Cross Sector Qualification Linkages

(Incorporating the schools sector, November 2004)

Also available in PDF format here

Please also refer to the recent MCEETYA Good Practice Principles for Credit Transfer and Articulation (and Principles for Good Practice Information Provision when endorsed), which complement the AQF National Guidelines on Cross-Sector Qualification Linkages and the AQF National Principles and Operational Guidelines for Recognition of Prior Learning.

Section 1   Preamble

An important aspect of the Australian Qualifications Framework is the development of closer connections between secondary education, Vocational Education and Training (VET) and higher education. The development of structured arrangements to link qualifications across the sectors represents a key process in building closer inter-sectoral relationships.

Qualification linkages enable individual learners to move from one qualification to another in more efficient and effective learning pathways. Qualification linkages are also essential working tools for the operation of a meaningful and dynamic Australian Qualifications Framework. Qualification linkages also provide a mechanism for creating a more open, accessible and relevant post-compulsory education system and a vehicle for implementing lifelong learning.

The term 'cross-sector qualification linkage' is used deliberately to identify the scope of the Guidelines as any formal connection between qualifications issued within secondary education, VET and higher education. These connections may be based on articulation and credit transfer arrangements but also extend to newer models of integrated cross-sector qualification linkages.

The Policy Guidelines support a diversity of organisational models for forging links from individual partnerships between institutions to state-wide secondary education/VET arrangements, to VET partnerships with individual higher education institutions, to consortia models and national arrangements between Industry Training Advisory Bodies and partner universities.

The Guidelines have been developed with particular attention to reforms in the VET sector involving the introduction of Training Packages and the Australian Quality Training Framework.

These Policy Guidelines relate to formal linkages between qualifications across sectors.

These Guidelines replace the guidelines on articulation and credit transfer in earlier editions of the AQF Implementation Handbook and have been incorporated in the 4^th edition.

Section 2 Objectives of the Policy Guidelines

These Guidelines have been developed to provide the organisations involved in determining structured cross-sector qualification linkages with a framework to guide and facilitate these arrangements.

The Guidelines are also designed to provide students and other interested individuals and organisations with information about these processes to assist general understanding and to clarify pathways and outcomes.

The Guidelines are based on acceptance of and support for a diverse set of arrangements and models for linking qualifications across the sectors. Different models have different strengths and reflect differing needs and contexts. The intent is to encourage a diversity of approach.

Specific Objectives of the Policy Guidelines

These Guidelines have been developed to:-

• provide advice at the national level on developing cross-sector linkages between qualifications
• assist organisations involved in developing structured cross-sector qualification linkages by identifying key processes, models and approaches
• promote the continuing development of diverse structured cross-sector qualification linkages by organisations
• facilitate the establishment of diverse educational and training pathways for individuals participating in secondary and tertiary education
• give effect to lifelong learning.

Section 3 General Principles

1. The AQF provides an agreed framework for designing, developing and issuing recognised qualifications within Australia and for supporting linkages between these qualifications
2. Individual qualifications set the benchmarks for establishing linkages across the AQF. In higher education, individual universities determine qualifications content and accredit their own courses, and other approved higher education providers submit their courses for accreditation by the States and Territories. In VET, qualifications are based on competencies and established through industry defined Training Packages and/or through accredited courses developed by State Accreditation Authorities , Registered Training Organisations and other bodies.
3. In secondary education the statutory authorities establish the requirements and standards of the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE).
4. Cross-sectoral qualification linkages are critical to the achievement of a more efficient, open, integrated and relevant education system that can meet the challenge of rapidly changing needs and priorities for knowledge and skill development, including continuous skilling and lifelong learning.
5. In addition to providing more efficient pathways between qualifications, cross-sector qualification linkages should seek to add value to the learning outcomes for students through development of different approaches to qualification structures.
6. Cross-sector qualification linkages can be established between any of the qualification titles in the AQF, not only between proximate qualifications such as the Advanced Diploma and Bachelor degree, or the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE) and VET Certificates, and can take a variety of forms including sequential and concurrent studies. Appropriate care is to be exercised to avoid combinations of qualifications that are not justified.
7. Qualification linkages may be focused on various learning pathways such as VET to higher education, higher education to VET, secondary education to VET, VET to secondary education, secondary education to higher education or any combination of these.
8. Qualification linkages should incorporate admission arrangements in a transparent way, as part of the agreed arrangements.
9. Where appropriate and relevant, linkages between qualifications should identify credit relationships between one qualification and another. Not all qualification linkages will involve granting credit for previous qualifications.
10. Where credit arrangements are established through a structured qualification linkage, the credit should be awarded to individuals who have evidence of achievement without the need for further assessment or demonstration of the relevant knowledge/skills.
11. The formal agreement of a qualification linkage is determined by the organisation issuing the end-point award.
12. Credit should not be conditional on the students being required to undertake additional courses equivalent to the workload value of the credit awarded.
13. The decision to develop qualification linkages is a matter for individual authorised organisations to determine in collaboration with each other.
14. Information about qualification linkages should be widely disseminated to students as part of enrolment information.

