UNDERSTANDING QUALIFICATIONS
Education providers offer a range of qualifications and courses. It can be confusing to understand the titles and levels and what they mean. Don’t spend time worrying; ask the professionals – contact one of our partners, and we can help identify what you need.
Costs and funding support can also be confusing. Sometimes we may have access to short-term funding, or we may need to charge a fee. Again, ask us about the programmes and we can let you know if there is a cost and options for payment. For example, an apprenticeship is free to a learner, but an employer may need to pay the full cost, or if you are a small business, only 5%, depending on circumstances.
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IFATE) works with employers and education providers to approve qualifications and map them against occupations – job roles – that describe the knowledge, skills, and behaviours that the occupation is recognised to need. Their website provides the details of occupations identified and the qualifications, including apprenticeships, mapped to date against them.
Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs)
HTQs are new/revised level 4 and 5 qualifications, including Foundation Degrees, Higher National Certificates and Higher National Diplomas. They are an option for young people progressing to higher education before starting their career and for adults looking to upskill, progress or retrain. HTQs have been approved against occupational standards (job roles) developed by employers. This ensures that learners gain the skills and behaviours that employers want, as well as the knowledge. The qualifications are usually between 1 and 2 years full-time, or providers may offer part-time, distance learning, online and other options.
Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE)
IfATE was created in 2017 as an arm’s length body of the Department for Education (DfE). Thousands of employers’ work with them to create and maintain over 600 occupational standards – recognised job roles. These sit at the heart of the English skills system. By working with IfATE, employers can help shape apprenticeships, T Levels and higher technical qualifications. This helps to keep them up-to-date and relevant. One way to see the skills system as a whole is to visit their occupational maps, which show how everything fits together. The website includes:
Our Employer and Education and Training Partners
