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2 minute read
Higher technical qualifications (HTQ) seek to provide students with the skills that employers want. But in order to develop and deliver high quality HTQ courses, institutions, providers, institutes of technologies, and other awarding organisations offering HTQ’s, must ensure they are focusing on the 3 key aspects below.
3 Key Things Providers Need to Consider on HTQ Design and Delivery:
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Collaborating with employers to co-design qualifications.
To make HTQs viable it is important that providers of HTQs work collaboratively with employers and build effective, mutually beneficial partnerships to ensure students are provided with the right skills. Central to this is engaging with employers, communicating effectively when co-designing, developing, and delivering courses, and developing a shared vision.
Exploring ideas and best practice on effectively collaborating with employers and engaging with local employers will be central to an action-planning workshop at our HTQ conference.
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Ensuring courses meet the needs of key sectors.
By successfully working collaboratively with employers, institutions can identify skills needed within certain sectors, and from this can create tailored, sector specific qualification provision according to these identified needs, thus providing key industries with a highly skilled workforce and helping to plug the skills gaps at Level 4 and 5.
An institutes of technology report revealed that the demand for sustainable homes and greener living is on the rise with 74% of people in Greater London considering a home to be worth more money if it was sustainably constructed. To achieve this, HTQ’s such as ‘Sustainable Construction and the Built Environment’ illustrate this in practice by helping to drive down this green skills shortage in the sustainability sector.
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Attracting employers and prospective students.
Across the higher education sector there is a significant lack of understanding around HTQs amongst institutions, employers, and students alike. Raising awareness amongst new and existing employers and prospective students is a key component in driving demand for HTQs.
Historically, these qualifications are less popular and under recognised compared to traditional education routes e.g., university degrees or apprenticeships. Providers must develop an action plan to deliver HTQs that are attractive to both students and employers and provide a promising alternative from traditional routes. Raising the profile, understanding, and uptake of courses is mainly achieved through gaining the prestigious HTQ quality mark, signaling that the course meets occupational standards.
If you want to learn more about higher technical qualifications, then consider booking on the Future of Higher Technical qualifications action day taking place 18th May 2023.
The Future of Higher Technical Qualifications will explore the current HTQ landscape, including deep-dive workshops on effective collaboration with employers, how to address current challenges in design and delivery, as well as offer a unique opportunity to join with colleagues to share best practice on HTQ course teaching.
For more information please click here:
