Qualification

The achievement of an educational aim, following an extended (in contrast to maybe a day to a week for a short training course) period of study, which recognises an individual’s abilities in a defined subject area.

A qualification might permit an individual to legally practice in a profession, carry out a specific task (although this would more correctly be called a Certificate of Competence and is a very specific type of qualification), or demonstrate an appropriate level of skill and knowledge within an occupation or for the defined subject matter having been studied.

Qualifications provide a formal recognition of structured and planned programme of study. They are typically designed and accredited by Government funded / supported educational establishments, as well as industry professional bodies.

Qualifications can cover a diverse range of subjects, in fact almost anything you can think of will have some form of qualification which can be studied.

The different types of qualifications can be grouped as: academic, vocational, or professional:

Academic qualifications
These generally focus on theoretical aspects of learning a concept or subject. Research projects, which may include practical experiments or data collection 'in the field' and which require statistical analysis of data would also typically be a constituent of an academic qualification.

Academic qualifications can provide general understanding of concepts and principles which can be applied across a range of job roles, although they will often not meet specific job requirements on their own and this is where vocational or professional qualifications help fill this particular gap.

Academic qualifications are typically studied at 6th Form College, and especially at a University.

Vocational qualifications
In a workplace, an individual will require some very specific skills that are directly related to the job they are doing. The type of skills and qualifications that are designed to provide these skills are called vocational qualifications.

There can, however, be two distinctions made with these types of qualification:
In a general sense a vocational qualification can mean to provide learners with either a broad or more specific knowledge, skills and/or competence that is directly relevant to work or employment, for one or more industry sectors, as well as for more specific occupations.

Where a qualification was clearly aimed at just a specific job role then this was previously termed an occupational qualification. The skills of an occupational course were developed to an industry standard and to a level of competence needed to use them in a workplace. The distinction is now rarely made, and the term 'Vocational qualification' is routinely applied to all qualifications that are focused on providing relevant practical work skills.

Vocational qualifications are typically studied at a Further Education (F.E.) College, or a private training provider.

See entries on Occupational Qualification and Vocational Qualification.

Professional qualifications
These are formal qualifications which meet the necessary standards set by a professional body, of which there are many in the UK.

Professional qualifications are typically a theoretical course, or a blend of theory and practical aspects, designed to provide industry workers with the opportunity to continue to develop their knowledge and skills throughout their career.

Qualifications will vary in how difficult they are to study and achieve. To help ensure there is a consistent approach to comparing qualifications within, and outside of, the UK they are assigned to specific levels, which range from basic 'Entry Level' right up to Level 8, which is the highest attainable.

A qualification will typically offer a relatively broad range of experiences so as to provide a ‘well-rounded’ understanding of skills and knowledge in the area being learnt. The time scales in which qualifications can be achieved can vary significantly, but typically most could be studied and achieved within 9-months to 3 years. Shorter length of study for some qualifications are also available.