Founded 1996 Website www.skillscfa.org | Headquarters London | |
Skills CFA is both the standard setting organisation for business skills and the leading apprenticeship-issuing authority in the United Kingdom. Skills CFA has one of the largest organisational footprints of any standards-setting body or Sector Skills Council representing approximately 11 million UK employees working in pan-sector occupations, and developed apprenticeship frameworks which were expected to be started by over 122,000 learners during 2010-11.
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Skills CFA is a registered charity established in 1996 originally under the name Council for Administration. The name was later changed to CfA Business Skills @ Work before its current title: Skills CFA. It is sometimes referred to by the short-hand acronym: CFA.
Standards & Qualifications
Skills CFA are responsible for overseeing the development of UK National Occupational Standards (NOS), National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ), and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ) for the following sectors:
NOS define exactly what it is, in terms of performance and understanding, that individuals are expected to achieve when carrying out specific functions in the workplace. They help develop the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) which provides the structure for creating and accrediting qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Apprenticeships
Skills CFA also develops UK apprenticeship frameworks and supplies research statistics for apprenticeship and workplace employment in the UK. They develop and certify the most apprenticeships in the UK, and have the largest apprenticeship remit of any skills body with 27% of all qualified apprentices in England having completed one of their business apprenticeships.
Higher Apprenticeships
Skills CFA has developed UK higher apprenticeship programmes (equivalent to the first year of a degree course).