Operational Training and Development in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

390. MA are a unique blend of work and study, allowing individuals to earn a wage while gaining industry recognised qualifications. These apprenticeships are designed to help employers develop their workforce. The programs are structured to provide valuable work experience from day one, leading to the acquisition of accredited qualifications recognised by industry. The qualifications undertaken within the MA are SVQs. SVQs are work-based qualifications that assess the skills and knowledge people need to perform their job role effectively. The qualifications are designed using national occupational standards and are aligned to the standards body, Skills for Justice.

391. The MA is designed to give the necessary firefighting skills that trainee firefighters need to succeed in the Service. The MA in firefighting is designed to be at Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Level 7. It includes qualifications in core units of an SVQ in emergency fire service at SCQF Level 7 and SVQ emergency fire service: operations in the community at SCQF Level 7. During the apprenticeship, trainees are expected to learn how to:

• take responsibility for effective performance in fire and rescue;

• search for, rescue and support endangered life;

• resolve fire and rescue operational incidents;

• support the development of colleagues in fire and rescue;

• contribute to fire safety solutions to minimise risks; and

• drive fire and rescue service vehicles.

392. Trainees also need to develop core and meta skills in:

• numeracy;

• communication;

• working with others;

• information and communication technology;

• problem solving;

• self-management;

• social intelligence; and

• innovation.

393. Qualifications Scotland is Scotland’s statutory awarding body and applies rigorous external scrutiny to the Service’s processes for evidencing and accessing MA programme funding. To meet these requirements, the Service must maintain qualified assessors, verifiers, and appropriate systems. In recent years, the Service fell below required Qualifications Scotland standards and did not maximise available funding, leading to increased audit activity, tighter scrutiny and enforced changes to its processes.

394. These challenges generated considerable negative feedback in earlier inspections. After graduation, trainees enter a development phase with Red, Amber and Green assessments. Supporting and assessing this phase was resource intensive and some trainees who had completed their plans struggled to be signed off as competent due to a shortage of national SVQ assessors and verifiers. Additional evidence requirements also caused delays, prolonging the time taken to achieve competence and receive the associated salary.

395. The Service reported that it had strengthened its Directorate by recruiting additional sector competent staff, bringing greater credibility and expertise to the MA/SVQ team. This investment has resulted in a stronger assessor and verifier training programme, improved processes and support, better resourcing, and maximised funding streams. Interviews indicated clear improvements in the management of the MA/SVQ process, giving us confidence that it is now on a stable footing.

396. We received evidence that Qualifications Scotland recently carried out a routine assessment of the Service. They confirmed that issues identified since 2023, particularly around knowledge assessment and recording of observations for both assessor and verifiers have been resolved, with appropriate technology now in use. Qualifications Scotland reported high confidence in the Service’s resourcing, candidate support, and assessment and verification processes. This confidence was echoed by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education and Skills Development Scotland who carried out similar assessment, audits and assurance visits.

397. The Service has addressed many of the challenges previously identified, though a minority of trainee firefighters and their watch officers are still experiencing the effects. Nonetheless, we are confident that significant progress has been made and the Directorate deserves credit for these improvements.

Good Practice 12

In previous inspections, and to some extent in this one, the modern apprenticeship and Scottish vocational qualification system received significant criticism. However, the Service has invested in additional resources and capacity, resulting in clear and measurable improvements. The Service and staff involved should be commended for this turnaround.