SQA International: education and training go global

SQA International is responding to the increasing globalisation of education and training and the demand for qualifcations that cross national borders. New developments in online learning and assessment present opportunities as well as challenges. We are well placed to respond to both thanks to the nature of our well-established qualifications system.

For details of how our qualifications system and other SQA International services have contributed to developments overseas, please follow this link to our case studies.

Three key areas for action

SQA International is recognised as an international leader in learning and assessment. Three key action areas have contributed to this reputation:

  1. International benchmarking and intelligence

    Measuring ourselves against the best, keeping abreast of new policies and practices, and making a contribution to European and global developments will help to ensure Scottish qualifications are relevant and respected, and that they continue to be seen as leading-edge and innovative. We do this through a range of activities, including:

    • developing European and international strategic alliances with key global partner organisations
    • managing and participating in seminars, focused study visits, networks and collaborative projects
    • benchmarking our qualifications against the best products and practices in the world
    • researching, analysing and disseminating intelligence in relation to European and international education, policy and practice

  2. Promoting Scottish education and training worldwide

    Our aim is to ensure that the Scottish system is visibly represented and that our qualifications are recognised and respected internationally. We will also support the work of our partners and centres in Scotland in their efforts to promote the system and its qualifications. Our activities in this area will include:

    • contributing to strategic education networks and partnerships
    • providing information to promote Scottish qualifications to international audiences
    • hosting visits from senior government officials and education practitioners
    • supporting government initiatives which raise the international profile of Scotland and attract new students and workers
    • contributing to international events at home and abroad to promote best practice in Scottish education and training

  3. Supporting education and training development worldwide

    SQA is committed to playing its part in contributing to the development of education internationally through sharing expertise and products. Our range of activities will include:

    International consultancy - we will continue to work with Scottish and international partners to bid for and manage international consultancy projects to support national reform programmes in developing and transition countries. These are funded from a variety of sources including donor agencies.

    SQA's consultancy track record covers projects in Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle-East. Target countries for international consultancy will continue to be selected according to a number of criteria, including: Scottish Executive and UK government priority countries and availability of external funding sources to support development work.

    Follow this link to learn more about our international consultancy services.

    International awarding - international awarding goes hand-in-hand with our consultancy activity. One of the great strengths of Scotland's unit-based qualifications system is that it is highly flexible and can be easily and quickly adapted for different purposes. This makes it a useful base for developing systems to suit other countries' needs. The work we are doing in China is a good example of this approach. Here we are combining our experience of international consultancy with our expertise in qualifications development and quality assurance to meet the needs of China's education reform and promote Scottish products and services in a bigger arena.

    Follow this link to learn more about our international awarding services.

    Study and learning visits - SQA International organises study visits for a range of international organisations - from ministries of education and national training authorities to individual schools, colleges and other institutions. We have hosted study visits from delegates from many parts of the world - from Armenia, Belgium, Botswana, China and Denmark to Yemen and Zambia. These study visits are often hosted in partnership with SQA centres - schools, colleges and private training providers.

    Follow this link to learn more about our study and learning visit services.

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