This is the Second Edition
Comment on what is provided - both content and omissions - would be welcome!
The UKIPG Chaiman, Jane Hern, has been leading a review of the way that UKIPG is organised and operates in the light of recent experiences and developments in the way our members themselves are governed and operated. This came to its conclusions at the Main Group meeting at RCVS on 12th December 2011. This meeting was chaired by Past Chairman Roy Brimblecome, for reasons that were explained in the previous Newsletter. The UKIPG Executive Group met to refine the proposals immediately prior to that meeting, and was pleased that Jane could take part in that meeting via a conference call. One of the decisions was that the Main Group meeting of 12th December would be the last of its kind.
For those who are UKIPG member body representatives, the full set of papers for that meeting are (and will remain) on the 'Main Group' pages of the web-site - accessed by logging in with your User Name and Password. The final document is the Minutes of that meeting, UKIPG.M4.11, which can be accessed after logging in.
However, a brief summary of the decisons is as follows:
The Chairman, the Executive and the Secretary are now working to implement these decisions. It would still be appropriate for UKIPG to seek a new Chaiman, as Jane Hern has been in that role for two consecutive three-year terms (and more), having been appointed in June 2005. However, the changes envisaged would allow her to continue in the role of Immediate Past Chairman and be involved, if that was what she wished. The meeting wished her a speedy and complete return to good health and thanked her for all she has done for UKIPG over the years.
From the summary given above, it will be apparent the the criteria for the appointment of a UKIPG Chairman have been widened to allow the nomination of any suitable person, with relevant and fairly recent senior experience (staff or volunteer) within a professional body or regulator, to be considered. This recognises the pressure on those in current high level posts within member bodies, and provides the opportunity for someone, who has served in a senior executive or 'council / board' type of role, to continue to maintain their interest in the affairs of the professions when they have more time available in their life. As now, the Chairman would be supported by a part-time secretariat, with most routine communication being via the web-site. Please let the UKIPG Secretary know in the first instance of any nominations or expressions of interest in this important voluntary role.
Modernising Directive 2005/36/EC. The December issue of the UKIPG Newsletter gave a full summary of the evaluation work and consultation on the Modernisation of the Professional Qualifications Directive. Just before despatch, we recieved the legislative proposal itself, and a link to this was included in the December Newsletter. That was timely because, at the same time, the National Coordinator at BIS asked for inputs to the UK Government negotiating position by the 4th January. Several member bodies shared their inputs with UKIPG, but not in time for a fully coordinated response to BIS. However, the UKIPG Secretary sent in some points for consideration and clarification, based on an initial read of the main principles included in the document. Since then, BIS has hosted a meeting on 26th January at 1 Victoria Street, with Jurgen Tiedje of the Commission. The Presentation Powerpoints summarised the key principles in the proposal, and the questions elicited further detail and a few contentious points. Overall, the Commission's presentation was well received. After the meeting, the BIS National Coordinator circulated copies of the slides, and also two Summary Documents, one on European Professional Cards and the other an Impact Assessment on the whole proposal. The next event will be the Commission-hosted meeting in Brussels on 2nd February. Whilst this is fully booked, it will be web-cast. The Commission represntatives emphasised that they have produced the proposal - and so can help to clarify intentions - but it had now passed to the Council and Parliament for decision. To further assist UKIPG members to clarify their thinking, a meeting of the International and European Forum has been arranged for 1400 on 14th February 2012 at the Engineering Council.
The European Parliament. As mentioned in December, the Parliament has begun to prepare for this legislative process. The work has primarily been led by the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO), currently chaired by a UK MEP (Malcolm Harbour) with reports being prepared by Emma McClarkin MEP. As the work now moves towards legislation, Bernadette Vergnaud (FR) will take on the Rapporteur role. The Final Report to the Committee was published on 26th October, and subsequently approved as a non-binding resolution, as reported in the Press Release of 15th November.
Study of Educational Developments. The Report of the GHK Study into educational developments which might imping on Directive Modernisation was published at the end of October 2011 and was first 'aired' at the Commission's Stakeholder meeting on 7th November in Brussels. This comprehensive report addresses matters such as EQF and ECTS which now feature in the Legislative Proposal. They are relatively uncontentious in the UK but that might not be the case with your Europe-wide equivalent bodies.
