The Rewards of Recognition: the value of NOCN Accreditation, Quality Assurance and Development for Non-Accredited Learning
NIACE commissioned the National Open College Network to undertake a detailed examination of the correspondence between the Open College Network's quality assurance systems for accreditation with current approaches to identifying achievement in non-accredited learning.
NIACE combines a long standing admiration for the role NOCN has played in keeping adult learning opportunities - not least in local authority contexts - and progression routes open with a multi-faceted interest in how learners' journeys, and their achievements en route can be mapped. This study addresses both concerns. For far too long the formal qualifications system has focused on mechanisms to monitor achievement by young learners, and has applied them to adults. The prospect now for a unit-based credit framework fit for purpose for adult learners, as suggested in the Skills Strategy is encouraging - though it will be essential to ensure that policies lead on to adult sensitive practice. The practices reported here will provide a useful benchmark to test the emerging framework against.
