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Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF)
Electrical Training - September 2010
Introduction ...
You may have heard about changes being proposed for City & Guilds NVQ training and also wondering how this might affect construction trade qualifications, especially if you are thinking of beginning your training with AbleSkills on the City & Guilds Technical Certificate in Electrotechnical Technology (2330).
The changes are not due to come into operation until late in 2010 and will not fundamentally alter the level of knowledge and training requirements, as they are intended to greatly improve learning capability by making the course units easier to understand, more flexible and allow for interchangeable skillsets.
In addition, the new qualifications will also not affect the ability of AbleSkills to take you through a structured course development, in order to train you through the required levels to be fully ready and industry compliant within your chosen occupation.
This applies whether you commence at entry level or if you are in a mid career change ! You will still be able to train through to obtain the necessary qualifications, which can take you from‘domestic-through-to-commercial’ electrical, plumbing, gas installation, tiling or in any of the other associated building trades.
Not all of the changes have been finalised as yet, but rest assured, as AbleSkills is both an approved City & Guilds and APHC Training Centre, we will regularly post the proposed changes on our website, as soon as they are released.
You will be the first to know the latest updates, which will help keep you fully informed of current developments ... so please keep checking back on our site regularly!
The new City & Guilds Electrotechnical qualification, entitled the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) is to be launched in September 2010.
The Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF 2357) is being developed to replace the current NVQs for:
- Technical Certificate in Electrotechnical Technology (2330).
- Electrotechnical Services (2356) qualification.
Current NVQ Electrical Training and Qualifications at AbleSkills ...
Until the changeover, commencing September 2010, the industry recognised City & Guilds entry qualification for electrician training is :
City & Guilds 2330 level 2 (Full time). A 10 week course of intensive training - 50% of which is devoted to practical work - the 2330 Level 2 provides all the necessary foundation knowledge for entrants to undertake electrical work within Domestic, Industrial and Commercial premises. Covers all the basic principles of electrical installation and understanding of Health & Safety requirements and knowledge of the organisation and structure of the electrical industry.
City & Guilds 2330 level 2 (Weekends). To assist all students who may prefer to set aside time at the weekends to train, this course may be undertaken as a weekend option, which allows those in full time work to still have the opportunity to retrain and gain a new skill.
AbleSkills has a long established commitment to assist all students to build their knowledge and skills through set courses in order that they are both correctly trained and qualified to proceed in a fulltime career as an electrician.
Upon completion of the City & Guilds 2330 level 2, the next step is :
City & Guilds 2330 level 3
This is the natural progression from level 2 and is a requirement for moving forward to the next stage to obtain an Electrical NVQ
The electrical NVQ itself is currently :
City & Guilds 2356 level 3. Site based work assessment and portfolio building with support and guidance from Able Skills NVQ Assessors. A requirement for those looking to achieve JIB Gold Card status.
In order to qualify for assessment for City & Guilds 2356 – NVQ level 3, you must hold:
- City & Guilds 2360 Parts 1 & 2 or
- City & Guilds 2351 or
- C & G 2330 level 3
Applicants in this category will be invited for an interview to determine their experience within the Electrical industry and to establish their suitability to achieve NVQ level 3.
All applicants must be employed within the electrical contracting industry to qualify for this NVQ program as on-site assessment is a requirement for the work-based portfolio of evidence. The NVQ cannot be achieved without having gained on-the-job experience, undertaking commercial or industrial work, either in employment or work experience with a qualified electrical installer.
The programme may also be suitable for mature applicants who have relevant Electrical industry experience and are now in need of a recognised qualification.
City & Guilds 2330 Levels 2&3( 2382, 2391, 2377) with Part P. A fast track package course of 6 electrical qualifications recognised by all of the electrical industry Governing bodies. This offers the opportunity to be either employed or self employed as a qualified Electrician in Domestic, Commercial and Industrial premises.
Part P training is required for registration on a Part P scheme, which allows you to self certify the work you have undertaken on particular types of installations within domestic dwellings.
At AbleSkills, we have developed carefully planned electrical training packages which try and cater for everyone regardless of their background, age or experience. This means there are an extensive range of City & Guilds electrical courses for both new and current trainees and experienced electricians who wish to make career progress by developing and adding to their bank of valuable knowledge and skills.
Amongst the many other types of specific courses, examples include :
Absolute Beginners :
AbleSkills 5 day Introduction Course. Provides knowledge and practical skills to undertake an electrical installation within a domestic dwelling.
Practising Electricians :
City & Guilds 2382. A three day electrical training course which provides familiarity with the layout,
content and application of the BS 7671 (2008) 17th Regulations Edition.
Green Energy :
Skills training for the installation of energy efficient forms of heating and lighting are going to be a very necessary and vital part of a trainee student course.
Able Skills - in conjunction with NICEIC, CITB and City & Guilds – are helping to lead the way and have opened an Energy Saving Training Centre to provide the necessary approved training.
Several key green energy courses are available, including important electrical installation skills for the newer technologies:
City & Guilds 2372 Level 3. Certificate in Installing and Testing Photovoltaic (PV) Systems. Invaluable knowledge and practical installation training is available at AbleSkills for qualified practising electricians who wish to learn to install grid connected domestic photovoltaic systems that are either integrated into, or retro fit onto a domestic dwelling.
All electrical course training facilites, workshops and classrooms are self contained in a dedicated new wing at the AbleSkills training centre, enabling each student to train in their own working unit with all the necessary tools and equipment required.
QCF background ...
Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) is the new Government framework for recognising achievement, through the award of credit for units and qualifications.
The Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) will be implemented across England, Wales and Northern
Ireland.
It provides more flexible routes to full qualifications, achievable in smaller steps.
New standardised titles have been introduced which will make vocational qualifications easier to understand.
A new centralised database, due in late 2010, will help to track credit and provide learners with an online record of their achievements.
The existing suite of VRQs will also be migrated to the QCF, including Inspection and Testing (2391), Wiring Regulations (2382) and Portable Appliance Testing (2377).
QCF basics ...
A QCF qualification will be made up of manageable ‘chunks’ of learning.
Credit is awarded on the completion of a unit.
The required qualification credits will have a credit ‘value’ which is a measure of the notional ‘learning time’ and may be used in a set rule of ‘combination’.
Progression is assisted by the accumulation and transfer of ‘credit’.
This allows for more flexible career pathways, with reduced repetition, as learners can build on previously ‘banked’ credit as they move through sizes and levels.
How QCF will work ...
All units in the QCF use the same unit template, consisting of:
- Learning outcomes - what a learner needs to know, understand or do.
- Assessment criteria - which specify if the learner has met the outcomes to a defined level.
A ‘credit value’ and level are assigned to every unit.
The ‘credit value’ is a measure of average time, where one credit = 10 hours of notional learning.
Many units will still include guided learning hours too.
IMPORTANT : Some units will appear in more than one qualification and the credit can be transferred between qualifications, as long as it forms part of the ‘rules of combination’.
Rules of Combination ...
- Rules of combination set out the combination of credit - through units - that must be achieved to complete a qualification.
- The rules list the mandatory and/or optional units to be accumulated, including what can be transferred from other QCF qualifications.
- Credit can come from more than one level, but more than 50% of the credit must be at the level of the qualification. Some qualifications still require 100% at one level.
- Opportunities to count certificated achievements from outside the QCF can be identified in the rules of a QCF qualification as ‘exemptions’, to avoid repetition of learning. Equivalent QCF units can also be identified.
- Non certificated learning and achievement can be assessed and awarded under ‘recognition of prior learning’, previously known as Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).
