SCQF Credit Rating of OPITO Qualifications
As part of SCQF Week 2025, OPITO was pleased to support the theme “All Learning Counts,” which highlights the many ways individuals acquire skills, knowledge, and formal recognition throughout their lives. The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) plays a vital role in promoting lifelong learning and ensuring that diverse learning experiences are valued and understood across sectors.
To mark this occasion, members of OPITO’s Product Development team offer their insights into how SCQF credit rating enhances the quality, transparency, and international recognition of OPITO qualifications. Their perspectives provide a detailed look into the credit rating process and the benefits it delivers to learners and employers across the global energy industry.
Firstly, can you explain what the Scottish Credit and Qualifications (SCQF) is?
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework, SCQF, is the qualifications framework for Scotland. It features qualifications offered by schools, colleges, universities, workplaces, training organisations, and in the community. The framework has 12 levels, and these levels can help you understand and compare your qualifications.
-Ewen Hay, Director of Products and Services at OPITO.
Why does OPITO have all its qualifications credit rated on the SCQF?
OPITO has all its qualifications credit rated on the SCQF for several strategic and quality driven reasons. The first one of these is for recognition and credibility. By credit rating its qualifications on the SCQF, OPITO is ensuring that its training programmes are aligned with a nationally recognised framework. This provides our learners and employers with confidence in the quality, the level and the value of qualifications, both in Scotland and internationally.
It supports OPITO with autonomy as a credit rating body. OPITO became an SCQF credit rating body which allows us to independently assign SCQF levels and credit points to our qualifications. This autonomy enables us to make professional judgments about qualification levels. It also allows us to respond quickly to industry needs and maintain our high standards through our robust quality assurance systems.
Thirdly, it supports our workforce development aspirations. The SCQF credit rating supports our mission here at OPITO to develop a safe and skilled global energy workforce. It helps learners understand their current skill level and plan future learning pathways. This is essential for career progression and lifelong learning.
A fourth reason would be our international benchmarking. By having qualifications on the SCQF and being credit rated, it allows the OPITO qualifications to be benchmarked against other national and regional frameworks. This enhances their portability and recognition across borders. This is particularly valuable in the global energy sector where workforce mobility is common practice.
Finally, it allows for a structured and flexible learning experience. OPITO qualifications are designed with flexible entry and exit points, and credit rating ensures that each unit builds progressively on skills. This structured approach supports learners at different stages of their careers and accommodates varying levels of experience.
- Lucie Booth, Product Development Manager at OPITO.
What steps do OPITO take to credit rate its qualifications?
OPITO follows a structured and quality-assured process to credit its qualifications. This process ensures that every qualification is benchmarked consistently and transparently.
The process begins by the development team proposing the credit level and value based on the learning outcomes, learning hours, and assessment efforts. The process is then reviewed by three independent people: the credit rater, the vetter, and the independent vetter. Each must be trained on SEQF procedures and have relevant occupational competence.
Their decisions are recorded and documented and must be auditable and objective. Once the consensus is made, the qualification is submitted to the OPITO Product and Services Group for approval. The final ratification is then done by the Chief Operations Officer, and the qualification is then recorded in the SCQF database.
- Kitti Kelemen, Product Assurance Specialist at OPITO.
And what measures do OPITO implement to maintain SCQF standards over time?
OPITO maintains robust quality assurance procedures. This includes regular review of our documentation, policies, and procedures to ensure SEQF compliance.
Key measures include a four-year review cycle where we formally review all our qualifications, annual management meetings, and internal audits to assess compliance and identify areas for improvement.
We also implement data control and corrective action procedures to manage updates and address non-compliances effectively. OPITO aims to maintain a continuous improvement culture where stakeholder and staff feedback is taken into consideration for future enhancements.
- Kitti Kelemen, Product Assurance Specialist at OPITO.
How can employers use SCQF-level information when recruiting and developing their workforce?
The SCQF framework can support employers through creating comprehensive benchmarking when it comes to matching job roles with desirable skills and competencies and the corresponding qualification level.
The framework can support employers to clearly define job roles and describe the skills and competencies needed to perform them. Additionally, employers can use the SCQF Employer Levelling Tool to describe the kinds of responsibilities and tasks present in job roles at different SCQF Levels.
This tool provides a quick and easy way to allocate an SCQF level to a job role, ensuring that the knowledge and skills required are clearly defined.
- Laura McNaughton, Product Development Manager at OPITO.
What advice would you give to someone considering studying an OPITO qualification?
Learners undertaking OPITO qualifications can have the confidence that qualifications they undertake are developed by subject matter experts and are valued and recognised by employers globally.
They can also be assured that the qualification they are undertaking is recognised as part of the SCQF and, by extension, can be benchmarked against similar credit and qualification frameworks across the world.
-Ewen Hay, Director of Products and Services at OPITO.
SCQF Week reminds us that all learning counts, whether gained in the classroom, on the job, or through life experience. At OPITO, we’re proud to offer SCQF-credit rated qualifications that empower learners and employers with clarity, credibility, and global relevance.
If you're ready to take the next step in your learning journey or build a more skilled workforce, explore our full range of SCQF-credit rated qualifications at www.opito.com/our-qualifications
