Sector Skills Council Endorse Voluntary Programme in Scotland

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Skills for Justice have announced the first “Skillsmark” endorsement for education and training programmes provided by Scottish Prison Service and Victim Support.

Skillsmark, an education and training quality mark for the justice sector, aims to raise the quality of provision in the sector to benefit providers as well as employers and learners. Skills For Justice, under a five-year license, has been tasked with the responsibility to raise levels of performance and skills in the justice sector. The introduction of Skillsmark is in answer to raising the quality of provision. Accreditation is achieved by way of a two-step process of recognition and endorsement.

Recognition

The first phase of gaining recognition requires providers to demonstrate that they have effective systems and processes in place for the delivery of education and training courses and evidence of input from employers. The second phase of gaining endorsement relates to individual programmes and courses that are of high quality, that demonstrate employer involvement in their design and that use relevant national occupational standards.

Both the Scottish Prison Service College and Victim Support achieved the “recognition” phase and received their awards in March of this year. They are the first organisations to receive endorsement for their respective programmes: Custodial Care SVQ Learning Programme and The Enhanced Learning Programme.

Milestone on the Road to Training

Lesley Dunlop, Director of Research and Development at Skills for Justice, commented on the announced programme by saying: “This is a significant milestone for all involved, and our congratulations go to the Scottish Prison Service College and Victim Support, who have worked hard to achieve Skillsmark endorsement.”

Providers subject to a national inspection process such as Ofsted or the QAA Institution Audit, who have been assessed as offering quality provision, will be able to complete another process ““ the Skillsmark. For readers of FE News who read the earlier version of the article, we apologise for the earlier inaccuracy and would like to re – emphasise that this is entirely voluntary.

With a deteriorating justice system and growing public concern over towering crime rates, ineffectual policing powers and the horrendous state of Britain’s prisons, evaluating the quality of courses and training for the Justice Sector seems to be needed to aid the improvement of the system.

Manju Rani

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