Qualifications www.sqa.org.uk What are Scottish Vocational Qualifications Scottish Vocational Qualifications are awards which recognise a person's ability to do his or her job. They are awarded when an individual has successfully demonstrated competence against the National Occupational Standards. The standards have been set by employer representatives of individual sectors and will continue to be developed and kept up to date by employers. This will ensure the standards reflect modern practices and innovations at work. SVQs are available across five different levels, reflecting differing aspects of work roles. SVQs are currently available for the majority of roles in Scotland covering over 90% of employers. Skillseekers Skillseekers is the brand name for all youth training in Scotland and is a nation-wide initiative to provide young people with an alternative route to employment through work based training. It complements the provision available through further and higher education. Skillseekers provides young people with a training credit for use in obtaining training leading to SVQs, normally at level 2 or above. Skillseeker Modern Apprenticeships Modern Apprenticeships in Scotland are an option within the Skill Seekers initiative and are aimed at attracting the technicians and managers of the future. Available to school and college leavers aged 16 upwards who are capable of achieving a vocational qualification at level 3 or above. Trainees can go on learning from a Modern Apprenticeship, gain higher qualifications and in some cases, a Modern Apprenticeship will open the way to university. A young person participating in the Skillseekers programme will have their own training plan and a written agreement between them and the employer. They may need to attend college either on a day or block release basis. Core Skills In Scotland 'Core Skills', and not 'Key Skills', is the title of the broad, transferable skills used in the Scottish Modern Apprenticeship Frameworks. There are five core skills. These are: Communication, Numeracy, IT, Problem Solving and working with Others. For more detailed information on the Core Skills framework go to http://www.sqa.org.uk Home