HC Deb 10 May 1999 vol 331 cc49-50W
Mr. Paice

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what are the criteria for approval of a national training organisation with regard to the assessment of qualifications. [83056]

Mr. Mudie

Any National Training Organisation which has an awarding body function, or which operates as a training provider, must demonstrate it has transparent arrangements to avoid any conflicts of interest.

Mr. Paice

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations he has received regarding the decision by Lantra to combine the role of instructor and assessor for their training courses. [83058]

Mr. Mudie

The Department has received a number of representations on this matter from industry practitioners.

Mr. Paice

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority requirement for qualifications to include external quality assurance and its application in the case of National Training Organisations using instructors to assess trainees on their own courses. [83055]

Mr. Mudie

We welcome the QCA's requirement that external quality assurance should be a feature of vocational qualifications accredited by them. Any organisation conducting training to qualifications accredited by the QCA should be subject to quality assurance by an external body sufficiently independent of those providing the training.

Mr. Paice

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the appropriateness of national training organisations using instructors to assess trainees on their own courses. [83057]

Mr. Mudie

The development of vocational skills often sensibly involves assessment, by qualified trainers, of trainees' performance in realistic working conditions, but such assessments should be subject to external verification.

Mr. Paice

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will ensure that qualifications which are required by law and are his Department's responsibility should be awarded by external assessment. [83059]

Mr. Mudie

In the Department's designation of qualifications under Schedule 2(a) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, and in the Qualification and Curriculum Authority's accreditation of qualifications, awards are required to be verified by a body separate from that conducting the training.