Training update
A quick look at a selection of what the City & Guilds Group has been developing
Financial services
Money for sale
The financial services sector is of vital importance to the UK economy, having seen rapid growth over the past five years. Deregulation has allowed financial service institutions to offer a far wider range of products than before. Most banks, for instance, now offer insurance and mortgages, as well as their previous staple of current and savings accounts. With new entrants such as supermarkets offering life insurance and savings accounts, there is fierce competition between financial organisations, creating a strong need for competent frontline and back office staff.
City & Guilds now offers new NVQs in Retail Financial Services at levels 2 and 3, based on standards developed by the Financial Services Sector Skills Council to support the development of a competent workforce in this sector. Learners are likely to be working in areas such as general insurance, life insurance, banking and building societies, financial advice and investment administration. They will develop skills around self-development, planning and organising work, developing working relationships and compliance.
What they say
City & Guilds Senior Manager Cathy O’Shaughnessy says: ‘The flexible structure of these qualifications enables learners to have a specific technical job focus while retaining flexibility of choice to reflect the wide range of careers within the financial services sector.’
Find out more information about our new NVQs in Retail Financial Services
Dog groomers
Dogged determination
Canine fashion has overcome its image of snobbish excess to be reborn as a popular means of expressing concern and affection for companion animals. NPTC has worked in conjunction with the Pet Care Trust to produce the NPTC Level 2 Intermediate Certificate in Dog Grooming (7750-02) and the Advanced Certificate in Dog Grooming (7750-03), both of which were accredited last year. The level 2 certificate has proved very popular and has been added to the portfolio of qualifications offered by colleges and training providers.
The opportunity for learners to gain useful practical skills that they can immediately use is great news. There is a huge demand for dog grooming skills as a discerning public increasingly demand that their pooches be in pristine condition. For those interested in a career in dog grooming there is then an opportunity to progress on to the level 3 qualification that includes styling and requires more practical experience.
What they say
Meriel France from the Education Department at the Pet Care Trust is excited about the opportunities becoming available to those in animal care careers. ‘It is essential that standards are raised in the grooming industry,’ she says. ‘These qualifications provide an excellent basis for gaining technical knowledge and practical experience to make dog grooming a real career opportunity.’
For more information, contact chris.flavell@nptc.org.uk
Skills for working life
Growing engagement
Two new qualifications were launched by NPTC on 1 September. NPTC Entry Level Certificates in Skills for Working Life, Entry 2 and Entry 3, are a dynamic and practical way of engaging learners across a whole spectrum of needs. The qualifications give learners the opportunity to gain basic skills from a wide choice of vocational areas, from horticulture and woodwork through to floristry and retail.
The assessments are based on the practical performance of tasks, and a portfolio of evidence compiled to support their knowledge. The qualifications sit well alongside the NPTC Entry Level Certificate in Life Skills, a new version of which came out in October 2007. This includes more units such as IT, digital cameras and mobile phones. Many centres remark on how well learners respond to the stimulus of working with plants or animals, and how this motivates their learning in other areas.
What they say
Joe Jarvis, Senior Technical Officer at NPTC, is pleased at the moves to bridge the gap between academic and vocational environments: ‘Our entry level qualifications have proved invaluable to many centres over the years, providing a vocational focus for learners who may otherwise struggle in an academic environment. The revisions we have made bring them bang up to date with additional units and more user friendly information.’
For more information, contact susie.brennan@nptc.org.uk
Teachers
Transforming the profession
From September 2007, all new teachers in the learning and skills sector (including those in further education, adult and community learning, work-based learning, and offender education) in England will be required to take qualifications that form part of the Qualified Teacher – Learning and Skills (QTLS) framework. Teachers in a full teaching role will have five years in which to meet the requirements. In addition, those with current teaching qualifications will be required to work towards QTLS status, on the understanding that their qualifications will be recognised, but that they must evidence continuing professional development.
Three main qualifications will be available for two teaching roles (full teacher and associate teacher). An associate teacher carries out fewer responsibilities than someone in a full teaching role. Someone in a full teacher role has an extensive range of knowledge, understanding and application of curriculum development.
These qualifications are the result of a DfES initiative to transform teacher training and continuing professional development in the whole English learning and skills sector.
What they say
‘We are delighted that our new qualifications will be at the heart of the important Government initiative to professionalise the adult teaching workforce,’ said City & Guilds’ Tony Forster, Senior Manager, Community and Society.
Find out more about the QTLS framework
Electricians
Powerful standard
Electricians have never been in so much demand. In the UK there is currently an estimated shortage of 36,900 trained and qualified electricians. It is a big problem, forecast to get worse over the next 20 years. For individual contractors and one-man businesses the shortfall is good news. The work will continue and the opportunities to make money are out there. For small, medium and large businesses, however, the skills shortage means it’s becoming difficult to find staff qualified for the job.
For years, employers in the electrical industry have pulled the purse strings on training in fear that once qualified, staff will move on. However, investment in skills means greater profitability. City & Guilds offers Levels 2 and 3 Certificates in Electrotechnical Technology (2330). Level 2 is the starting point for someone with no experience. Learners will be taught about crucial aspects of working, such as health and safety, and will then be able to choose optional units which cover the basics of the area in which they wish to work. The level 3 award will take their knowledge on to the next level.
What they say
‘The Level 3 Electrotechnical Services NVQ is the standard that the industry recognises as being needed to practise as an electrician,’ says Oliver Taylor, Business Support Manager for the qualifications. ‘As such, they are the standard every electrician should aim to achieve.’
Find out more about Level 2 and 3 Certificate in Electrotechnical Technology