Open University aligns higher education with internationally recognised SFIA skills framework
The Open University today announced that it has developed a set of tools and resources to enable employers to identify appropriate higher education modules, qualifications and continuous professional development (CPD) courses using the internationally recognised Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA).
The Open University today announced that it has developed a set of tools and resources to enable employers to identify appropriate higher education modules, qualifications and continuous professional development (CPD) courses using the internationally recognised Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA).
Despite the recession, the IT jobs market in the United Kingdom is expanding. A significant number of employers have used SFIA to create their IT organisations’ job profiles because the framework provides a standardised view of the wide range of professional skills needed by people working in Information Technology.
The Open University has recently become a SFIA Accredited Partner and has developed tools that will allow employers of IT professionals to view a range of generic IT job roles and the entry levels to browse potential courses and qualifications available against the SFIA skills required for each role. By combining the SFIA skills required for professional profiles and job descriptions a skills development path can be easily identified.
The Open University provides a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules and qualifications, and short non-accredited continuous professional development courses all designed for developing IT professionals – a key component of a successful staff retention programme.
Kevin Streater, Executive Director, IT and Telecoms at The Open University, said: “Both our students and employers will benefit from our new tools, as it will be more transparent for students which skills are needed to enter a new role or progress their career in a specific area, while employers can better plan future skills requirements and staff development.”
Adam Thilthorpe, Director of Professionalism, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, said: “BCS recognises that The Open University offers individuals and organisations the opportunity to gain a broad base of skills development and relevant qualifications. By aligning the OU curriculum to SFIA they are demonstrating a clear link between higher education and IT professionalism."
"Patrick Beasley Director of Learning Services at e-skills UK, said that “The alignment allows The Open University to provide IT professionals with a clear pathway towards attaining higher level education and development achievements, thereby supporting businesses across the IT industry with their skills development."
Ron McLaren, Operations Director at the SFIA Foundation, said: “We are delighted at the way The Open University has integrated SFIA into its curriculum. As well has helping to align courses with employers’ needs, this provides a real signpost to the future for students, who get a view of what will be expected of them when they start work. I firmly believe that SFIA’s great success in the world of work is going to be repeated in the world of Higher Education. The provision of relevantly skilled IT Professionals is key to our modern economy.”
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Editors’ Notes
The Open University (OU) is the largest higher education institution in the UK and a world leader in flexible distance learning. Since it began in 1969, the OU has taught more than 1.5 million students and has more than 250,000 current students, including 20,000 overseas, learning in their own time using course materials, online activities and content, web-based forums and tutorials and through tutor groups and residential schools.
The OU has been highly rated for teaching quality, and has been at the top of student satisfaction rankings in the National Student Survey since it was introduced in 2005. 70% of students are in full-time or part-time employment, and three out of four FTSE 100 companies have sponsored staff to take OU courses.
The OU supports a vibrant research portfolio and in the UK's latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2008), the University climbed 23 places to 43rd, securing a place in the UK's top 50 higher education institutions
Regarded as Britain’s major e-learning institution, the OU is a world leader in developing technology to increase access to education on a global scale. Its vast ‘open content portfolio’ includes free study units on OpenLearn, which has had more than 14.4 million unique visitors, and materials on iTunes U, which has recorded 28.3 million downloads. The OU has a 40 year partnership with the BBC which has moved from late-night lectures in the 1970s to prime-time programmes such as Life, Coast, James May’s Big Ideas and The Money Programme.