Proposals for the formation of a new accreditation body for higher level technical qualifications would complement existing relationships between universities and further education colleges rather than pitting them against each other, the president of a national FE group has argued.

In its?, the Association of Colleges (AoC) calls for the creation of a Technical Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), which would have the power to accredit courses and training programmes.

The council, which would be made up of representatives from a number of organisations from across the education and skills sector, would promote technical education to ensure the continued supply of technical and professional skills ¡°crucial to the long-term prosperity of the nation¡±, the report says.

It adds that the TEAC would set standards for work-related education and training to ensure that quality is maintained, and would also sustain institutional autonomy, drawing on the ¡°autonomous institutions and robust awarding powers¡± of the UK higher education system.

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Earlier this year, a government consultation on the subject raised fears among some universities that a new body would place them in direct competition with further education colleges. But John Widdowson, president of the AoC, told Times Higher Education?that?this would not be the case.

¡°In the majority of cases, colleges will continue to work in partnership with universities and other higher education providers, offering degrees and other awards,¡± he said. ¡°It is also important that colleges and universities continue to work together to ensure that a new qualifications landscape allows students to transfer between different routes. Above all, the two approaches should be seen as complementary rather than in competition.¡±

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The report says that presently there is no ¡°coherent validation and award system¡± for technical and professional education, which results in ¡°constant policy tinkering¡±. It also cites evidence that universities are often ¡°disinterested in short-cycle provision¡± ¨C higher education courses lasting less than three years ¨C and that the TEAC would address this.

¡°A flexible approach to the design, validation and awarding of higher level technical and professional qualifications will broaden the choice of good-quality courses available to colleges, employers and students,¡± Mr Widdowson said.

¡°In particular, it will allow recognition for tightly focused and job-specific higher level skills to meet the needs of a fast-moving workplace.¡±

john.elmes@tesglobal.com