Introduction

This toolkit provides guidance and resources to support the development and maintenance of: 

It also provides templates that you can adapt to your centre’s needs and use to keep us updated.

To promote planning and efficient use of resources, and to avoid duplication or unnecessary creation of units or group awards, we ask centres with devolved authority to notify us when they plan to revise or develop AWDs, NCs, NPAs, HNCs, HNDs, or PDAs.

Centres must also seek our authorisation before revising or developing any units.

We will either:

Note: Throughout the development process, keep us informed by using the forms included in this toolkit.

There are two types of forms:

  1. Forms to submit to us — these must not be altered.
  2. Forms for your own use — these can be adapted to suit you.

The toolkit outlines the full life cycle of qualifications from an idea to development and review. 

If you have any questions, contact the QPM Team.

Starting the qualification life cycle

We rely on feedback from you to inform us whether our qualifications are meeting Scotland's economic, social, political, cultural and environmental needs.

Tell us your thoughts by completing a Development Opportunity Form (74 KB) and emailing it to your Regional Manager or myCentre.

When we receive the form, an initial review will be carried out to see if there are any existing qualifications that meet or could be adapted to meet your proposal. We will let you know our findings.

If there is nothing suitable, we then start to build a business case that supports moving your suggestion further. This involves looking at any market intelligence available, and discussion with relevant internal colleagues and external parties to establish a need.

The business case is presented and discussed at Business Case Group (BCG), who decide whether the proposal should proceed.

We will let you know what BCG decide.

If your centre has devolved authority*, the Guide to Development and Validation for Centres with Devolved Authority (259 KB) is a useful source of reference to support you through the life cycle.

*Scotland’s Colleges have devolved responsibility for processes within the quality assurance system, from initial design and development through to assessment and certification of candidates.

Planning a development

The project plan template details the necessary steps for development, validation and inclusion on our Awards Processing System (APS). You should complete as much of it as possible before starting the development.

Based on the information available, the person leading the development should begin to populate the group award specification template (99 KB), which is the initial source of reference that will be reviewed, revised and added to as the development progresses.

Qualification development — overview
  • Phase 1 — establishing content, structure and assessment materials
  • Phase 2 — developing new/revised units (if required)
  • Phase 3 — developing assessment materials
  • Phase 4 — developing the group award specification
Establishing a Qualification Design Team (QDT)

The first thing you should do is establish a Qualification Design Team (QDT). The role of the QDT (21 KB) is to advise and assist with the development or revision through to validation.

The composition of the QDT will vary, depending on the size of the qualification and sectoral area. As a minimum it should include a chairperson, a representative from our organisation who is familiar with the relevant policies and processes, at least one experienced practitioner from education, and an industry representative to provide an informed view of the development.

The number of QDT meetings required will depend on the scope of the development, but it is suggested that the QDT deliverables could be achieved in three meetings. The deliverables identified for each can be combined and/or split as appropriate.

Note: physical QDT meetings are not essential, as it may be difficult for representatives to attend. Meetings can be face-to-face, virtual or a mixture of both.

QDT deliverables

The first meeting of the QDT should result in the production of:

  • a broad outline of the qualification being proposed
  • a consultation strategy, i.e. who, when and how?