New Standards, New Qualifications, New Skills
Friday 28 April 2006
Background: Lifelong Learning UK is currently taking forward a review of occupational standards in the LIAS (Libraries, Archives and Information Services) sector, with the intention of developing a new vocational qualification structure for the sector in Scotland. Lifelong Learning UK aims to produce new qualifications which will be aimed at frontline staff in the LAIS sector. This event on Friday was organised in consultation with SLIC, the SQA and the Society of Archivists, and was chaired by representatives of Lifelong Learning UK, SLIC and the Society of Archivists.
This event was a consultation exercise by Lifelong Learning UK (in partnership with SLIC and the Scottish Council on Archives), one of the aims of which was to determine what employers are looking for in a LAIS qualification. The consultation group was comprised of senior managers and employers in the library sector (and me!), mainly in the public library and educational fields.
Peter Ramsden from Lifelong Learning UK explained that the qualifications will be geared towards front-line staff, and will not extend to those staff with a professional library qualification. The qualifications will dovetail with the existing structure of Scottish Vocational Qualifications, SQA National Units, and Higher Education.
The day comprised a series of talks and group discussion sessions. The groups discussed issues such as barriers to staff undertaking qualifications, benefits of qualifications to staff, differences in library qualifications now and 10 years ago.
I have a copy of the National Occupational Standards (2000) for Archives, Information and Library Services, and Records Management, which was distributed, and can copy this for anyone that is interested. It is proposed that the new set of standards will be combined from the previous frameworks which encompassed different subsets within the archivists, records management and library fields. There was some concern expressed by different subsets within the group that one set of standards would not properly represent a particular group, and there was then some discussion around this point. The representatives agreed that there would need to be wide consultation before the standards were developed, and reminded the group that this was the initial consultation, with more to follow.
As an example of the type of qualifications to be proposed, information was distributed about 2 new awards which have been developed between SLIC and SQA, and which were approved in 2006 – the Diploma and the Advanced Diploma in Applications of ICT in Libraries. Rhona McArthur from SLIC stated that we are all welcome to use/modify the information. The handbook is available at:
http://www.ictl.org.uk/ICTL%20_hb3.pdf
Further information can be accessed from the following link on the SQA website:
Peter Ramsden from Lifelong Learning UK’s details are: peterramsden@lifelonglearninguk.org
I hope I’ve summarised properly, but don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Liz Garrity
Librarian
Glasgow Royal Infirmary
10 Alexandra Parade
Glasgow, G31 2ER
0141 211 1239
liz.garrity@northglasgow.scot.nhs.uk