Friday, 22 January 2010 17:25 With QCF promising a "brave new world" for the sector, providers are being encouraged to contribute to a Good Practice Guide being drawn up by the Association of Learning Providers (ALP).

Paul Eeles, ALP's director of sector reforms and 14-19, said: "The QCF provides us with an opportunity to develop a new way of delivering qualifications through credit. And no better time has come to develop our relationship with the awarding bodies that we work with.

"This is not just about saving money. Of course there is an element of needing to do that within this new world of which we're moving in to, but it is an opportunity for us to anaylse and look at the opportunities for working with our awarding bodies in partnership together. And this good practice guide that we're developing - and will be produced in the next month or so - will be able to demonstrate the opportunities that we have for doing just that."

Mr Eeles distributed a position paper at yesterday's joint ALP and Association of Colleges conference in London. He told delegates the guide will help improve services for both the provider and awarding body. It will also help reduce costs and boost flexibility, enabling "providers to be much more responsive to provide better value for money".

Providers have until January 29 to feed in their input for the guide, which will be disseminated during March at a number of Machinery of Government events being held by ALP.

Jason Rainbow