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UK NARIC was commissioned by Cambridge Assessment International Education to undertake an independent benchmarking of the Cambridge Professional Development Qualifications (PDQs) certificate and diploma to the UK, Australian and South African education systems.
The Cambridge PDQ Certificate was found to be comparable to:
- UK - RQF and FHEQ level 4
- Australia - AQF level 5
- South Africa - NQF level 6 Advanced Degree Certificate.
The Cambridge PDQ Diploma was found to be comparable to:
- UK - RQF and FHEQ level 5
- Australia - AQF level 6
- South Africa - NQF level 6 national Professional Diploma in Education and Advanced Certificate in Education.
The benchmarking study aimed to compare the academic level of the Cambridge PDQ certificate and diploma in the UK, Australia, and South Africa, and carry out an academic credit evaluation for Cambridge PDQs as well as understand the extent to which the Cambridge Teacher Standards reflect the Teachers’ Standards in each country.
The Cambridge PDQs are designed to support and recognise formally the continuing professional development and training of practising teachers and education leaders. Cambridge PDQs are provided at both certificate and diploma level.
Cambridge PDQs are awarded by Cambridge Assessment International Education and can be taken globally through Cambridge-approved Professional Development Centres.
In terms of progression or articulation for further study, the Cambridge PDQ Certificate and Diploma are 150 and 450 hours respectively, reflect a volume of study comparable to 5 and 15 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) where one credit is roughly 25-30 hours.
The Cambridge Teacher Standards serve as a benchmark which teachers can use to inform and guide their own professional development and school leaders can use to identify professional development needs and plan, implement and evaluate professional development in their schools. The Cambridge Teacher Standards compare well to those expected for newly trained teachers in South Africa, Australia and England.
When comparing the Cambridge PDQs against the education and qualification frameworks in the UK, the study focused on the English education system which is governed by Ofqual. Qualifications in England are either within the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RFQ) or the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ).
In Australia, the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), which was introduced and implemented throughout Australia in 1999, is under the responsibility of the state and territory governments.
According to the UK NARIC Band Framework, RQF and FHEQ level 4 and 5 in England are comparable to the AQF level 5 and 6 respectively.
So when comparing the descriptors, the Cambridge PDQ Certificate was found to be comparable to:
- UK - RQF and FHEQ level 4
- Australia - AQF level 5.
The Cambridge PDQ Diploma was found to be comparable to:
- UK - RQF and FHEQ level 5
- Australia - AQF level 6.
The Framework level descriptions compared to Cambridge PDQs are as follows:
View high resolution table here.
Cambridge PDQs were also compared against the education and qualification frameworks in the UK and South Africa.
In South Africa, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) is responsible for setting up the National Qualification Framework (NQF) that consists of ten levels and three qualification sub-frameworks.
According to the UK NARIC Band Framework, South African NQF level 6 qualifications can be considered comparable to either RQF or FHEQ levels 4 and 5.
The Cambridge PDQ Certificate was found to be comparable to:
- UK - RQF and FHEQ level 4
- South Africa - NQF level 6 Advanced Degree Certificate.
The Cambridge PDQ Diploma was found to be comparable to:
- UK - RQF and FHEQ level 5
- South Africa - NQF level 6 national Professional Diploma in Education and Advanced Certificate in Education.
The Framework level descriptions compared to Cambridge PDQs are as follows:
View high resolution table here.