providing clarity. releasing potential

Recognition of International Qualifications- UK NARIC 10 years on 

Dr Cloud Bai-Yun 6th November 2007

Where is UK NARIC now?

Where is UK NARIC now?

UK NARIC Members

Currently UK NARIC serves over 1000 member organisations in the UK and internationally providing information and advice on international qualifications and skills supporting institutions’ decision-making processes.

UK FE 16%

UK HE 15%

UK Gov. Depts 5%

International Org. 16%

UK business & industry 11%

Careers services 37%

UK HE 208

UK FE 226

UK Gov. Depts (incl. 41 British Council offices overseas) 75

UK careers services (incl. 441UfI services) 517

UK business & industry 157

All International 227

Total 1410

Table 1- Members Sector breakdown

Services to the public

There has been a continued increase in the number of individuals using UK NARIC services over the last 10 years, enabling progression towards further studies, up-skilling and/or employment

Annual Individual Applications 1997-2007

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

45000

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Year

Nu

mb

er

of

Ap

pli

ca

tio

ns

2005 In-coming Top 20 countries: (75.02% of 68,652)

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

India

Pakist

an

United S

tate

s of A

mer

ica

Niger

ia

South

Afri

ca

Austra

lia

Poland

Ghana

China

Philipp

ines

New Zea

land

Russian

Fed

erat

ion

Franc

e

Zimba

bwe

Canada

Germ

any

Spain

Romania

Bangla

desh

Bulgar

ia

2006 In-coming Top 20 countries: ( 75.58% of 78,326)

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

India

Pakist

an

South

Afri

ca

United S

tate

s of A

mer

ica

Niger

ia

Austra

lia

Poland

Philipp

ines

China

New Zea

land

Franc

e

Ghana

Russian

Fed

erat

ion

Bangla

desh

Canada

Zimba

bwe

Germ

any

Romania

Spain

Ukrain

e

2007 (to-date) In-coming Top 20 countries: (77.08% of 71,471)

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

India

Pakist

an

United S

tate

s of A

mer

ica

Poland

Austra

lia

South

Afri

ca

Niger

ia

Philipp

ines

New Zea

land

China

Romania

Franc

e

Russian

Fed

erat

ion

Canada

Bangla

desh

Germ

any

Ghana

Bulgar

ia

Spain

Zimba

bwe

Developing expertise through shared partnership

Bulgaria: VQS upgrading: Agriculture, Chemistry, IT, Tourism, Production

Zimbabwe: ZIMSEC A Levels

Yemen: HE reform and accreditation system

Singapore: benchmarking standards and workforce development

China: mutual recognition of degrees and NVQs

UK: developing sectoral model linking international qualifications to industrial standards: Construction, Childcare, Engineering, Financial Services, Teaching

Making the system work - contributions of UK NARIC

‘The UK NARIC is clearly instrumental… without the groundwork which is provided by NARIC, the opportunities for… mobility

would not exist.

The internationalisation of education and an increasingly mobile workforce mean that the work around recognition plays a vital role in ensuring not only the acceptance of achievement but

also, more importantly, the standards of achievement.’

Bill Rammel

Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education

The formation and the progress of UK NARIC

…10 years ago we ‘embarked on a long journey within the realm of international qualifications…’ [Nov 1997]

Vision Core values Capability People

Turning into a reality

Methodology

Data and information system

Marketing and dissemination strategy

Over the years continued efforts have been made to develop a service model focusing on main building blocks to meet the needs of wide ranging institutions and the public

Key focus areas

Methodology: an integrated model for recognition

Finance and Accountancy

Chartered (4)

Certificate (3)

Accountant (2)

AC Technician (1)

Competencies

and Experience

Formal Qualifications

Vietnam

Cao Dong

Singapore

Polytechnic Diploma

Tanzania

Advanced Cert of Secondary Education

Nigeria

WASSCE

India

8 yrs exp as Senior

Accountant

Italy

3 yrs Accounts

Administrator

Latvia

Trainee Accountant

UK NARIC levels of attainment centred on Learning outcomes, competencies expressed using qualifying measures e.g. credits, exams, assessments etc

Data and information management System

• In the context of recognition of international qualifications, the Information Management process is itself comprised of two elements, which are award-specific information and comprehensive system information, or system-specific data.

• An individual award may conform to the established, generic comparability statements accorded to a type and range of qualifications. Equally, it may challenge the established recommendations and therefore generate the need for revision of information. Once the

information is collected, it will in turn supplement and support individual evaluations

The need to identify:

• Scope of information development• Structure of information management

• Use and verification of data

Marketing and dissemination strategy

• To clearly identify service users:

– The public, i.e. individuals wishing to progress towards further studies and/or employment in the UK

– Institutions / commercial organisations wishing to admit individuals with international educational

– Sectoral / professional bodies

– Government departments

• To communicate effectively on:

– Value

– Processes

– Validity

– Benefits

Unique approach to information provision: a centre piece of NARIC

A range of databases, tools, calculators, converters and training are offered to varied client groups on international qualifications

How does NARIC serve UK institutions?

How does NARIC serve the public?

Services to the public:

• Personalised Individual Award Assessments• Institution Assessments• UK Descriptors Service• Verification Service • Fast Track Service• Career Path Report

• Public enquiry service

What’s next?

Migration

Source: Office for National Statistics, International Migration, 2005

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=260

Overall, nearly half of all citizens migrating to the UK gave work-related reasons.

'Formal study' is another important reason for people migrating to the UK accounting for almost a quarter of all immigration in 2005

1. … serving target audience:

a) Education providers and authorities, including vocational education; b) Employers, recruitment agencies, career advisors; c) Immigration Agencies and refugee/ asylum advisors; d) Teachers and Teacher Recruitment Agencies; e) Students; f) Local Authorities; g) Research Bodies; h) Nurseries, i) Overseas Ministries of Education…

2. … specific objectives shall be:

a. Provide the tools (database, publications and information sources) to provide full guidance on… the status of international qualifications in relation to the UK

• Comparisons of level of achievements between any countries in the EU• Benchmarking overseas vocational qualifications• Detailed guidance on the training systems and regulatory frameworks• Guidance on identification of genuine and fraudulent educational documents• Detail on the availability of tests on English as a second language• Information on Immigration issues in connection to qualifications, work and migration

Increased obligations

◦ Standards verification: a logical progression

◦ Partnerships: developing and testing professionalism

◦ A vision centred on business delivery and social benefit

Our destiny…

To serve qualifications, work and managed migration agenda internationally

To consolidate and to pursue disciplined development