Do you have plenty of interest from learners wanting to undertake Access to HE Diplomas but end up turning them away as they are not yet ready to study at Level 3?
The answer is ensuring successful recruitment of adequately prepared Access learner could be in providing a short sharp Pre-Access course to support those learners and get them ready for the challenge of working at Level 3.
The Gateway Qualifications Pre-Access qualifications are designed for learners who have few or no Level 2 qualification and cover the Level 2 learning that prepares them to progress to Access. Named as Preparing for Further Study in… qualifications, they are available in the following subjects:
Health, Social Care and Social Work
Law
Business
Science
Education
Level 2 Diploma:
Health, Social Care and Social Work
Law
Business
Science
Education
These titles offer clear progression routes to our most popular Access to HE Diplomas. However, they are just relevant to learners progressing onto Gateway Qualifications’ Diplomas, the skills picked up on by the learners can be used to progress onto any AVA’s Access to HE Courses.
Studying for these qualifications learners will gain skills in planning, self-management, research, writing up, presenting work, reviewing own work and self-evaluation whilst also providing a firm foundation in terms of knowledge, skills and understanding of their chosen subject.
There is one mandatory unit which is the graded project unit; this graded unit gives learners a taste of grading – something that they will experience in their Access to HE and degree courses. The optional units relate to the specific vocational area and also cover skills such as communication skills and researching their chosen career paths.
Initial assessment should determine the qualification required (Certificate or Diploma) and if on entry, learners have not already achieved Level 2 English and maths (in the form of functional skills or GCSE), it is expected that you would offer relevant teaching and learning in these areas and the opportunity for learners to have their English and maths achievement certified, alongside the Pre-Access qualification.
5 things you need to know about the Pre-Access qualification:
- They’re graded(pass/merit/distinction). There is one graded unit (a sector related project unit) to give learners a taster of grading
- To be delivered alongside Level 2 English and maths, if required by learners
- Suitable for co-teaching if learner numbers are relatively small and breadth of learners’ progression aspirations are wide (we can provide you examples)
- Can be delivered as a full-time summer school programme over the 6 week holiday period (we can show you examples of this too)
- Units can be linked effectively together to ensure that learners are not subject to assessment overload
For a more detailed introduction to Pre-Access qualifications, watch our free webinar, or discover how this suite of qualifications can meet your learners needs by downloading the Pre-Access white paper.
