What is the purpose of this qualification?
This qualification is for learners, young people and adults, who would benefit from exploring different possible career options, while building up a set of employability skills useful across sectors, usually prior to progressing to more specialised vocational learning in a specific sector at Level 1. It is likely to be of particular relevance to:
• young people leaving school or returning to education following a period of being NEET, without clear career aspirations or unable to make up their minds between different options, often due to a lack of knowledge about them, and who are in need of an extended programme to prepare them for learning at the next level
• learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities with aspirations for employment but without a clear understanding of the world of work or the different sorts of job roles that may be open to them in the future
• adults who have been long-term unemployed, who need to identify sectors and job roles within them
What skills, knowledge, or understanding does this qualification develop?
This qualification includes units covering introductory knowledge and skills from a range of different sectors (eg health and social care; hospitality and catering, hair and beauty, construction) alongside more generic employability skills (eg team work, time management, problem-solving). There are no mandatory units, enabling learners to combine units in areas of potential interest to them. Learners must, however, include units from two or three different sectors and at least 18 of the 25 credits required for the qualification must be derived from sector-specific (rather than generic employability) units.
How is this qualification different from other, similar qualifications?
The qualification is part of a suite which includes a Certificate, an Extended Certificate and a Diploma. Learners should take the Extended Certificate if they need a programme of a reasonable size that will help them choose between two or three different sectors, increases their understanding of the world of work in general, and enables them to gain some of the basic knowledge and skills that will support their progression to sector-specific learning at Level 1.
Which sector does this qualification support?
The qualification is not intended to lead directly to employment, although some learners may progress to entry-level jobs or supported employment opportunities in their chosen sector.
What are the progression options?
The primary purpose of this qualification is to enable learners to identify a sector in which they would like to work and to gain the knowledge and skills to support their progression through further learning to employment in that sector. The qualification supports progression to level 1 vocational learning in any of the sectors included within the qualification, eg a Level 1 Extended Certificate in Retail.
Progression & entry requirements
There are no age restrictions for this qualification and no specific requirements for prior learning or attainment.
