Projects

Projects currently being undertaken by the AQF Council

AQF National Policy and Guidelines on Credit Arrangements

The first term of reference for the AQF Council is the provision of policy advice to the Ministerial Council (MCTEE) on:

• Strategic strengthening of the AQF required to meet identified needs such as improving national consistency and contemporary relevance, including national and international portability
• Improving flexible qualification linkages and pathways in education and training within and across all sectors, including recognition of non-formal and informal learning
• Relevant national and international issues and their implications for national qualifications policy
• National and international recognition and comparability of qualification standards and alignment of qualifications standards/frameworks.

Architecture of the AQF

Two papers have been released by the AQF Council: the consultation paper Strengthening the AQF: A Proposal (May 2009) and Strengthening the AQF: An Architecture for Australia's Qualifications consultation paper (October 2009). The two papers should be read together to obtain a complete understanding of the rationale and evidence base for the project.

In May 2009 a consultation paper outlining the Council’s proposal for the strategic strengthening of the AQF was circulated to stakeholders for feedback.

Several face to face consultations were held with key stakeholders and written submissions were received from 84 higher education, schools and vocational education providers, industry and employer groups, government agencies and accrediting authorities in addition to private individual responses.

A report on the submissions: Strengthening the AQF: A proposal - Analysis of Submissions September 2009 is available.

In October 2009, a second consultation paper Strengthening the AQF: An Architecture for Australia's Qualifications was released for comment. The paper detailed the proposed levels-based structure with levels attributes and criteria, revised qualification type descriptors and a notional duration of student learning for each qualification. The levels criteria and qualification types descriptors are defined by learning outcomes and are expressed in terms of knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills.

Consultation workshops were held with key groups of stakeholders during October and written submissions were also received. During November and December 2009, the draft levels criteria and qualification type descriptors were further revised. The AQF Council has agreed to the final draft levels criteria and qualification type descriptors (version 6) and the AQF terminology

Testing the strengthened architecture of the AQF will commence in March 2010. The levels criteria and qualification type descriptors are being tested in an on-line survey using item response modeling.

Project Contact: Ann Doolette ann.doolette@sa.gov.au phone 8226 2775.

AQF Issuance Policy

The AQF Council's Terms of Reference require it to review and revise the AQF in consultation with key stakeholders as part of its responsibility to maintain the AQF.

The AQF Council has identified that the existing issuance policy Issuing a Qualification detailed in The AQF Implementation Handbook, needs to be reviewed to improve the clarity of information provided about AQF qualifications - especially to graduates and employers - to increase the protection of AQF qualifications, and to ensure consistent application across all education and training sectors.

The review of this policy is being considered in the context of the AQF Council's work on strengthening the AQF.

The AQF Council endorsed an initial draft policy for consultation - Qualification Issuance Policy and Protocols - and stakeholder views have been sought on the proposed policy.

The consultation period has formally closed and feedback has been integrated into a second draft. The second draft will be released for consultation in March 2010.

Project Contact: Di Booker di.booker@sa.gov.au phone 08 8226 3331.

AQF National Policy and Guidelines on Credit Arrangements

The project was commissioned by the AQF Advisory Board following a reference from MCEETYA. The project covers two recommendations from the reference: Recommendation 3 - to develop common terms and Recommendation 7 - to revise good practice principles. A third recommendation regarding strengthening the AQF will be actioned in the Council’s Strengthening the AQF project.

The final draft policy and guidelines was endorsed by the AQF Council at its meeting in May 2009 and is available for use by stakeholders. Further refinement may take place following the outcomes of the AQF Pathways Project.

Project Contact: Di Booker di.booker@sa.gov.au phone 08 8226 3331.

Pathways Project

In March 2009, the Deputy Prime Minister commissioned the AQF Council to ‘improve the articulation and connectivity between the university and the VET sectors to enable competency-based and merit-based systems to become more student-focussed’.

The AQF Council Chair provided advice to the Deputy Prime Minister on the outcomes of the project in November 2009.

The report is not yet publicly available. Any updates will be reported on this website.

Project Contact: Ann Doolette ann.doolette@sa.gov.au phone 8226 2775.