Dennis Gunning’s unexpected move to director of the new Victorian Qualifications Authority in Melbourne shows there is still life for senior SQA managers after the problems of certification last summer.

Dr Gunning, a key force behind Higher Still, was not directly involved in the detailed issuing of certificates and survived the directorial purges of last summer. But his departure will provide a further opportunity to open up the senior management team.

He has worked on qualifications at national level, first with the Scottish Vocational Education Council and the the SQA, for 14 years and remains an influential figure in assessment planning.

Dr Gunning said: “I will take up the new post as director in September and having previously provided consultancy services to the Australian National Training Authority, I have some knowledge of the system and the people who work in it.

“It will still, though, be a wrench leaving here. It is a good move for me, a new challenge and new environment to work in and will create space for building a new senior team here.”

The Victorian post is based within the state’s education department and was advertised internationally. The departmental minister visited the SQA last summer.