On the frontline or at the margins? finding a place in post-compulsory research

Abstract

Problems with National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) have not undermined the impact of both qualifications on research, policy making and curriculum development in the post-compulsory sector. In particular, the creation of a multi-million pound research programme for GNVQ, set up by the National Council for Vocational Qualifications, is now run by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). This has a strong influence on research agendas for the post-compulsory curriculum. Meanwhile, there is a growing political and professional consensus about the need to adapt outcome-based assessment, introduced through NVQs and GNVQs, as a basis for homogenizing qualification frameworks in different parts of the post-compulsory sector. This article reviews these developments and the impact of the QCA's research programme, on critical and academic research. It argues that the new interest group in the British Educational Research Association for research into post-compulsory education and training, and lifelong learning provides an important opportunity for academic researchers to evaluate the impact of their work. The influence of the QCA's GNVQ research programme, together with proposals to extend statutory powers over qualifications in higher education, means that the need for researchers to be much more strategic in co-ordinating and promoting their work has, arguably, never been greater.