Press Release
Date: Thursday 17 January 2002 (NR/05/02)
CCEA TO OFFER VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Northern Ireland's leading examinations body, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) is set to offer new vocational GCSE examinations from September this year.
CCEA is outlining its plans to principals at two morning seminars taking place today in the Hilton Hotel, Templepatrick and tomorrow in the Everglades Hotel, Londonderry.
Known as GCSE “Double Awards”, the new qualifications have been introduced in response to calls for greater flexibility and choice, and are aimed at encouraging increased participation in vocational education. The subjects on offer include: Art and Design; Business; Engineering; Health and Social Care; Information and Communication Technology; Leisure and Tourism; Manufacturing; and Science.
CCEA’s Charlie Sproule explained CCEA’s move into vocational qualifications:
CCEA is keen to offer our schools and colleges the full examinations package, both academic and vocational. However, CCEA is not just an awarding body and we are keen to show our commitment to achieving parity of esteem between vocational and academic qualifications within our education system.
CCEA wishes to make sure that schools and colleges have access to all the information and support required to successfully implement these new qualifications. At the seminars we will be outlining the extensive support programmes we’ll be putting in place in the coming months for each new examination.
The new GCSE Double Awards will eventually replace GNVQs, which are to be phased out. The specifications for the new qualifications have been developed by English awarding body Edexcel. In Northern Ireland their conduct and administration will be handled exclusively by CCEA.
Media enquiries to Ruth Maguire on (028) 9026 1216, Mobile 07796947993. E mail rhmaguire@ccea.org.uk
ENDS
Note to Editors
CCEA is the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.
CCEA places learners and those who have a concern for their educational and personal development at the forefront of its thinking. CCEA's mission is:
"To enable the full potential of all learners to be achieved and recognised"
What we do
CCEA is a unique educational body in the UK , bringing together the three areas of curriculum, examinations and assessment.
Advising Government – on what should be taught in Northern Ireland ’s schools and colleges.
Monitoring Standards – ensuring that the qualifications and examinations offered by awarding bodies in Northern Ireland are of an appropriate quality and standard.
Awarding Qualifications
– as Northern Ireland’s leading awarding body we offer a diverse range of qualifications, such as GCSEs, including the new GCSE Double Award specifications in vocational subjects, GCE A and AS levels, Entry Level Qualifications, and Graded Objectives in Modern Languages.
- CCEA also offers a range of Awards and Certificates in Education, Training and Skills (ACETS) targeted at learners who want to get
the knowledge, understanding and skills needed
to hit the ground running in the world of work.
