Background to the Research

• The Equal Opportunities Commission for Northern Ireland commissioned research into equality of opportunity and NVQs in Northern Ireland.

Research Approach

• The research methodology included:
  • Analysis of statistics, where available.
  • Structured interviews with awarding bodies, verifiers and assessors.
  • Focus groups with women taking NVQs.
  • Postal questionnaire surveys of employers and recognised training organisations to ascertain the uptake of NVQs in Northern Ireland.
  • Semi-structured interviews with public sector employers.

Main Findings

• There is evidence that despite the central focus of the NVQ system being increased access to qualifications and equality of opportunity, women are significantly under-represented at higher levels of attainment. The evidence also shows that the majority of women undertaking NVQs are doing so in traditional areas such as office administration, retailing and caring. Despite the existence of such 'glass ceiling' blockages and the concentration of women in traditional NVQ areas, national targets for NVQ awards do not include specific targets for women.
  
  
• The absence of national training targets specifically for women may be due to a substantial degree of lack of comprehensive and accurate information. Adequate statistical records, which could provide detail on the uptake of NVQs by women, are not being maintained. This makes it virtually impossible to know how many women are taking NVQs and of the range and level of NVQs being taken. It is also impossible and analyse trends in the uptake.
  
  
• The lack of adequate statistical records also means that awarding bodies are not fully aware of the impact of the glass ceiling on NVQ candidates. Without this information, the full implementation of equal opportunities policies and practices is virtually impossible.
  
  
• In addition, despite the fact that NVQ stipulate that awarding bodies have an equal opportunities policy which must be clearly communicated to all those involved with the award, the research found there is inadequate training in equal opportunities practices for external and internal verifiers, assessors, advisers and trainers.
  
  
• The research also highlighted that there are a wide variety of access issues which present barriers to women undertaking NVQs. For instance, not all language used in publications can be said to be inclusive and women are often depicted in traditional roles.
  
  
• Some women require personal development provision as a prelude to embarking on an NVQ. However, there are insufficient access courses offered on a women-only basis, which could assist the personal development of women in areas such as confidence building, time management, assertiveness and self-assessment. There is also inadequate provision of individual counselling and support for women progressing towards an NVQ.
  
  
• Additionally, training towards NVQs is often not available at times which are compatible with women's domestic and caring responsibilities. Child care provision for women taking NVQs is totally inadequate and provision for after-school care facilities is also totally inadequate.
  
  
• Some women, particularly those who are unemployed, are finding the costs involved with obtaining an NVQ to be prohibitive.
  
  
• There is evidence to suggest that employers, particularly small employers, do not fully understand the NVQ system in general and the APL and unit accreditation system in particular. Employers cannot possibly promote the value of the NVQ system as a flexible mode of learning if they do not fully understand the system.
  
  
• The research also indicates that less than a quarter of those taking NVQs in small firms are women.
  
  
• There is also evidence to suggest that some employers offer support only to full-time permanent employees wishing to undertake NVQs. This is clearly disadvantageous for women who comprise the majority of temporary and part-time employees.
  
  
• There are also aspects of the NVQ system itself that present barriers to women. For instance, some women, because of the length of time they spend away from work to rear children, find it difficult to take advantage of the APL facility. Difficulties that may arise included the possibility of records being destroyed, employer closure and the issue of proving that the evidence is up-to-date. Crediting unpaid work is still in its embryonic stages and is not widespread enough to remove this barrier.