The Qualifications Assessment (QA) Service

The HKCAAVQ provides a qualifications assessment (QA) service for the general public, organisations, and government bureaux/departments by offering a professional opinion on whether the totality of the educational qualification(s) (i.e. the integrated learning outcomes of the highest and terminal educational qualification(s)) of an individual meets the standard of a particular level of qualification in Hong Kong.

Since 2005, the HKCAAVQ has also been engaged by the Education Bureau to provide QA services for prospective teachers who hold qualifications from outside Hong Kong and wish to apply for teacher registration in Hong Kong.

The QA Principles

• The assessment is conducted on an individual basis to assess a person’s educational attainments in totality by comparing the learning outcomes achieved through their learning path against a particular level of qualification in Hong Kong.
• The assessment is not an accreditation of an institution or a programme, and the result relates only to the individual applicant being assessed.
• The assessment does not consider membership of professional/licensing bodies, work experience or incomplete qualifications. 
• In cases where  credits attained from the studies of  academic course(s) were accepted by respective institutions for exemption/advanced standing/credit transfer in the highest and terminal qualification(s), these credits will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  

The QA Policy and Criteria

The QA is guided by the HKCAAVQ’s outcome-based assessment policy and guidelines which are developed and maintained with reference to international QA practices and developments.

The factors to be considered in the assessment include but are not limited to:

• the accreditation/recognition status of the awarding institution(s) at the time when the applicant was admitted to the educational programme(s);
• the accreditation/recognition status of the educational programme(s) leading to the qualification(s) being assessed at the time the applicant was admitted to the educational programme(s);
• the entry requirements, exemption/advanced standing practice, curriculum, assessment and graduation requirements of the educational programme(s);
• the accreditation/recognition status/details of credits relating to the qualification(s) under assessment which has/have a bearing on the learning outcome of the qualification;
• the location of study of the educational programme(s) leading to credits relating to the qualification(s) being assessed;
• the accreditation status of the operator when the programme leading to the qualification being assessed is offered outside the place where the awarding institution operates;
• the education regulatory framework in the place where the qualification being assessed is offered.
• the Hong Kong education system and the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (HKQF).     

All applicants should note that if their Bachelor degree qualifications do not have “Honours” in the award titles, they will not under normal circumstances be assessed as comparable to the Bachelor Honours Degree qualification in Hong Kong.

Supporting Documentary Evidence Required for the Assessment

In general, the requisite supporting evidence includes but is not limited to:

• the graduation certificate(s) / diplomas of the educational qualification(s);
• the full transcript(s) (final versions) of the qualification(s);
• the written evidence of any transferred credits from the relevant institution(s); and
• the brochure/pamphlet of the programme(s) leading to the qualification(s) under assessment, if available.
• for applicants who need the Report for Qualifications Assessment for the purpose of teacher registration or teacher appointment, the following additional evidence will be needed:
  

  (i)	documentary proof of the supervised teaching practice/practicum issued by the qualification awarding body indicating the number of hours/weeks and the setting(s) where the teaching practice/practicum was/were held;
  (ii)	the certificate and transcript for the teacher training qualification(s) and Bachelor Degrees/Postgraduate Diplomas (if any).

• for applicants who wish the HKCAAVQ to compare their pre-primary teacher training qualification(s) with the local pre-primary teacher training qualifications, the following additional evidence will be needed:
  

  (i)	the certificate and transcript of the teacher training qualification(s);
  (ii)	proof of the supervised teaching practice/practicum issued by the qualification awarding body including the number of hours/weeks and the setting(s) where the teaching practice/practicum was/were held;
  (iii)	the syllabus and the synopsis of the content of each subject/module of the teacher training programme and the course hours of each subject/module issued by the granting body/bodies.

Please also refer to Paragraphs 8 to 13 in the Guidance Notes for Application.

The QA Outcome

‧	Steps to Qualifications Assessment

A. Notices to the Applicants

B. Application Form for Qualifications Assessment

‧	Application Form for Qualifications Assessment (Revised on 1/4/2011)
‧	Guidance Notes for Applications