The Award and Certificate in Personal and Professional Development
OCNW has been collaborating with our longstanding partners Lancashire Adult Learning (LAL) on a substantial programme of work as part of our response to the Foundation Learning Tier strategy. The result has been a suite of new qualifications that aim to re-engage hard to reach learner in education and progress them into further training or work.
The qualification builds on existing programmes that are already operating with great success in LAL centres like Adult College Lancaster. Programmes, such as Job Quest, have produced excellent results in helping the long term unemployed back into work, as well as helping support participants of drug user rehabilitation programmes.
Programmes of this nature at LAL work on three step system that gradually eases learners back into education in a manageable way that does not overwhelm the individual. This principle has been incorporated into the Awards and Certificates in Personal and Professional Development. The loose structure of the qualifications mean that tutors and learners have the flexibility to put together an à la carte learning programme that is relevant to their specific needs. This is how the three step system works:
Step One
The first, and most important step is to overcome barriers that stand between the learner and education. A notable example of a step one unit is Personal Advancement. This unit has been developed in partnership with PERTEMPS in Birmingham. PERTEMPS is a well known national recruitment agency with a specialised arm focussed on getting the long term unemployed back into work that receives ESF funding. Personal Advancement is based on their programme that uses fun activities, such as sports or crafts, to overcome barriers to progression. The unit has already enjoyed considerable recognition and support from learners as a standalone qualification.
Other units include: Action Planning and Review and Dealing with Problems.
Step Two
Building on step one, the next phase involves developing generic employability and learning skills that are attractive to any employer and learning institution.
Study Skills is an exemplary step two unit. It develops skills in portfolio building and management to help support learners in their studies. It also looks at different sources of information that can be used to find answers to questions and how to meet assessment criteria which will be invaluable knowledge to learners as they progress to Level 2 and beyond.
Other units include: Healthy Living and Managing Social Relationships.
Step Three
The final stage gives the learner an opportunity to sample sector specific skills in a range of sectors.
For this step we have developed a range of taster units for different occupational areas based upon our highly popular Entry Level Entry Level vocational qualifications, The idea is that learner can develop a clear idea of what it would be like to work in a range of sectors, such as care, catering, construction and salon work, before deciding where to focus their further studies.
The specifications for these qualifications are currently in the process of being finalised. Once this has been done they will be made available to download from this website. In the meantime we have made available a sample of the units to download to give you a flavour of the qualification below.
Qualification Codes
|
Level |
Title |
Accreditation Number |
|
Entry 2 |
Award in Personal Development |
500/4138/1 |
|
Entry 3 |
Award in Personal Development |
500/4139/3 |
|
Level 1 |
Award in Personal Development |
500/4141/1 |
|
Entry 3 |
Certificate in Personal and Professional Development |
500/4140/X |
|
Level 1 |
Certificate in Personal and Professional Development |
500/4142/3 |