Glossary
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A
APEL: Accreditation of Prior Experiential
Learning
APL: Assessment/Accreditation of Prior
Learning
Apprenticeship: Learning both on the job and in
an educational environment to understand the requirements of a
particular industry / sector and job role. Apprenticeship
programmes nearly always involve the incentive of being able to
'earn while you learn'.
Awarding: Recognition of a qualification/level
of learning to a pre-set quality standard, often denoted by the
learner being given a certificate proving their qualification.
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B
Basic Skills: Often literacy (reading and
writing), numeracy (using mathematics) and IT skills where these
skills are not yet at a functional level.
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C
CAT : Credit Accumulation and Transfer
Career Tech: Career and Technical Education, a
terrm used in place of vocational education and training in the
USA.
CBT: Computer Based Training
CPD: Continuing Professional Development
CSR: Comprehensive Spending Review
CSR: Corporate Social Responsibility
CVET: Continuing Vocational Education and
Training
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D
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E
e2e: Entry to Employment
Economically inactive vs unemployed: Unemployed
refers to those seeking work, economically inactive are those not
seeking employment.
Elearning: Online learning, using information
communication technology. See Elearning
briefing note.
EQF: European Qualification Framework
ESOL: English for Speakers of Other
Languages
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F
FE: Further Education
Formative assessment: Feedback on learning
against compentency standards, rather than assessment based on
grades and marks. Often used in occupational programmes.
FTE: Full-Time Equivalent
Functional skills: A 'functional' level of
literacy, numeracy and IT. Also see 'basic skills'.
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G
GLH: Guided Learning
Hours. Used as an indicator of the amount of time a training
programme will take.
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H
HE: Higher Education
HPW: High Performance Working
HR: Human Resources
HRD: Human Resource Development
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I
IAG: Information, Advice and Guidance
IB: International Baccalaureate
ICT: Information & Communication
Technology
ILA: Individual Learning Account
Informal learning: Learning undertaken purely
for social and / or personal reasons although a learner may choose
to take this learning further and study for a recognised
qualification that is vocationally related
Information, Advice and Guidance: Definition
provided by Canadian HRDC: "…the lifelong process of managing
learning, work and transitions in order to move toward a personally
determined and evolving preferred future". OECD 2002
Canada, pg 5.
IPR: Intellectual Property Rights
IT: Information Technology
ITT: Initial Teacher Training
IVET: Initial Vocational Education and
Training
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J
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K
K-worker: Knowledge Worker
Key skills : General, transferable skills such
as communication, working as a team, problem solving, etc.
Sometimes called essential or employability skills.
KPI: Key Performance Indicator
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L
Licence to Practise: An occupational
qualification required because of legislation
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M
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N
NEET: Not in Education, Employment or Training.
Normally applied to younger unemployed and disengaged people, below
the age of 25.
Non formal learning: Learning that does not
lead to a recognised qualification - it can be related to work or
can be for personal and / or social reasons.
NLT: Notional Learning Time. Used as an
indicator of the amount of time a training programme will take.
NQF: National Qualification Framework.
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O
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development
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P
PCDL: Personal and Community Development
Learning
PLTS: Personal Learning and Thinking Skills
Practitioner: Those responsible for the
delivery of training. This covers both publicly and privately
funded providers.
PSD: Personal and Social Development
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Q
QCF: Qualifications and Credit Framework
Quango - Quasi-autonomous Non Governmental
Organisation. A term used predominantly in the UK and Ireland
for non-departmental public bodies, such as Government funded
agencies, advisory bodies and commissions.
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R
RBL : Resource Based Learning
RPL: Recognition of Prior Learning
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S
Sector Body: An organisation whose remit is to
promote skills development in a specific economic sector. Examples
include Sector Skills Councils in the UK,
Sector Councils in Canada, and
Kenniscentra ("Knowledge Centres") in the
Netherlands. See Sectoral
Approaches to Skills briefing note.
SEN: Special Educational Needs. See
Transitions to training & work for disabled young
people briefing note.
SFA: Skills Funding Agency. Will be
responsible for all public funding of adult (post 19) skills
and learning in England from April 2010.
Skills gaps vs skills shortages: Skills gaps
are those found within the firm/company; skills shortages are
external to that company and can be regional or nation-wide.
Skills diagnostics: Tool for assessing current
skills of an individual and therefore potential/future development
needs.
Skills eco-systems: Term coined by David
Finegold with reference to the demand for specific skill sets in a
geographical area, responding to changing economic and social
factors. Finegold's research was originally based on the
cluster of hi-technology in the Silicon Valley, California which
gave rise to the need for highly specialised IT workers.
SME: Small and Medium sized Enterprise
Summative assessment: Feedback on learning
using marks and grades, traditionally at the end of a piece of
learning
Supply and demand: Market forces where supply
is the availability of a product or service and demand is the level
of need for that product (at a given price)
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T
TAFE: Technical And Further Education college
in Australia.
Training levy: A fee or tax placed on employers
whereby they either pay government to support national or regional
training programmes or are compelled to spend a percentage of their
payroll on training staff.
TVET: Technical Vocational Education and
Training.
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U
UNESCO: United Nations Educational Scientific
and Cultural Organisation.
UNEVOC: UNESCO International Centre for
Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
ULN: Unique Learner Number.
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V
VET: Vocational Education and Training.
VQ: Vocational Qualification.
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W
WBL: Work-based Learning.
WELL: Workplace English Language and
Literacy.
WPL: Work-place Learning.
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X
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Y
YPLA: Young Person's Learning Agency. Non
departmental public body in England. Will oversee learning and
skills provision for 14-19 year olds from April 2010.
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Z
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The Unesco Institute for Statistics also supplies a translation
tool for terms used in education http://www.uis.unesco.org/glossary/