Open College Network West Midlands Qualifications in ... › documents › Guides › IAGGuide.pdf · Assessment within the Open College Network West Midlands Qualifications in Information,

Open College Network West Midlands Qualifications in

Information, Advice and GuidanceQ u a l i f i ca t i o n G u i d e

‘Passionate about enabling learning and releasing the potential of people and their communities’

Open College Network West Midlands is a national Awarding Organisation, regulated by Ofqual and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), to develop and award nationally recognised qualifications. We work in partnership with employers, training providers, colleges, universities, schools and voluntary and community organisations to offer vocational credit-based qualifications, Access to Higher Education Diplomas and quality assured Customised Accreditation to help learners gain employment or to progress into further learning and Higher Education.

Why choose us?

Outstanding personalised customer service and support

Proven expertise in developing vocational qualifications and creditbased learning

Responsive and flexible qualification development service

Diverse range of qualifications

National accreditation, local service

Quality assurance, enhancement and improvement services

Competitive and transparent pricing

Charitable organisation with ethical and sustainable business practices

www.opencollnet.org.uk

http://www.opencollnet.org.uk/

Contents

1. Qualifications in this suite 1

2. About the qualifications 1

3. Who the qualifications are for 5

4. Achieving the qualifications 6

5. The units 7

6. Assessment 17

7. Offering the qualifications 18

Open College Network West Midlands Qualifications in Information, Advice and Guidance

1.Qualifications in this suite

lOpen College Network West Midlands Level 1 Award in Principles of Information, Advice and Guidance - 600/9758/9

lOpen College Network West Midlands Level 2 Award in Delivering Information, Advice or Guidance - 601/0360/7

lOpen College Network West Midlands Level 2 Certificate in Delivering Information, Advice or Guidance - 601/0361/9

lOpen College Network West Midlands Level 3 Award in Delivering Information, Advice or Guidance - 601/0362/0

2. About the qualifications

The Open College Network West Midlands Level 1 Award in Principles of Information, Advice and Guidance provides an introduction to work in the information, advice and guidance (IAG) sector. Learners will develop effective practice in this area of work by identifying the role and boundaries of the IAG worker. On completion of this qualification the learner will be able to identify the IAG needs of IAG clients and provide assistance in signposting individuals to other agencies for further support.

The Open College Network West Midlands Level 2 and Level 3 Awards in Delivering Information, Advice or Guidance underpin the knowledge and skills of practitioners who already deliver IAG. The qualifications enable learners to receive acknowledgement for their learning and provide a firm foundation for progressing onto the Level 2 Certificate.

The Open College Network West Midlands Level 2 Certificate in Delivering Information, Advice or Guidance recognise and underpin the knowledge of practitioners who already deliver IAG. Individuals are able to specialise in their own field by choosing from optional units in a range of areas including benefits advice, debt advice, employment advice, housing advice, working with groups and operating within networks.

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Objectives of the qualifications

These qualifications can be used flexibly to meet learner needs. Depending on the context of the learning and the needs of each individual learner, the

Level 1 qualification can:

lprepare learners to progress to a qualification in the same subject area but at a higher level or requiring more specific knowledge, skills and understanding;

lprepare learners for employment;

lsupport a role in the workplace;

lencourage engagement in learning.

Level 2 qualifications can:

lprepare learners to progress to a qualification in the same subject area but at a higher level or requiring more specific knowledge, skills and understanding;

lprepare for employment in a broad occupational area;

lprepare for employment in a specific occupational area.

Level 3 qualifications can:

ldevelop knowledge and/or skills in order to gain recognition at a higher level or any different role;

ldevelop knowledge and/or skills relevant to a particular specialisation within an occupation or set of occupations;

lupdate knowledge and/or skills relating to legal, technical, process or best practice changes/requirements;

ldevelop knowledge and/or skills in order to gain recognition at a higher level or any different role;

ldevelop knowledge and/or skills relevant to a particular specialisation within an occupation or set of occupations.

