Overview

The Sector Subject Area (SSA) classification system is used to classify qualifications into sectors or subject areas. It is owned by Ofqual and used widely across the education and skills system.  

Ofqual and the Department for Education (DfE) have been undertaking a review of this classification system to ensure that it remains fit for purpose for future and emerging skills. 

Ofqual and DfE therefore issued a joint call for evidence earlier in the year to understand how the classification system is used and how far it meets user needs. Ofqual also published a survey for awarding organisations.  

Overall, respondents reported that:  

• the SSAs were broadly fit for purpose, although some SSAs were too broad or not clearly defined  

• the SSA 6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) titles needed updating to better reflect the sector and the qualifications in that SSA 

• awarding organisations sometimes found it challenging to assign qualifications to SSAs

Based on the outcomes of the call for evidence and survey, Ofqual is now launching a formal consultation on proposed amendments to SSA 6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as follows.  

Current SSA Titles 

TIER 1 

SSA 6 – Information and Communication Technology (ICT)​ 

TIER 2 

6.1 - ICT practitioners​ 

6.2 - ICT for users 

Proposed SSA Titles 

TIER 1 

SSA 6 – Digital Technology​ 

TIER 2 

6.1 – Digital technology (practitioners​) 

6.2 – Digital technology (users)​ 

Ofqual’s view is that this should make the title of the SSA more up-to-date and, therefore, a more accurate representation of the qualifications that are currently in this SSA, and the sector that it relates to. 

Why your views matter

The purpose of this consultation is to gather views on the proposed changes to the titles of SSA 6 – Information and Communication Technology and to understand the implications of this change for users of the SSA classification system. 

This consultation is open to anyone who may wish to make representation but may be of most interest to parties with an interest in and who use the SSA classification system, particularly those with an interest in SSA 6 or the digital technology sector. Responses are particularly welcome from: 

• awarding organisations 

• education and training providers 

• employers 

• professional, sector and representative bodies 

• academic and educational professionals  

What happens next

Your response has been submitted - thank you for completing the consultation

This information will now be analysed and the findings will be published on our website.

To get alerted to updates to this and other Ofqual consultations, you can sign up for alerts on our consultation page on GOV.UK.