This the 8th e-vocational conference from Assessment Tomorrow came at a pivotal moment for FE and vocational bodies. It was well received by delegates, exghibitors and speakers alike

The pace at which the skills sector in general is adopting technology for assessment as well as teaching and learning is rapidly increasing.  The FELTAG report has helped as has the constant drive for efficiency as the sector gears up for the next 5 years.   New approaches to qualifications and the apprenticeship agenda are also playing their part.

The impact on awarding organisations, sector organisations, colleges, training providers and professional bodies will be profound and potentially far reaching.

The conference took ’Technology in Support of the Skills Agenda’ as its focus and looked at how technology will need to deliver benefits for the learner, provider, sector and awarding organisation.

The conference speakers developed the themes of

• how the emerging agenda is effecting learners, providers and Awarding Bodies,

• the ways in which the current landscape of technology enabled learning and assessment is changing how vocational qualifications are designed, delivered, used and perceived,

• and how in the current environment the full benefits of the technology (in the educational, operational and financial sense) can be balanced against the risk and investment required.
   

As in previous conferences, an expert set of speakers discussed the issues and looked from their experiences at delivering technology enabled qualifications in the vocational, technical and professional sphere. They examined the issues around how technology influences, enables and moulds the assessment and hence learning process. This conference proved an ideal opportunity to begin sharing and understanding the implications of these issues.