Section 4 Operational Advice

Developing linkages between qualifications

• The bodies authorised to develop and/or issue AQF qualifications should consider the development of cross-sector qualification linkages as part of their responsibilities under the AQF.
• Linkages should define transparent and coherent relationships between the qualifications.
• Linkages will generally be developed between qualifications involving the same, similar or complementary specialisations/fields of study.
• Arrangements reflecting linkages between general and specialised qualifications may also be developed, where appropriate.
• Linkages should reflect and recognise different education and training pathways for achievement.

Processes for developing qualification linkages

• Structured qualification linkages can be established through a number of processes. These include:
  • Articulation of existing awards
  • Credit transfer between components of existing awards
  • Integrated dual-sector sequential awards
  • Integrated dual sector-concurrent programs.
• Each of these processes is suited to different purposes and circumstances. Integrated dual-sector awards provide for linkages to be considered as part of the qualification development process, articulation provides a sequential pathway between qualifications whilst credit transfer provides a means of linking individual components of existing awards.
• Where credit transfer is applied, consideration needs to be given as to whether full or partial credit transfer is granted. This will depend on the currency of the learning and the relationship between the subjects or units or learning outcomes in one qualification with those in the other qualification.
• In a dual-sector award, credit arrangements should be identified as part of the agreed structure of the award.

Basis of determining the qualification linkage

• Linkages are generally based on a content or outcome relationship in which parts of one qualification are recognised as having equivalence with or are integrated into another qualification.
• Some linkages may also be based on acceptance of agreed relativities between different qualifications in the AQF. These linkages may also involve content or outcomes interrelationships.

Content and Outcomes equivalence

• Linkages that are determined through a content or outcome relationship are established primarily through identification and assessment of same, similar or complementary knowledge and skill requirements across the linked qualifications.
• The basis used to establish the content and outcome linkage between VET and higher education is the relevant components of the Training Package, and/or accredited course curriculum (in qualifications recognised outside Training Packages), which are related to and assessed against the learning objectives and/or subject/unit descriptions of the relevant higher education qualifications.
• The basis used to establish linkages between secondary education and VET is the outcomes of secondary courses and the relevant units of the Training Package, and/or units or modules of an accredited VET course.
• The basis used to establish linkages between secondary education and higher education is the outcomes of the courses of study and the learning objectives and/or subject/unit descriptors of the relevant higher education qualification.

Linkages using Training Package qualifications

• In Training Package derived qualifications, competencies should be used as the instruments to identify content and outcome equivalences with secondary education and/or higher education qualifications. Training Package Support Materials, including the learning strategies and assessment materials, can also be used as additional tools to identify the linkage, where these materials will more clearly assist in identifying the relationships between qualifications from different sectors.
• Where competencies are used directly as the linkage instrument, the whole content of the competency needs to be considered to ensure all knowledge and skills relevant to the linkage have been identified. A key aspect of the competency to be considered is the Evidence Guide.
• Where learning strategies are used as an additional instrument, the relationship between these materials and the competencies that define the qualification in the Training Package needs to be clearly evident.

Linkages using accredited courses

• Where the qualifications in VET are based on accredited courses, a content linkage should be determined by comparing the units or modules of the VET course against the subject content or outcomes of the secondary education/higher education courses.

Linkages based on agreed relativities between qualifications

• Linkages that incorporate an agreed connection and credit value between awards are suited to articulation and dual qualification arrangements that establish a sequential or concurrent pathway, particularly between Diploma level qualifications and Bachelor Degrees, and between the SSCE and VET Certificates
• These linkages are usually predicated on an accepted equivalence in content or in learning outcomes across a similar field or discipline between the linked awards.