Single Market Forum. The view of the Commission is that escape from the current recession will require economic growth, and that this will best be assured through completion of the Single Market. To this end, an initiative known as the Single Market Act was developed, leading to the publication of 12 Goals or Actions, one of which related to the modernisation of the Directive on Recognition of Professional Qualifications. This work is currently quoted by the Commission and Parliament as one of the drivers for modernising the RPQ Directive.
Coalition Government Policy. Initially, the Coalition Government continued with many of the previous Government's education policies and initiatives, not least because the major studies by Browne on HE Funding and Wolf on 14-19 were in mid-stream at the change of Government. The Coalition has also retained the split between DfE and BIS, which sometimes produces awkward compromises in policy and decision making in areas of overlap (especially skills funding, apprenticeships and FE).
The FE and Skills Sector Reform Plan. As reported in the December Newsletter, the Government's first move in this area was the publication by BIS, late in 2010, of 'Skills for Sustainable Growth', with increased emphasis on apprenticeships; shared responsibility between government, employers and individuals, and changes to simplify the the funding system (particularly through the Skills Funding Agency). This was followed by the 'New Challenges; New Chances' Consultation in August 2011. In December 2011, BIS published both a 'Summary of Responses' to that Consultation and the plan for what they would do about it in 'New Challenges, New Chances: Further Education and Skills System Reform Plan'. Ten key points are emphasised in the Executive Summary and some of the timelines and action points are tabulated in five Annexes. With the increasing emphasis on access to the professions via alternative routes to 'school and university', this area of work will be relevant to our recently renamed Professional Education and Training Group.
Students at the Heart of the System. BIS published its reforming HE White Paper 'Students at the heart of the system' in June 2011. UKIPG's response to this, and discussions around the 'Technical Consultation on Regulation were dealt with in the December Newsletter. The White Paper envisaged significant changes to the role of HEFCE and to its funding and 'student numbers' role. HEFCE Consulted on Funding and Student Numbers and subsequently issued a Statement of Poiicy (Circular Letter 26/11). One of the proposals in the HE White Paper was for the development of Key Information Sets for each course in a University's prospectus, including its links to professional bodies and regulators, and any form of recognition or accreditation involved.
Quality Assurance of HE. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has been heavily involved in the HE developments. In cooperation with UKIPG, the QAA has promoted several Forums for Professional and Statutory Regulatory Bodies (PRSB). Since the issue of the HE White Paper, there have been three of these Forums. The first, on 15th July shortly after publication, dealt primarily with the White Paper itself, but also with issues of mutual collaboration with the HE-related community. The second on 25th October focused on the 'Risk-Based Regulation' aspects of the HE White Paper and the supporting 'Technical Consultation'. Finally for 2011, on 16th December the Forum focused on the 'Public Information Systems' spects of the HE White Paper, and the proposals of HEFCE and QAA to deal with this matter. QAA has a 'Partners' area on its web-site, and within that a special section devoted to its work with PSRBs. Reports and Presentations from each of the Forums mentioned above, and some earlier ones can be accessed from the Partners-PSRB Section of the QAA web-site. Ideas, agenda and speakers for future Forums are mutually arranged between QAA staff and the UKIPG Secretary; your suggestions for future topics, and offers of contributions, will be greatly appreciated. QAA kindly administers the Forum and takes bookings for the meetings.
Apprenticeship Frameworks. Apprenticeship frameworks in recent years have been the responsibility of SSCs; they were to develop and approve them, within guidance, to meet the needs of their sector. In April 2011, they became subject to statutory regulation, with a new and more complex arrangement for their design and approval. A web-based tool was provided which was intended to allow virtually anyone to develop and seek approval for a new framework, provided that it was untimately SASE/SASW compliant. A long-awaited recognition for the Higher level was included, incoporating a significant HE element and so fitting the routes to Associate Professional and full Professional occupations. Qualifications are now related to QCF rather than NQF. The whole Framework must generate a specified number of Credits on QCF.
