Glasgow hosts international education credential conference
Tuesday 18 October 2022
More than 200 delegates are visiting Glasgow this week for the annual TAICEP conference.
TAICEP (The Association for International Credential Evaluation Professionals) is hosting its first in-person conference since 2019 at the city’s Marriott Hotel. SQA has been a member of TAICEP since 2018 and has been instrumental in bringing this year’s event to Glasgow – the first event in Europe since the conference was held in Rome in 2017.
Credential evaluators specialise in assessing academic and professional qualifications achieved in one country and seeing how they compare with similar qualifications earned in another.
Universities, colleges, and employers around the world use credential evaluations to understand other countries’ qualifications and to judge applicants for admission or employment.
Delegates to the city include individuals, representatives of academic institutions and independent agencies, and organisations who share a common interest in international credential evaluation.
TAICEP aims to promote and facilitate research, professional development, and collaboration with other international education groups.
Speaking ahead of the conference, TAICEP President Jeanie Bell said: “Our annual conference is always a highlight of the year, but this year is our first in-person conference since 2019, and the first time we have held the event in Glasgow.
“Glasgow will provide a fantastic backdrop for this year’s conference and give our members the opportunity to reconnect with colleagues near and far following the pandemic, and give them a chance to renew their skills, and re-evaluate practices in the ever-shifting landscape of international credential evaluation.”
John McMorris, Director of Business Development at SQA said: “As a member of TAICEP, we are able to ensure learners who undertake our internationally awarded SQA Advanced Certificate and Diploma qualifications can progress successfully on to advanced entry of undergraduate degree programmes at universities around the world.”
Margaret Hutchinson, SQA International Articulation Manager, leads on SQA’s Diploma to Degree programme and has chaired the conference local planning committee in Glasgow. The committee has arranged a programme that will showcase many of the city’s cultural and academic highlights to delegates.
Margaret said: “TAICEP gives credential evaluators the opportunity to hear from one another, forge and maintain relationships and networks, and learn and adopt best practice. While the online conferences over the last two years have been useful for maintaining connections, nothing compares to being able to see colleagues face-to-face and hear first hand about the latest ideas and developments.
“It is a huge honour to be able to bring colleagues from all over the world to Glasgow. There will also be an opportunity for delegates to support the conference’s local charity, Refuweegee, either through donations or by volunteering over the course of their visit.”
Bailie Thomas Kerr will welcome the delegates to the city on the first full day of the conference. Bailie Kerr said: “It is always a privilege and pleasure to welcome high-profile, international conferences like this. Quality education matters and it is important that we continue to engage and collaborate with our international colleagues to ensure that we are all maintaining standards and recognise the value of educational awards made in other countries, towns, and cities.”
The TAICEP 2022 conference will run from Monday 17 – Thursday 20 October. For more information on the conference programme, visit www.taicep2022.dryfta.com