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The qualifications are designed to enable learners to:

ldevelop effective practice in the area of IAG;

lunderstand the role and boundaries of the IAG worker;

lenhance existing practice in the area of IAG;

lidentify the IAG needs of clients accessing IAG services;

lbroaden knowledge in own area of IAG;

lbe able to signpost clients onto relevant services.

It is a requirement that assessment of these qualifications is conducted in English.

The Open College Network West Midlands Level 1 Award in Principles of Information, Advice and Guidance and the Open College Network West Midlands Level 2 Award and Certificate and Level 3 Award in Delivering Information, Advice or Guidance qualifications are accredited by Ofqual.

Guided Learning Hours (GLH)

Guided Learning Hours are defined as the number of hours of supervised or directed study time required for a unit or a qualification. Some learners will be able to achieve units and qualifications in a shorter time than indicated. Others, for example those with additional support requirements, may need longer.

The guided learning hours and total qualification time for these qualifications are:

Level 1 AwardGLH Minimum 54GLH Maximum 54TQT - 58 hours

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Total Qualification Time (TQT) Total qualification time is defined as the number of guided learning hours (GLH) plus the expected time taken by the learner for private study and/or work experience.

Level 2 AwardGLH Minimum 54GLH Maximum 54TQT - 58 hours

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Progression opportunities

The Open College Network West Midlands Level 1 Award in Principles of Information, Advice and Guidance qualification enables progression onto employment and further learning opportunities within employment, such as the:

lOpen College Network West Midlands Level 2 Certificate in Delivering Information, Advice

or Guidance

lOpen College Network West Midlands Level 3 Award in Delivering Information, Advice

or Guidance

The Open College Network West Midlands Level 2 Award and Certificate in Delivering Information, Advice or Guidance qualification enables progression onto employment and further learning opportunities within employment, such as the:

lOpen College Network West Midlands Level 3 Award in Delivering Information, Advice or Guidance

The Open College Network West Midlands Level 3 Award in Delivering Information, Advice or Guidance qualification enables progression onto employment and further learning opportunities within employment, such as:

lLevel 4 NVQ in Information Advice or Guidance

lDegree level courses in Advice Work

lOther areas of study related to Information Advice and Guidance such as counselling.


lOpen College Network West Midlands Level 2 Award in Delivering Information, Advice

or Guidance

Level 2 Certificate GLH Minimum 114 GLH Maximum 120TQT - 145 hours

Level 3 AwardGLH Minimum 63 GLH Maximum 63TQT - 86 hours

3. Who the qualifications are for

The Open College Network West Midlands Level 1 Award in Principles of Information, Advice and Guidance qualification is designed for learners who are starting to work in the area of Information, Advice and Guidance work, either as a paid worker or volunteer.

The Open College Network West Midlands Level 2 Award and Certificate and Level 3 Award in Delivering Information Advice or Guidance are particularly suitable for learners who already deliver Information, Advice or Guidance. The qualifications enable learners to make informed choices and develop further skills in the areas of advice work.


Entry requirements

The minimum age for access to the Open College Network West Midlands Level 1 Award in Principles of Information, Advice and Guidance qualification is 16 years.

The minimum age for access to the Open College Network West Midlands Level 2 Award and Certificate is 16 years.

However, due to the complex nature of advice work, Centres need to satisfy themselves, that learners have a level of maturity and experience to be able to work in this field.

Learners with particular requirements

Assessment within the Open College Network West Midlands Qualifications in Information, Advice and Guidance are designed to be accessible and inclusive. The assessment methodology is appropriate and rigorous for individuals or groups of learners.

If you have learners with particular requirements you should refer to the Reasonable Adjustments and Special Considerations Policy, available from Open College Network West Midlands. This gives clear guidance on the reasonable adjustments and arrangements that can be made to take account of disability or learning difficulty without compromising the achievement of the assessment criteria.

