YES - John Cridland, deputy director-general, Confederation of British Industry
This is a significant milestone on the road to reforming qualifications so they better reflect the skills and competencies employers and employees need.
Companies currently invest £33bn every year in training their staff, but only one-third of employer training leads to qualifications because not enough official courses offer the competencies that employers require.
Firms have instead run their own bespoke training programmes and formally recognising more of this employer training will lead to more relevant qualifications.
YES - Mary Curnock Cook, director of qualifications and skills, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
This is a win-win situation for employers, employees and the national skills profile of the UK.
We want to recognise the high quality training that committed firms are delivering; training that accounts for billions of pounds commercial organisations invest in their staff skills. This is not about A-Levels or GCSEs. This is about tailored skills training that improves the performance of companies and the economy as a whole. The new Qualifications and Credit Framework allows for this training to be formally recognised and credited.
NO - Sally Hunt, general secretary, University and College Union
We would have concerns about qualifications that are very narrow and specific to one organisation, such as McDonald's.
There are a whole host of qualifications out there. It is incredibly important that students, colleges, universities and employers understand exactly what different qualifications provide, particularly when just last week a report revealed that some universities have concerns about the new diplomas.
Any body given the power to award qualifications must meet the stringent requirements set down by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
NO - Martin Johnson, acting deputy general secretary, Association of Teachers and Lecturers
We have concerns about whether the qualifications will provide employees with skills that will be recognised by other companies and in further and higher education, and whether the skills can be built upon in whatever career the trainee wants to pursue later on.
Instead of companies creating new qualifications, we believe it would be far more useful if their training led to more widely accepted qualifications.
The days of jobs for life are long gone, so people need to have skills that are useful in a variety of companies and sectors.