Guide to credit levels

• The following linkage relationships are identified as a guide in developing articulation arrangements and dual award qualifications in the same fields between Diploma and Bachelor qualifications. Depending on the particular nature of the awards being linked actual credit levels may be greater or less than the recommended level. ¹
  • 50% credit for an Advanced Diploma when linked to a three year Bachelor degree
  • 37.5% credit for an Advanced Diploma when linked to a four year Bachelor degree
  • 33% credit for a Diploma when linked to a three year Bachelor degree
  • 25% credit for a Diploma when linked to a four year Bachelor degree.
• In most instances students may be granted up to 40% credit towards the requirements for the award of the SSCE in jurisdictions where these are specified. Depending on the particular circumstance, the credit levels may be greater or less than the recommended level.

Application of the linkage

• The specific organisation(s) involved in the linkage process will determine which process to use in determining a linkage.
• It is accepted that differing credit outcomes may be established to reflect the differing requirements of individual awards.
• Linkages only have application between the agreed parties.

Responsibility for developing qualification linkages

• Responsibility for developing qualification linkages between VET and higher education and higher education and VET is the responsibility of universities and other approved higher education providers in partnership with:

  • Individual Registered Training Organisations
  • Training Package Developers
  • State Accreditation Authorities.
• Responsibility for developing qualification linkages between secondary education and VET involves a partnership between senior secondary statutory authorities and one or more of the following:
  • Individual Registered Training Organisations
  • Training Package Developers
  • State VET Accreditation Authorities
• Responsibility for developing qualification linkages between secondary education and higher education is the responsibility of the statutory authority in partnership with the universities.

Responsibility for endorsement and maintenance

• The formal endorsement of a linkage should be given by the institution/authority responsible for issuing the destination qualification.
• Maintenance of the linkage is the responsibility of the partnership organisations.
• A Training Package Endorsement and/or Review and/or course accreditation in VET or a restructuring of the higher education qualification or the SSCE is the catalyst for review of linkage arrangements.

Credit outcomes

• Where Credit is an outcome of the formal linkage, it is standardised, that is, the quantum of credit is predetermined as part of the linkage process.
• The quantum of standardised credit in qualification linkages will vary with each linkage and is dependent upon the level of agreed overlap and equivalence and the agreed relationships between awards.

Factors impacting on credit

• Credit should not be conditional on students meeting other substituted requirements in order to make up a 'normal load'.
• Individuals who have completed part of the relevant previous award may be entitled to receive credit for the specific components they have achieved. Restraints on credit may be employed where there is a significant time lapse between achievement of the qualification/part qualification and an application for credit in the destination qualification.
• Full credit might not be possible for a linkage depending on the field or area, or the relationship between one qualification and the other.

Forms of credit

• Credit can be granted in different forms. These include specified credit, unspecified credit and block credit. The form of credit will depend on the circumstances and context. Variables may include:-
  • the linkage process
  • the qualifications being linked
  • the fields or areas
  • the competencies or learning outcomes.
• As a general guide:
  • specified credit is most relevant to credit transfer based linkages based on specific content linkages, eg module Y in VET is equivalent to unit X in higher education;
  • specified credit is also the most appropriate form for incomplete qualifications;
  • unspecified credit is most appropriate to articulation arrangements based on agreed relative value of awards being linked and/or linkages between generic qualifications;
  • unspecified credit taken as a block is most appropriate in dual and nested awards.

Provision of information to individuals

• Organisations involved in establishing structured qualification linkages, with or without credit, should disseminate information on their arrangements via Handbooks, Websites and through State/Territory Admissions Centres.
• Information about linkages should include advice that indicates the existence of a pathway/linkage between qualifications does not imply automatic entry into the destination qualification. However, if admission is part of the agreement, this should be clearly stated.
• Information on linkages should clearly indicate, where appropriate, whether the meeting of additional requirements (such as bridging courses) designed to provide prerequisite knowledge or skills not included in the original qualification is a condition of the pathway/linkage.
• Information about linkages which involve the applicant incurring costs should indicate whether, and in what form, such costs will be recovered.

Appeal mechanisms

• An effective means of appeal should be established in each institution in relation to credit transfer/articulation decisions. In the VET sector, the Australian Quality Training Framework Standards For Registered Training Organisations provide for investigation of complaints.
• Appeals against decisions are able to be lodged in accordance with the appeal procedures of the relevant organisations.

[1] The recommended levels of credit may be reviewed in the future following monitoring and analysis of the actual levels of credit granted.