The minimum age for access to the Open College Network West Midlands Level 3 Award is 19 years. This is due to the complex nature of advice work and the level of competence required from the learner. There are no further entry requirements.

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4. Achieving the qualifications

Rules of combination

Centres are responsible for ensuring that courses are designed so that learners are able to achieve the qualification for which they are aiming. Courses must allow for a sufficient number of credits to be achieved, and must meet the specific rules of combination that apply to each qualification.

To be awarded the Open College Network West Midlands Level 1 Award in Principles of Information, Advice and Guidance, The learner must achieve all 6 credits from the Mandatory Group.

To be awarded the Open College Network West Midlands Level 2 Award in Delivering Information, Advice or Guidance, the learner must all 6 credits from the Mandatory Group.

To be awarded the Open College Network West Midlands Level 2 Certificate in Delivering Information, Advice or Guidance, the learner must achieve 15 credits. All 6 credits from the Mandatory Unit Group A and a minimum of 9 credits from the Optional Group B. A maximum of 6 credits can be taken at Level 3.

To be awarded the Open College Network West Midlands Level 3 Award in Delivering Information, Advice or Guidance, the learner must achieve all 9 credits in the Mandatory Group.

Unit achievement

All of the assessment criteria in a unit must be met before the unit is deemed to be achieved. The unit achievement is not graded: units are either achieved or not achieved.

Recording achievement

You must record each learner’s performance in each unit on an appropriate form or forms. The form/s should record the learner’s performance against the unit assessment criteria evidenced by the task.


5. The units

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Title Level Credit GLH Unit codeUnit reference

number

1 3 27 HB7/1/NQ/004 J/502/7980

Introduction to Skills-Delivering

Information, Advice or Guidance

1 3 27 HB7/1/NQ/005 L/502/7981

Introduction to Underpinning Principles of Information,

Advice or Guidance


number

2 3 24 PS3/2/NQ/006 D/502/7984

Information, Advice or

Guidance in Practice

2 3 24 PS3/2/NQ/004 Y/502/7983

Developing Interaction Skills for Information,

Advice or Guidance

Level 1 Award

Level 2 Award


http://www.opencollnet.org.uk/documents/Units/HB71NQ004.pdf

http://www.opencollnet.org.uk/documents/Units/HB71NQ005.pdf

http://www.opencollnet.org.uk/documents/Units/PS32NQ006.pdf


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Title Level Credit GLH Unit code Unit reference number

