time when Wales' revised General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) specifications had been implemented, and learners were preparing for their…

Since the late 1970s, the Access to Higher Education (Access to HE) Diploma (the Diploma) and its predecessor Access to HE certificates and courses have provided opportunities for adults to undertake the preparation they need to progress to higher education (HE). The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has been collecting data…

Welsh project studied uses in adult education of the National Record of Achievement (NRA), a common format for summarizing education, training, and employment, concluding that NRAs should be appropriate to adult needs; adults should have ownership of the process and understand its purposes and their roles; and the process of recording achievement…

The National Record of Achievement (NRA) was introduced in 1991 in the United Kingdom to provide a single common format to summarize individuals' achievements and experiences in both education and their adult lives. A study examined the use of the NRA within a general adult education context. The heads of 6 adult education centers in 1 Welsh local…

This report presents papers on the vocational qualifications systems in Sweden, France, the Netherlands, the Federal Republic of Germany, and England and Wales. An introduction (Russ Russell) looks at common themes. The paper on Sweden (Gun Cardell) addresses vocational education opportunities, curriculum and standards, costs, youth and…

A project examined how General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) are evolving and how far their development is in line with the objectives originally set out for them by the government. Information was collected from institutions in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, which began offering GNVQs in 1993-94. The survey examined the five…

Focusing on technical issues, this paper critiques proposed changes in assessment procedures at the further educational level (ages 16 through 18) in England and Wales. Major structural changes are taking place at this educational level, partly because of large scale youth unemployment. The two current examination systems for the final year of…

From September 2006 schools across England and Wales will have to deliver the new KS4 Programme of study. The wide consultation initiated by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in the year 2000 resulted in the piloting of the new criteria in 78 different schools and colleges. The piloting was performed by the awarding body Oxford…

This publication consists of 14 selected papers prepared for an international workshop on the problems and relationship between producing vocational competencies for skilled-worker level occupations and controlling and certifying these competencies. Part I outlines the production life and labor market contexts of vocational training and…

This book describes the experiences of a series of five nationally representative cohorts of young people reaching school-leaving age between 1986 and 1993 who were surveyed as part of the continuing England and Wales Youth Cohort Study. The cohort study charts the path taken by young people over the first 3 years after compulsory education. Part…

This book, which is the product of a national survey of all further education colleges and local education authorities in England and Wales, explains how adult educators can create learning opportunities for adults with mental health difficulties. The chapter topics are as follows: setting the scene; labels applied to people with mental health…

This document proposes a comprehensive education and lifelong learning program for Wales through 2010. The primary goal of the proposal is to transform Wales into a learning country where high-quality, lifelong learning provides the skills people need to prosper in the new economy, liberates talent, extends opportunities, and empowers communities.…