International Awarding

Welcome

Over the past two years, the International Awarding team, based in Glasgow, has been working with the Scottish Government to develop a strategy to work with the Ministry of Education in China and its agencies. One of the key purposes of this work is to support the wider objectives of the Scottish Government’s international strategy and positioning programme, while creating opportunities to deliver Scottish educational products and services in China.

In partnership with the Chinese Service Centre of Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) SQA has piloted Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) in Chinese universities. Six HNDs were launched in China in September 2004 and a further 11 HNDs were launched in September 2005. The HNDs are intended to provide either an articulation route to further study in the UK or progression to workforce development routes in China. Good working relationships have been established with UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to recognise HNDs for both Chinese and Scottish students. Conditional offers were recently secured for all Chinese students in the first cohort.

In China the delivery of the HNDs is underpinned by supporting programmes in:

These products (and, in particular, ESOL and teacher training) will form a core platform for a range of Scottish qualifications that could be delivered in China. Over time it is planned to introduce further products in the Chinese market.