Qualification Frameworks. For several years, the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) has been under development. Originally intended to embrace all learning and qualifications other than HE, it is now a framework for vocational and work-related qualifcations. It has significantly changed the 'language' of qualifications design. More detail and links were provided in the December Newsletter. The key thing about being a QCF listed qualifcation is that it can make a programme of learning eligible for some degree of funding by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA). Qualification Frameworks are topical again because, as a result of the work done by GHK Consulting for the European Commission, the European Qualifications Framework features in connection with a new approach to the 'levels' currently referred to in Art 11 of the RPQ Directive. UK qualifications on the QCF, and HE qualifications on the FHEQ, can now be mapped on to the European Qualifcations Framework (EQF). This mapping is meant to be completed in 2012.
Professional Regulation. Professional Regulation is the raison d'etre of a professional or statutory regulatory body. A key feature of any profession is that its members are registered by a competent authority for the area of work (and there may be more than one). That regulatory process is based on criteria for initial admission to the register and for ongoing compliance with the conditions for fitness for continuing registration and for practise. To support this process, there are also arrangements for investigating an allegation that a registrant is not currently compliant, and for taking disciplinary action if required. These regulatory processes are also subject to quality assurance check in many cases, sometimes by an oversight regulator (eg CHRE, LSB, POB) or through an ISO 9001 Certification process. Recently, two related issues have come to the fore:
The UKIPG's Professional Regulation Group Chairman has agreed to address these and other issues, including checking on the relevance of some matters raised at the Scottish Regulatory Forum qv and in other settings, during 2012, recognising that those registrants / members who were lax about compliance in one context may introduce risks under other legislation, eg the Anti-Money Laundering Directive or the Bibery Act 2010. If you are not getting regulation-specific e-mails and are interested in the topic and / or wish to participate, please let the UKIPG Secretary know and he will add you to the list.
Whilst the 'professional regulation' function addresses the regulation and compliance with various codes of individual members of the professions, 'corporate governance' does the same for the professional and regulatory bodies themselves as 'bodies corporate'. The range of issues recently covered was noted in the Newsletter for December 2011. Alison Carr continues to lead the Corporate Governance Group. In accordance with the newly expressed wishes of members of UKIPG, it will propose meeting dates as and when some issues of particular interest are identified and referred to the current Group Chairman or UKIPG Secretary. The E-Mailer list on the web-site has recently been updated, with names as advised either to Alison or the Secretary. If you are not getting corporate governance specific e-mails and are interested in the topic, please let the UKIPG Secretary know and he will add you to the list.
The Inter Professional CPD Forum is a Forum for a wider group of people interested in CPD, some from UKIPG members, some from non-member professional bodies, some from education and a small number from relevant suppliers of systems and services. It meets about three times a year, for a half-day seminar. It is managed as part of the UKIPG but has its own administrator (Chris Senior). The Forum met at the Law Society on 19th January 2012 to hear three stimulating presentations and discussions led by the Solictors Regulation Authority, the General Medical Council, and the Institution of Civil Engineers. The presentation slides used by the speakers to start their sessions are accessible on the CPD Forum pages of the UKIPG web-site, after logging-in. If you are not getting CPD specific e-mails and are interested in the topic, please let the UKIPG Secretary know and he will arrange for you to be added to the list.
The UKIPG has a fundamental interest on the 'professional ethics and trust' agenda and a long-term relationship with the Inter Disciplinary Ethics Applied (IDEA) Centre at the University of Leeds. Jointly, and in collaboration also with the Chartered Insurance Institute, we propose to run a one-day Conference at the Insurance Hall in Aldermanbury on Wednesday 3rd May 2012. The theme will be centred around 'Ethics, the Professional Body and the Use of Information: Privacy and Confidentiality'. The event will include plenary sessions with renowned speakers and a range of workshop sessions led by faciltators with a special interest in a more detailed aspect. Details will be posted on the UKIPG web site very soon. As usual, the cost for the event will be much discounted for UKIPG full member bodies (as a good paid for by the annual subscription).
Please make an entry in your diary for 3rd May now - before you forget!
