Gateway Qualifications Level 2 Diploma in Health and Care

Rules of Combination

Learners must achieve 39 credits. They must complete the at least two mandatory units from the Mandatory Group (M), totalling at least 5 credits. In addition, they must complete a minimum of 24 credits from the remaining units in Group M and the units in Group O1 (Optional Units - Health and Care) and 10 further credits from either Group O1 or Group O2 (Optional Units – Employability Skills, English and Maths). At least 25 credits must be at level 2 or above. Learners cannot include more than one unit with the same or similar title.

Units

What is the purpose of this qualification?

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

It is anticipated that this qualification will be of specific relevance to:

• Young people who are aspiring to a career in the health and care sector but are not yet sure in which precise area, and who intend to access level 3 qualifications or a level 3 apprenticeship but need a fairly extensive learning programme at level 2 before they will be ready to access level 3.

• Young people and adults usually with prior attainment at level 1 and below, including those who have had a significant break from or disjointed experience of education, who wish to work in the health and care sector but need a fairly extensive grounding in the subject and an opportunity to develop more general workplace skills over an extended period before identifying the most appropriate job roles and applying for work.

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

This qualification provides a range of introductory skills, as well as core knowledge, relevant to health and care, alongside generic employability skills which are needed both in the health and care sector and across other sectors. Mandatory units include:

• Working in Health and Social Care
• Person-Centred Approaches in Health and Social Care
• Communication in Health and Social Care
• Equality and Inclusion in Health, Social Care or Children’s and Young People’s Settings

Optional units include knowledge and skills relevant to different job roles in the sector (such as disability awareness, first aid, food safety) alongside generic employability skills (such as leadership skills and setting and meeting targets at work).

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, before progressing to employment (with further training where possible), to a level 3 Apprenticeship or to a Level 3 qualification, they need an extended introduction to the sector including the opportunity to build up a range of skills and knowledge, explore a number of potential job roles and career pathways in the sector, and gain a set of more generic workplace skills. The Diploma will be suitable for learners who would benefit from an extended period of time working at level 2, up to 2 years, before they are ready to progress to employment or to a level 3 qualification or apprenticeship.

Which sector does this qualification support?

This qualification could lead to a number of roles in health and social care such as healthcare assistant, community care worker, older people support worker.

What are the progression options?

Learners can progress to a Level 3 certificate or diploma in Health and Social Care in any of the available pathways, including Tech level qualifications, Access to Higher Education Diploma in Health and Social Care or Early Years, or to an advanced Apprenticeship in Health and Social Care in any of the available pathways.

Progression & entry requirements

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

Additional funding information for qualifications eligible for the High value courses for school and college leavers offer

This qualification is included on the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) list of High value courses for school and college leavers: a one-year offer for 18 and 19-year-olds.

This offer provides additional funding for one-year to encourage and support delivery of selected level 2 and 3 qualifications in specific subjects and sectors in response to coronavirus (COVID-19). The ESFA will fund young people aged 18 and 19 for an additional programme of study of high value level 2 and 3 qualifications for up to a year from September 2020 if they cannot find employment or work-based training.

What the offer includes

• a £400 uplift to be paid once per learner to cover the costs of putting on additional courses at short notice, recruiting extra learners, and preparing staffing and facilities
• adjustments to retention payments (16 to 19 funding) and job outcome payments (ESFA AEB) to compensate where learners leave early and take up employment or an apprenticeship
• increased rate to fund 18-year-olds on larger programmes at the rate for 16 and 17-year-olds

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.