Information and Communication Technology

Qualifications Wales has now published its sector review of qualifications and the qualifications system in Information and Communication Technology.

This has been a major review involving extensive research and engagement across Wales. The review included:

The report, ‘Delivering Digital’, outlines our key findings and the actions that we will take. Some of the key findings are:

many qualifications in the sector are outdated, do not include emerging digital topics, and have not kept up with developments in technology;
requirements for learners to collect written evidence and screenshots as evidence for practical tasks are time-consuming and disengaging;
across the range of qualifications that we reviewed, a few examples of assessment evidence provided by awarding bodies were inaccurately and/or inconsistently assessed;
ICT is often taught by non-specialists who do not necessarily have the technical knowledge, skills and experience to effectively teach the subject;
Teachers are concerned that they do not have access to the training and continuing professional development needed to keep up-to-date with developments in technology; and
Outdated hardware and software within learning providers, compounded by limited finances to invest in these resources, is a significant challenge when teaching and assessing ICT and digital qualifications.

The ‘Delivering Digital’ report recommends:

developing new GCSE and A level Digital Technology qualifications;
ensuring that the new qualifications developed for use in the Digital Route T levels in England are available to be taken by learners in Wales;
reviewing any ICT-related qualifications submitted by awarding bodies to ensure they are up-to-date and relevant;
monitoring new vocational ICT qualifications used in apprenticeship frameworks.

You can download a copy of the full report here.