Why do a vocational qualification?
Why do we think a vocational qualification is for you? Here a just a few good reasons:
- You gain a nationally recognised qualification
- Earn while you learn
- Prove your skills and knowledge and help you perform well in your job
- Gain more credibility in your workplace
- Qualifications mean a better chance of promotion
- You could even earn more when you’re qualified
Apprenticeships provide learners with a mixture of on and off-the-job training while they are being paid, with a diverse choice of career paths in all different sectors of industry and commerce.
Your Employers will benefit as Apprenticeships offer the opportunity to improve their business by having better trained and better motivated staff.
There are two levels of Apprenticeships:
- 'Apprenticeships’, equivalent to GCSE level, incorporate a
National Vocational Qualification to Level 2; Key Skills and in
some cases a Technical Certificate - ‘Advanced Apprenticeships’, equivalent to A-levels, incorporate a
National Vocational Qualification to Level 3, Key Skills and a
Technical Certificate.
Both deliver training which immediately contributes to your professional
skills development and provide nationally recognised qualifications.
Your qualification
You will be studying for an Apprenticeship in your chosen career area. In most cases the Apprenticeship is made up of National Vocational Qualification (NVQ), Key Skills and Technical Certificates.
We can offer the following subject areas:-
Horticulture
The Apprenticeship in Amenity Horticulture will attract anyone who is interested in the construction and maintenance of designed landscapes and who likes working outside. It offers a huge range of opportunities, including branches such as soft and hard landscaping, private gardens, sports turf and golf greenkeeping, cemeteries and graveyard maintenance.
On the Apprenticeship, people will study for NVQ in Amenity horticulture, which includes topics such as ground preparation, establishing and maintaining plants, and using and maintaining equipment. The learner will also cover a range of key skills, including communication and working others, as well as transferable skills such as health and safety.
Business & Administration
This programme will appeal to people seeking training in administration whatever the occupational area. Whether you want to work in an office, with an estate agent, an import/export Company, a computer supplier or any other job that requires some form of administration, then this programme is for you. All you need is a desire to learn, an interest in administration and a talent for organising!
People who follow an Apprenticeship in administration will work towards an NVQ with a range of key skills and a vocationally-relevant award. They will follow a programme of self directed study, covering a broad range of topics, including health and safety, planning and organising work, working in a team, communication skills, and the use of information and computer technology. All qualifications are highly recognised by employers and will enhance prospects of a career in administration.
Customer Service
The Apprenticeship in Customer Service provides training that will develop skills required for a broad range of Customer Service roles. Whether you want to work on the reception desk in a hotel, on the trade counter in a building supplies company, or deal with customers in a leisure centre or hotel, the Apprenticeship is for you - by developing your Customer Service skills you will both improve your opportunities for employment and increase personal and job satisfaction.
On a Customer Service Apprenticeship, people will undertake training in areas such as how to provide reliable customer service, presenting a positive personal image, communication skills, dealing with customers' problems, managing information. The learner will achieve an NVQ in Customer Service, Key Skills and a technical certificate award, enhancing employability and career progression.
Hospitality
Hospitality Apprenticeships offer employees the opportunity to enhance their career through a combination of training and assessment. Employees can choose which career path they would like to follow in hospitality from the following list:-
- Drinks Service
- Food Preparation & Cooking
- Food & Drink Service
- Hospitality Service
- Hospitality Supervision
- Food Service
Team Leading/Management
Managers at all levels need to lead people, inspire better performance and motivate to succeed. This requires them to develop a wide range of leadership skills as they progress through their careers. As generic qualifications, team leading and management can enable individuals to develop career opportunities within any sector or industry and as such the opportunities are limitless.
Team leading and management qualifications coherently bring together the outcomes, behaviours and knowledge required to deliver identified management functions into a tool which can be used by individual managers and their employers.
Eligibility
Apprenticeship programmes are intended for people starting or wanting to progress to the next stage in their career. As a general rule you should not be in full time education and not hold a degree.
You are either employed or effectively employed by the organisation sponsoring the programme and must work for a minimum of 16 hours per week.
NVQ’s
The NVQ part of your learning is specific to your chosen career area.
It is a practical qualification that is achieved largely by what you do on a day to day basis. The NVQ is split into units which relate to specific areas of your job. Some units are mandatory and some optional but all will relate to the industry sector in which you are working.
There are five NVQ levels and you will be working towards the NVQ level which suits you and your job role best. After you have completed your NVQ, why not look at what you might like to achieve next?
Level 1: Basic Industry Skills
Level 2: Enhanced Industry Skills
Level 3: Junior management
Level 4: Middle management
Level 5: Senior management
Key Skills
There are a generic set of skills that are required to do any job well and you will need to complete two of these mandatory units as part of your Apprenticeship. There are also four optional units to be completed depending on the Apprenticeship you are following.
Some of these skills will be tested either at your local A4E Skills centre or online. Either way we will be supporting you prior to taking the tests to ensure that you have the relevant knowledge.
Exemptions and contributions
Your GCSE results can be used to assess your existing knowledge and may exempt you from taking some of the Key Skills tests. Your Learning Assessor will confirm which GCSEs relate to specific Key Skills.
Application of number (mandatory)
This is where you develop and demonstrate your skills in interpreting information involving numbers, carry out calculations, interpret results and present findings.
Communication (mandatory)
The aim of the communication Key Skills is to develop and demonstrate your speaking, listening, reading and writing
skills for different purposes.
Optional Units
You may be required to complete some or all of the following units:
Information and Communication Technology
Working with others Problem Solving
Improve your own learning & performance
Technical Certificates
The Technical Certificate is designed to provide additional broad based knowledge associated with your industry.
All Technical Certificates are specific to the learning you’ll be undertaking and provide an opportunity to test and improve knowledge in your chosen sector.
Please be aware that Technical Certificates are tested either online or at one of your local centres and will require time away from your place of work.
Evidence
Evidence is made up from pieces of work that you complete in
your job role to provide proof of certain skills. These range from simple examples of your work to appraisals from your Manager.
You need to ensure that all evidence is:
- Current – as a general rule not more than 2 years old
- Valid – relevant to your NVQ subject
- Sufficient – more than one example is always preferable
- To help you in collecting evidence we’ve listed some examples:
- Examples of products of materials you have produced
- Records of telephone calls e.g. customer service calls
- Photographs of you doing aspects of your job
- Correspondence e.g. letters, completed forms
- Question and answer sessions with your Learning Assessor
- Customer and answer sessions with your Learning Assessor
- Customer and Manager statements in the form of testimonials
- Appraisal reports
- Previous experience