2 3 24 PS3/2/NQ/003 R/502/7982 Benefits Advice Work-Practice

2 3 24 PS3/2/NQ/005 T/502/7991

Information, Advice or Guidance-

Context

3 3 21 PS3/3/NQ/011 L/502/7995


Guidance Work with Groups

2 1 8 PS3/2/NQ/007 K/502/7664

Introduction to Information,

Advice or Guidance in Schools and

Colleges-Policy

Level 2 Certificate

Madatory Group A

Optional Group B

Title Level Credit GLH Unit code Unit reference number

2 3 24 PS3/2/NQ/006 D/502/7984


Guidance in Practice

2 3 24 PS3/2/NQ/004 Y/502/7983

Developing Interaction Skills for Information,

Advice or Guidance








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number

Introduction toInformation,

Advice or 2 1 8 PS3/2/NQ/008 Y/502/7546Guidance in

Schools and Colleges-Practice

Introduction to

2 1 8 PS3/2/NQ/009 R/502/7545


Guidance in Schools and

Colleges-Principles

Managing 2 3 24 PS3/2/NQ/010 A/502/7989Information

Operating within

3 3 21 PS3/3/NQ/014 H/502/7999 Networks to

Support Information,

Advice or Guidance

2 3 24 PS3/2/NQ/011 F/502/7668

Signposting and Referal-Information,

Advice or Guidance

2 3 24 PS3/2/NQ/012 M/502/7990 Skills for Advice Providers








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number

2 1 8 PS3/2/NQ/013 A/502/7541 Specialist Advice Work in Practice-

Debt

2 1 8 PS3/2/NQ/014 F/502/7542 Specialist Advice Work in Practice-

Employment

2 1 8 PS3/2/NQ/015 J/502/7543Specialist Advice Work in Practice-

Housing

2 1 8 PS3/2/NQ/016 L/502/7544

Specialist Advice Work in Practice-

Refugee, Immigrant or

Asylum Seeker


number

3 6 42 PS3/3/NQ/004 J/502/7994

Applying Interaction Skills for Information,

Advice or Guidance

3 3 21 PS3/3/NQ/010 A/502/8950

Information, Advice or Guidance-

Principles and Practice

Level 3 Award








Level descriptors

The level of the units within these qualifications has been determined with reference to the QCF level

descriptors.

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Level 1

Level Knowledge Descriptor (the holder…) Skills Descriptor (the holder can…)

Level 1 Has basic factual knowledge of a subject and/or knowledge of facts, procedures and ideas to complete well-defined routine tasks and address simple problems; and Is aware of aspects of information relevant to the area of study or work.

Use basic cognitive and practical skills to complete well-defined routine tasks. Select and use relevant information. Identify whether actions have been effective.

Level 2


Level 2 Has knowledge and understanding of facts, procedures and ideas in an area of study or field of work to complete well-defined tasks and address straight-forward problems. Can interpret relevant information and ideas. Is aware of a range of information that is relevant to the area of study or work.

Select and use relevant cognitive and practical skills to complete well-defined, generally routine tasks and address straightforward problems. Identify, gather and use relevant information to inform actions. Identify how effective actions have been.

Level 3


Level 3 Has factual, procedural and theoretical knowledge and understanding of a subject or field of work to complete tasks that while well-defined, may be complex and non-routine. Can interpret and evaluate relevant information and ideas. Is aware of the nature of the area of study or work. Is aware of different perspectives or approaches within the area of study or work.

Identify, select and use appropriate cognitive and practical skills, methods and procedures to address problems that while well-defined, may be complex and non-routine. Use appropriate investigation to inform actions. Review how effective methods and actions have been.

Extracted from ‘Regulatory arrangements for the Qualifications and Credit Framework’, Appendix E, Ofqual, 2008



6. Assessment

The qualifications require achievement of the specified units with some extra requirements for additional/summative assessment. Achievement is therefore determined by successful completion of unit assessment. The assessment process is as follows:

Assessment methods

When delivering Open College Network West Midlands units and qualifications, Centres may choose from a range of assessment methods. It is important that the most effective and appropriate methods are selected. We therefore strongly advise that all those involved in assessment and internal quality assurance of these qualifications refer to the Open College Network West Midlands Centre Handbook and our Assessment Methods publication. These provide guidance on the range of assessment methods available and the types of evidence appropriate for each. These publications are available on our website, www.opencollnet.org.uk.

It is important when devising assessments to differentiate between the assessment method (what the learner is asked to do) and the evidence (what the learner produces).

When designing any assessment method, tutors or assessors will need to consider the presentation of the assessment task to the learner to make it fair and accessible. Tutors or assessors may also need to consider arrangements for learners with particular learning difficulties and will need to be aware of Open College Network West Midlands’ policy on reasonable adjustments.

All proposed assessment tasks must be checked and confirmed as appropriate, fair, valid and reliable by an appropriately qualified and experienced Internal Quality Assurer (IQA) before being issued to learners.

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Assessments are internally set and approved at the Centre by assessors, against therequirements detailed in the assessment criteria of the unit.

The learners are assessed internally at the Centre, using the assessments set.

The resulting portfolios of assessed evidence are internally quality assured by an InternalQuality Assurer (IQA) at the Centre.

