Press Release
Date: Tuesday 8June 2004 (NR/16/04)
CCEA and further education sector at the heart of economic development
The pioneering work of education bodies such as CCEA in supporting economic
development will be the focus of two major further education conferences
to be held in Northern Ireland over the coming week.
The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment will be present
at conferences being held by the Learning and Skills Development Agency
(LSDA) and the Association of Northern Ireland Colleges (ANIC), two of
Northern Ireland’s leading further education bodies.
CCEA has been building strong links with Colleges of Further and Higher Education throughout Northern Ireland in order to ensure all learners, from teenagers right through to mature students, are given the opportunity to gain skills and qualifications to help them succeed in life and work.
Cecil Holmes, Principal Officer for Curriculum Development at CCEA, comments:
“CCEA welcomes the fact that economic development has been identified in the Department for Employment and Learning consultation document ‘Further Education Means Business’ as one of the strategic objectives for the statutory further education sector.
To support colleges and learners CCEA is developing a range of courses. The Essential Skills qualification gives young people and adults the incentive to improve their literacy, numeracy and IT skills. Advanced work-related qualifications in Business, Health and Social Care, and ICT will be taken my many students from September of this year.
In support of the Government drive to promote Enterprise and Entrepreneurship CCEA is introducing an exciting Certificate of Business Enterprise which will enable the learners to develop their own individual Business Plan.
CCEA has been impressed by the partnerships which have been emerging between schools and their local college of further and higher education to provide skills based courses for 14 – 16 year olds. Substantial numbers of pupils, using college facilities, are being introduced areas such as Construction, Hospitality and Catering, Hairdressing and Beauty, and Digital Technology. Perhaps more young people will pursue these courses after the age of sixteen and help to reduce skills shortages.”
The LSDA (NI) Annual Conference will take place in W5 at the Odyssey Arena on Wednesday 9 June 2004. CCEA is a Premier Partner of the conference.
The ANIC Conference and Exhibition will take place at The Manor House Hotel in Killadeas, Co. Fermanagh on 16-18 June 2004. CCEA is a Bronze Sponsor of the conference.
CCEA will have an exhibition stand at both events, which will include information on Learning for Life and Work and the work-related qualifications offered by CCEA.
The statutory regulation of external qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is available on the CCEA website at www.ccea.org.uk It has been sent to all 114 awarding bodies which have qualifications accredited to the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and is also relevant for sector bodies, Sector Skills Councils, professional bodies and organisations involved in the delivery of accredited qualifications.
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.