Professions for Good. 'Professions for Good' is a public information campaign, made up of a collaboration of the representative bodies for the UK’s largest professions. In the previous Newsletter, we reported on the work done with BIS to launch the 'Common Best Practice Code for High Quality Internships'. As UKIPG Chairman, Jane Hern represented UKIPG in the P4G Steering Group and remains involved on our behalf. Jane attended the latest P4G Steering Group on 16th January and reported that P4G was 'gaining traction' and was about to relaunch itself as a separate company. It is involved with the formation of the new National Council for Careers, an independent council established within BIS to provide Ministers with advice relating to the new National Careers Service to be launched in April (qv in the 'New Challenges;New Chances' topic under the 'FE & Skills' heading). Jane has produced a more detailed Report for UKIPG full members which is available on the Main Group Section of the web-site.
NFEC. NFEC is a national organisation for Heads of Departments of Engineering, Techmology etc in the FE and Skills Sector. The UKIPG Secretary is an honorary life member of NFEC, a connection which works to the benefit of UKIPG, providing information, links, contacts etc on FE, Skills, Apprenticeship, UTCs, Wolf Report, HE in FE, and like matters.
UK NARIC. UK NARIC is the nationally recognised centre for comparison of qualifications from across the world. It is also contracted by BIS to provide the National Contact Point for Directive 2005/36/EC and for EC-VET. UKIPG is represented in the NARIC Quality Standards Group. The next QSG meeting is scheduled for 20th March; the UKIPG Secretary and Dorothy Wood of ACCA normally attend and would welcome news of any current issues with NARIC. QSG papers are normally uploaded to the UKIPG web-site (password protected).
Irish Inter Professional Association. The IIPA is the IPG for Ireland and also a member of CEPLIS. It is common for the UKIPG and IIPA Secretaries to assist each other, especially with English language drafts and on areas of different expertise. John Fish, the IIPA Secretary, has agreed to contribute his expertise in leading a workshop at the Ethics Conference in May.
Scottish Regulatory Forum. Much of what has been written and discussed relates to England only; or the England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has many legal, regulatory and educational systems which are quite different. Some UK-wide PSRBs deal with Scottish systems, but in other cases Scotland has a separate set of PSRBs. UKIPG's primary link with the SRF is via Michael Scott of the Actuarial Profession (based in Edinburgh) and the UKIPG Secretary meets with them about once a year. The UKIPG Secretary attended the 12th January meeting and a short report is available to UKIPG full members after log-in to the Professional Regulation pages of the web-site. The minutes will be added when available.
CEPLIS. CEPLIS is the Conseil European des Professions Liberales, a Brussels based organisation on the same lines as UKIPG, but comprising 'IPGs' from 10 Member States and 20 Europe-wide mono-professional organisations. Several other bodies are connected more loosely to CEPLIS. There is a formal MoU with EUROCADRES, which is a formally recognised 'Social Partner'. The UKIPG is represented on the CEPLIS Board by the Secretary. He attended the Board meeting on 9th January and will chair a small Task Group meeting prior to the Commission's 2nd Feb meeting on the RPQ Directive legislative Proposal. CEPLIS is working on a joint statement with EUROCADRES on the Legislative Proposal.
CII. The Chartered Insurance Institute is a regular publisher of 'Thinkpieces' and 'Papers in Professionalism'. You can join the mailing this for these. The most recent Thinkpiece is Number 67: 'Insurance Regulation in 2012: Finding Solutions to the "British Dilemma", by Financial Secretary Mark Hoban MP, who summarises the Treasury's latest work on insurance regulation, including UK regulatory reforms, Solvency II, and response to the European Court's gender ruling. The UK's dominance in the global insurance markets both retail and wholesale cannot be underestimated; any regulatory reforms must be reflective of the unique issues in this sector.
GMC. The GMC has been reviewing and consulting on its proposals for CPD. See the CPD Web-page of GMC.
GOsC. The GOsC has been reviewing and consulting on its proposals for CPD. A Discussion Document is available.
GOC. The GOC publishes its Council notices and papers, and opens meetings to the public. This refers to the January 2012 meeting just gone but gives dates for later ones.
RIBA. The RIBA is seeking two new employees to work in the international standards area.