The portfolios of assessed evidence are quality assured either by an Open College NetworkWest Midlands Quality Adviser (QA) or, for Centres with Direct Claims Status, an InternalQuality Assurer (IQA) approved by Open College Network West Midlands.


http://www.opencollnet.org.uk

7. Offering the qualifications

Centres wishing to deliver these qualifications will need to demonstrate the ability to deliver them including adherence to quality assurance and assessment regulations. Open College Network West Midlands will provide guidance and give support in enabling you to use the qualifications.

All procedures for the use of these qualifications or units of these qualifications, including approval, registration of learners, verification and certification will be completed through Open College Network West Midlands, who will have an identified officer to support your Centre. If you have any queries or difficulties at any time you should contact the Open College Network West Midlands office.

Approval to offer the qualifications

If you are an Open College Network West Midlands Recognised Centre and you wish to add these qualifications to your curriculum offer please complete and submit an ‘Open College Network West Midlands New Course Notification Form’. This is available to download from our website. The form should be forwarded to Open College Network West Midlands for approval.If you are not an Open College Network West Midlands Recognised Centre and you wish to offer the qualifications, please consider applying for Centre Recognition with us. To start the application process email [email protected] or telephone 01902 624 239.

For more information visit ‘Becoming a Centre’ on our website.

Standardisation

Standardisation is a process that promotes consistency in the understanding and application of standards.

Standardisation:

lestablishes statements on the standard of evidence required to meet the assessment criteria for the units in Open College Network West Midlands qualifications;

lmakes recommendations on assessment practice;

lproduces advice and guidance for the assessment of units;

lidentifies good practice in assessment.

It is a requirement of the Centre Recognition Process that each Centre offering units from Open College Network West Midlands qualifications must contribute assessment materials and learners’ evidence for standardisation if requested.

Open College Network West Midlands will notify Centres of the required sample for standardisation purposes. Assessment materials, learners’ evidence and tutor feedback will be sent to Open College Network West Midlands by Centres.

Outcomes from standardisation will be available to Centres through Open College Network West Midlands. 13


Support for Centres

Open College Network West Midlands provides all of our Centres with on-going support and advice on the use of Open College Network West Midlands units and qualifications, including the requirements for assessment.

If Centres approved to offer Open College Network West Midlands units and qualifications have obtained a UKPRN (UK Provider Reference Number) from the UKRLP (UK Register of Learning Providers), this will be used as the Centre Reference Number. If a Centre has not obtained a UKPRN they will be issued with a unique Open College Network West Midlands Centre Number.

Information about obtaining a Unique Learner Number (ULN) on behalf of the learners is included in the Open College Network West Midlands Centre Handbook.

Centre responsibilities

Each Centre should identify a Centre Contact who will be responsible for Open College Network West Midlands provision within the Centre.

The Centre Contact must ensure all procedures relating to the delivery of the qualification operate effectively in the Centre.

The Centre Contact is the person responsible for confirming and ensuring that the Centre meets all the Open College Network West Midlands requirements for Centre Recognition.

The Centre Contact is responsible for ensuring all relevant Open College Network West Midlands documentation is distributed as required within the Centre and that the security requirements for external assessment are adhered to, where applicable.

The information provided in this qualification guide is accurate at the time of publication but is subject to change. Open College Network West Midlands will occasionally update qualification

information, so please refer to the ‘Open College Network West Midlands Qualifications’ page of our website to view any updates, and the latest versions of our qualification guides.

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Qualification NumbersLevel 1 Award: 600/9758/9Level 2 Award: 601/0360/7Level 2 Certificate: 601/0361/9 Level 3 Award: 601/0362/0

v7 jan 2016

Open College Network West Midlands Aldersley House

Overstrand Pendeford Business Park

Wolverhampton WV9 5HA

Tel: (01902) 624230 Fax: (01902) 624231

Email: [email protected] Web: www.opencollnet.org.uk

Office Hours: Monday to Thursday - 9.00am to 5.00 pm

Friday - 9.00 am to 4.00 pm

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Open College Network West Midlands Qualifications in ... › documents › Guides › IAGGuide.pdf · Assessment within the Open College Network West Midlands Qualifications in Information,