Introduction

A selection of courses offered by the Institute of Counselling are given an academic value in the form of credits and level through use of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). It is important for our students to appreciate what this means before embarking on their courses and whether or not this learning will suit their purpose.

We currently have a number of such courses listed which have been credit rated and levelled by Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of the West of Scotland using the SCQF.

The SCQF can:

• help you decide how you progress in your learning;
• help you understand qualifications you are not familiar with;
• help employers understand different types of qualifications and help with the development of your skills;
• help colleges and universities identify the level that has been studied in a particular subject and make it easier to transfer credit points between different learning programmes; and
• provide recognition of other areas of your learning that may contribute to your personal development and your goals for the future.

Who uses the SCQF?

All Scottish universities and colleges are now using SCQF levels and credit points to describe their courses, if these are included in the Framework. A wide range of other learning is also being recognised using SCQF levels and credits. Some employers are using SCQF levels instead of, or as well as, types of qualification when they advertise jobs.