The Church Lads’ and Church Girls’ Brigade “ABC” Induction Level 2 in Youth Work Practice

The Need For Training To teach BASIC skill requirements for practical and theory knowledge. To encourage good practice. To create and maintain a SAFE working environment. To meet ALL legal requirements. To provide increased safety, efficiency and reduce costs.

The Need for Assessment Carried out at your company, – Ensures new skills retained – Ensures health and safety rules followed – Ensures company procedures followed – Ensures documentation complete Goes beyond Brigade basic training.

New Qualifications Qualifications and Credit Framework is a new way of recognising achievement. Change began 1 August 2010, all qualifications to change to QCF by 1 January Applies to academic and vocational qualifications Unit-based qualifications, designed to be flexible and recognise individual talents and expertise. Recognises training courses (knowledge) and assessment on-site (skills) in the same qualification. Work at own pace, able to take time out of longer qualifications. Gives vocational qualifications direct equality with the academic world.

QCF Structure Level, 1 to 8, describes the difficulty. Award, Certificate or Diploma, describe the breadth of knowledge and skills. Award 1 to 12 credits Certificate 13 to 36 Credits Diploma 37 plus credits. NVQ remains in some qualification titles, eg Level 2 NVQ Certificate. Do NOT confuse level 2 Certificate with the old Technical Certificate.

What is a Unit of Credit? Each unit has a level which indicates its difficulty. Credit Value indicates how long it takes to achieve the unit. One credit represents 10 hours learning. May include time at work practising new skills, on- the-job training, coaching, mentoring and research via the internet, company policies or reference books. Credit value is based on the amount of time, on average, it takes to complete the unit, assuming no prior knowledge, skills or training.

Creating a Qualification Awards contain between 1 and 12 credits, but may have various numbers of units. Both examples would form an Award. Rules of Combination explain the choice of units which units can be selected to create the qualification. – Different people will select different units, but still achieve the same qualification at the same level. – Total number of credits may differ slightly, but must be in range.

What’s in a Unit Aim – Explains briefly who should be able to achieve the unit with their brigade roles. Learning Outcomes – What you must prove you are able to do. Assessment Criteria – How to prove you have achieved the outcome Credit Value Guided Learning Hours – Average time needed to complete based on no prior experience.

Evidencing a Unit Skills – Observation by assessor. – Photographs, video, audio recordings. – Documents used to do the task – Product of the task – Witness Testimony – Recorded questioning by assessor Knowledge – Short, written questions – Questioning by the assessor. – Discussions between assessor and candidate – Candidate reports – written or spoken. – Externally marked examinations

How the Assessment Process Will Work Personal Completion Plan – Completed with an advisor, identifies best fit units, any extra training needed, dates for assessment and target for completion. Action Plan – Details what is required for the next meeting with your assessor. – Updated at each meeting to prevent duplicating evidence – Lists what the assessor needs to see (observation) – Lists questions to be answered and returned to the assessor – Lists any documents you need to provide Formal Assessments – At your company, assessor will judge the evidence against the standards and let you know what remains to be done.

Recognition of Prior Learning If skills are held, whether through experience gained at work, or evidenced through a unit certificate gained previously, no further training will be required. In this case the qualification will be achieved through assessment of available evidence and brigade company performance. Individuals can claim credit for achievements that have not been previously certificated.

Holistic Assessment Observations made by the assessor in the company often cover the whole qualification. Each piece of evidence is related (cross referenced) to as many units and as many assessment criteria as possible. The number of assessment visits is reduced. – Agreed individually, normally 2 or 3 visits. – Use of computer technology, Skype etc The time taken to complete the qualification is reduced. Experienced workers can expect to complete in around three to four months.

Claiming a Certificate When all assessment criteria have been met, a certificate can be claimed for the unit. Completed units are ‘banked’ until a full qualification has been achieved. Achievements are recorded by the awarding body (ABC) Achievement noted against your ULN on the National Database

Tracking Your Progress Unique Learner Number (ULN) allocated and held on central computer Creates a record of achievement from school onwards throughout life. Includes academic (GCSE to PhD) and vocational qualifications achieved including areas of study not related to youth work. Able to access own Personal Learning Record using the ULN. Awarding bodies update when units achieved.

Moving On Within the same subject area – Move up a level, more challenging, need more responsibility in brigade to reach the next level. – Add more units at the same level, convert an award to a certificate, or certificate to diploma A different subject area – Look for common units that can be credited against your new goal. – Select a level suitable for your brigade progression – Set an achievable target by choosing an award or certificate as the first step.

Assessors Must hold an assessor qualification (D32/D33, A1 or the new QCF award) Must have occupational competence at the same level or above. eg – NVQ or QCF qualification – Experience in the industry Must keep their own skills up to date.

Assessor’s Responsibilities Assess the candidate. – Observe, photograph, collect documents, question. – Interview witnesses where extra supporting evidence is required Advise candidate on best sources of evidence. Support candidate to ensure standards are achieved Agree and update action plans with the candidate to ensure standards are achieved and target dates maintained. Advise on any additional training that may be required and progression paths when the qualification has been completed. Keep personal qualifications up to date

Candidate’s Responsibilities Keep appointments with your assessor Make sure OIC is aware of your meeting in advance Provide any documents the assessor asks for Complete ‘homework’ on time Keep learning log up to date

Learning Log Date Time Spent What I Did What I Learned

OIC’s Responsibilities Allow the assessor access to the candidate – Ensure officers allow assessor time with candidate – Remind officers of assessment dates at regular intervals – Arrange for information the assessor needs, and let them know time requirements. – Let training team know well in advance if there are going to be any problems with assessment dates, eg holidays, illness. Take and interest and assist with documentary evidence. – Programme planning. – Organisation chart – company officers/helpers. – Company profile – Witness statement/interview, if required to corroborate evidence provided through observation or candidate statement.

Quality Assurance Internal Verifiers – Check process is fair, open and honest – Ensure records are accurate and complete – Agree decisions made by assessors Visit companies, observe assessments, meet candidates Check portfolios before claims are made. Internal Verifiers must be qualified – D34 or V1 or latest QCF level 4 qualification – Occupational competence

External Quality Assurance Awarding Body (ABC) – External Verifier, visits twice per year per subject. – Responsible for several centres – Attends moderation meetings at Awarding Body. Skills Funding Agency – Subsidiary of Department for Business, Innovation and Skills – Oversee use of Government funds in adult education and training

Getting Help - Talk to your Assessor or Brigade Training Team Difficulty with reading, writing or spelling? – Assessor can ask questions verbally and record both questions and your answers. – You may ask someone to write down your answers for you. – Write the answer in pencil and your assessor can help with spelling before you write in ink. Final version must be in ink. English not your first language? – We are able to work through an interpreter – Questions asked verbally and recorded.

Policies and Procedures Health and Safety – Refer to Brigade Manual (web-site) Equal Opportunities – No discrimination on grounds of age, gender, beliefs, disabilities (Brigade Manual). Bullying and Harassment – Brigade will not tolerate any form of bullying or harassment. Environmental – Aim to protect the environment, recycle, reduce waste Quality – All Brigade training will lead to constant improvement in youth work. Customer Service – Will ask about your experience. Please return feedback form. – Any comments, complaints, compliments can be directed to brigade headquarters training team – Audrey Simm.

Good Luck From your training team