Vocational Qualifications (Hansard, 13 January 1997)

§ Mr. Soames

All three services are placing increasing emphasis on accreditation of service training and experience.

It is Navy Board policy to negotiate from civilian awarding bodies the highest level of recognition for naval skills and training which meet operational performance statements. The Royal Navy is vigorously pursuing the issue of VQs, principally in the area of NVQs. Within the Royal Navy there are currently three approved assessment centres for NVQs and a further three are planned for designation during the next year. During the current financial year the Royal Navy expects that nearly 8,000 civilian qualifications will be awarded as a result of in-house training programmes and this figure is expected to increase year on year.

Under the Army's VQ policy, all Army personnel are to be given the maximum opportunity throughout their careers to gain VQs and other forms of professional recognition for their workplace skills, knowledge and experience. The process of mapping Army trades and employments against the national vocational standards is progressing well. Over 1,700 VQs were gained by Army officers and soldiers during the period 1 April to 30 September 1996. It is anticipated that schemes offering appropriate qualifications will be available to most Army personnel within two years.

It is RAF policy that everyone will have the opportunity to achieve an NVQ within 18 months of joining the service and most trades have either incorporated NVQs into their initial training courses or are on the verge of doing so. Many RAF personnel are also achieving further trade based or management VQs throughout their service. A range of schemes are being pursued with a view to increasing the availability of VQs including the NVQ accreditation of prior learning which, since its introduction in 1996, enrolled some 9,800 RAF engineering and supply personnel, of whom over 500 have already been awarded certificates.

In addition to in-house initiatives, across the three services individuals are encouraged to pursue VQs in a private capacity to prepare themselves for outside employment when they leave the service.

Detailed information on the vocational qualifications obtained by different ranks of service personnel during the last five years is not held centrally and could not be provided without disproportionate costs.