Good morning, committee. I am from the SQA. As you well know, our role is to provide school qualifications and run the national courses, but we also have a much broader remit to provide vocational qualifications. SQA offers more than 1,400 vocational qualifications. Last year, there were 160,000-odd enrolments for those qualifications, and 122,000 people achieved various types of vocational qualifications.
The nature of those qualifications varies depending on the point that a learner has reached on their journey through life. We have qualifications that are appropriate for younger people who are entering employment or considering a particular route into employment. We also have vocational qualifications for those who are progressing through their vocational careers, perhaps through an apprenticeship training programme or a programme at college that leads to a national certificate, a higher national certificate or a higher national diploma. We also offer a wide range of workplace competence qualifications, which are called Scottish vocational qualifications—there are more than 500—and support the modern apprenticeship programme. In 2017, more than 35,000 people achieved SVQs.
On the DYW agenda, we have worked closely with Skills Development Scotland to assist it in developing the new foundation apprenticeships at Scottish credit and qualifications framework level 6, and with the relevant industry partners, which has been a very positive development. In addition, we are working with SDS to consider whether there is a need for further pre-apprenticeship programmes at SCQF levels 4 and 5 to cater for a broader range of young people who might not be at the level for entry into foundation apprenticeships.
We also have a big team of regional staff who not only support schools individually but work with the regional DYW groups and with local authorities and schools to help them to understand what type of qualifications might be appropriate to support learners in their region. We keep those qualifications up to date by constantly reviewing, through working with key employers in Scotland, whether things are changing in particular industries. We are very proud of the vocational portfolio that we offer.
Also important to the DYW agenda is the range of soft-skills qualifications that we offer to support the broader skills to which Euan Duncan referred, which are important for young people who are entering the world of work.