Gateway Qualifications Level 1 Certificate in Business and Retail

Rules of Combination

Learners must complete the two mandatory units from the Mandatory Group (M), totalling 6 credits. In addition, they must complete a minimum of 10 credits from Group O1 (Optional - Business and Retail) and 9 further credits from either Group O1 or Group O2 (Optional - Employability Skills, English and Maths). At least 15 credits must be at level 1 or above of which at least 4 must be from group O1. Learners cannot include more than one unit with the same or similar title.

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Units

What is the purpose of this qualification?

This qualification provides a range of introductory skills, as well as core knowledge, relevant to business and retail, alongside generic employability skills which are needed both in the business and administration sector and across other sectors.

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What skills, knowledge, or understanding does this qualification develop?

Mandatory units include:

• Working in Business and Retail
• Communication Skills for Work

Optional units include knowledge and skills relevant to different job roles in the business and/or retail sector(s) (such as telephone calls, ICT and self-employment) alongside generic employability skills (such as time-management and solving work-related problems).

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How is this qualification different from other, similar qualifications?

This qualification is part of a suite which includes an Award, Certificate and Diploma. Learners should take the Certificate if they need a broad introduction to the sector, as well as more generic workplace skills, before progressing to employment (with further training where possible), to a level 2 Apprenticeship or to a Level 2 qualification, as illustrated in the target learner profiles provided above.

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Which sector does this qualification support?

This qualification could lead to an entry-level role in business and administration such as administrative assistant, customer service agent, clerk.

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What are the progression options?

Learners can progress to a Level 2 certificate or diploma in Business, including Gateway Qualifications’ Level 2 Certificate and Diploma in Business. Other progression routes include Level 2 qualifications in Office Administration, Customer Service, Medical Administration and Contact Centre Operations.

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Progression & entry requirements

Learners do not need any prior qualifications or a specific level of attainment to take this qualification. It is available to learners of any age, however it is anticipated that it will be of specific relevance to: • Young people interested in a career in the business and/or retail sector(s) who intend, but are not yet ready, to access level 2 qualifications or a level 2 apprenticeship. • Young people and adults, including those who have had a significant break from or disjointed experience of education, who wish to work in the business and administration sector but need a grounding in the subject and an opportunity to develop more general workplace skills, usually over a one year period, before applying for work.

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Funding information

There are now two main sources for funding information, a straightforward ESFA Qualification Search and the more detailed Find a Learning Aim website.

The new Find a learning aim (FALA) service provides a search tool that you can use to check the funding status of any qualification, framework, unit, standard or T Level:

View this qualification on the ESFA’s Find a learning aim website

The Education and Skills Funding Agency search provides funding information on qualifications. It does not provide funding information for units, non-regulated activity and work placements, for this information please use Find a learning aim (FALA).

View this qualification on the ESFA Qualification Funding Search

How to find a learning aim

If you’re not sure how to use the new find a learning aim website, we’ve created a handy walkthrough to help you:

How to Use: Find a learning Aim

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We have done our best to collate and summarise the key information, and wherever possible we alert our providers to changes in funding policy.

This funding information is provided in good faith and it is always advisable to check directly with the funding agencies before committing to delivery.

A free resource pack is available for this qualification.

We have pre-selected some of the most popular units used in short courses for adults and created a resource pack to support online, blended and face-to-face teaching and learning.

Units in this qualification with resources:

• Communication Skills for Work
• Working in Business and Retail
• Conduct at Work
• Introduction to Self-Employment
• Exploring Entrepreneurship
• Health and Safety in the Workplace
• Supporting Business Meetings
• Customer Service Skills
• Numeracy Skills for Work
• Digital Skills for Work

Each pack contains:

• Teacher Delivery Guide – This guide summarises the delivery of the units and helps provide a structured, blended approach to the delivery of the units for face-to-face, remote delivery, or a mixture of both. The teaching and learning activities included can be adapted to meet the diverse needs and profile of learners.
• Learner Pack – This pack includes guidance for learning activities which will help learners to think about what they have been discussing with the teacher and the rest of the group. There are also assessment tasks which can be used as evidence for the qualification. Finally, there are checklists where learners can assess their own skills development and progress and record sheets for activities observed by the teacher.
• Teacher Resource PowerPoint – a ready-to-deliver PowerPoint presentation for each unit, featuring videos and activities for learners, along with comprehensive notes for teaching staff.

These resources are available free of charge to Centres approved with Gateway Qualifications. They can be downloaded from our Prism system and can be found on the “Documents” tab of the relevant qualification.

Watch our short video for step-by-step guidance on how to access them.