The Barbados Accreditation Council (BAC) continues to work with Government as it advances the development of the Barbados Qualifications and Credit Framework, but recognises that more has to be done.
Executive director Lisa Gale, addressing a two-day workshop at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St Michael, said their role was more important than ever.
“This is not only an important activity, but an important step towards a more coherent, transparent, and accessible qualification system. It will provide a common structure for classifying qualifications, clarifying their levels and learning outcomes, and facilitating greater comparability across education and training. This importance also lies in the opportunities it can create for learners at all ages and stages. Education is no longer confined to a particular stage of life or a traditional sequence of qualifications, and we know this. Individuals must be able to acquire new competencies, build upon prior learning, pursue alternative pathways, and adapt to changing labour market demands.
“Our national qualifications framework is intended to support these ambitions by facilitating recognition of prior learning, improving progression opportunities, and strengthening connections across academic, technical, and vocational education and training. My team and I have been working diligently to complete the remaining foundational elements necessary to advance the framework’s development. However, we recognise that a qualification framework is not enough,” she said.
Gale said that while the framework would establish how qualifications were classified and related, it was a robust accreditation system which would provide assurance regarding the quality of the institutions and programmes through which those qualifications are delivered, which was where the BAC shone.
“These are distinct but complementary mechanisms, both essential to building confidence in our education and our training system. The National Qualification Framework also presents an opportunity for institutions to critically examine their programmes, particularly their learning outcomes, qualification levels, progression pathways, and relevance to national development priorities. For Barbados, these developments have significant implications. As a small island developing state, our competitiveness is closely tied to the knowledge, adaptability, and capabilities of our people. We must therefore be deliberate in developing an educational training system that supports lifelong learning in response to emerging technical opportunities, emerging economic opportunities, and preparing individuals for an increasingly complex environment, among other things,” she said.
Gale encouraged the workshop participants to engage fully and question some of the established practices, challenge assumptions and share experiences, adding the diversity of institutions, countries, and professional perspectives present created a valuable opportunity for mutual learning. (CA)