Nvq 4 Ccld

[Guest DeborahF]

A local trainign provider approached the head at our school offering to deliver the NVQ4 CCLD on site to any staff who wanted to work towards the qualification, at no cost to the school. Sje said that they would be able to complete the qualification within six months.

 

Four members of staff took up the offer and started attending two hour weekly sessions in September. Two months down the line, they feel completely in the dark and don't feel as if they have made any progress at all or achieved anything. Two tutors take it in turns to deliver the sessions and either repeat sessions that the other has done or contradict each other in what they are telling the staff to do. Also, when the course leader came this week she told the head that she needed £75 per candidate "commitment money" after initially telling her that the course was free. This money is non-refundable apparently.

 

Alarm bells are ringing! Firstly, I can't see how a level 4 can be completed in 6 months?!?! Secondly, I feel that "commitment money" should be refundable on completion of the course. It did all seem to be too good to be true when the provider first approached the school, maybe we should have looked into it more thoroughly at the time? It was just that there didn't seem to be anyone else delivering this NVQ in the area and the staff were keen to do it.

 

I'd love to hear people's views on this. Has anyone else been told that this qualification can be completed on this timescale? With just one two hour session for the underpinning knowledge per week and no assessor appointed yet? What do you think we should do? The staff on the course are feeling completely demoralised at the moment and we're not sure whether we should be encouraging them to stick at it or questioning the point of carrying on. Help!!!!

[Guest]

I received a letter this morning from my local EYDCP to say they are going to start to deliver the CCLD 4 this month and it will be delivered by a local training company. It says the cost is £1200 per person but will be covered by the EYDCP if the student completes the programme but is retrievable from the candidate if they pull out. The time scale is 18 months for completion. When I enrolled at a local college for the same course the fee was £560.00 per year .

I think with extreme hard work and help you can do a level 4 in 9-12 months. I do not understand though why the costs are so extreme from one provider to another. When I did my level 3 it was £700.00

[Guest]

Hi Deborah,

I was going to do the Level 4 CCLd but went for the foundation degree instead.

 

The NVQ4 CCLD should take 18mnths - 2yrs and is work based. An assessor comes into assess you on average twice a term. It is a management course and although I am a manager, in the future I want to head in the other direction - teaching, social work, education psychologist etc. So that is why I opted for the foundation degree in childhood and adolescent studies. Also after 2 yrs of the foundation degree you are level 5.

Early years are funding most courses if you work with under 5's. All you have to do is pay the first £75.

 

I hope this explains a bit.

Good luck

 

Net xx

[Guest DeborahF]

So do you think a timescale of 6 months is unrealistic? At their meeting this Wednesday, the staff doing the course were told that they have to be finished by April and yet they haven't been given an assessor and none of them have really got started on any written work because they don't know what to do!

[Guest]

I personally feel that any NVQ programme is 'mis sold'. Basically NVQ is an assessment of what you know and can practice and not what you are currently learning, but hey ho, it has always been delivered like a training course, thus making candidates reliant on tutor leadership.

 

I presume the awarding body is CACHE, give them a call and describe your experience, also I do beleive that every training provider should have a complaints procedure, and although not sure a training agreement with each candidate, which should make clear the terms of conditions of each candidate ( including fees), they should also I would think have to make clear their role as the training and assessing provider. Contact the head of the local training provider and ask to see these documents, even if they say you have had them then let them know that they are obviously not clear, or that your expectations have not been met, and therefore want written assurance of how the training provider is going to timetable assessments, verification, etc, and ask how they monitor the effectiveness of their tutors as you feel they are not meeting the candidates needs in terms of consistent and relevant delivery of the course requirements to enable the candidates to complete in the required time.

 

good luck.

 

Peggy

[Guest DeborahF]

Thanks Peggy - this training provider is basically a one person outift, just set up on her own it seems after leaving the local college where she was a tutor. You're right, we need to list all our questions and concerns and set up a meeting ASAP before the staff become too demoralised.

[Guest]

I have just started the level 4 course. We have been told that it should realistically take around 18 months to complete.

 

I thought about going with the Foundation Degree and will most probably go for this at a later date, if I don't feel too old and knackered by the end of this course

 

6 months to complete the level4 does sound unrealistic though, and without an assessor!

[Guest]

I have just started my NVQ4 it is going to take 18 months we meet every two weeks for 3 hours and it cost £140 with £100 being refunded on completion of the course. So far I have been to two meetings and am already on my second assignment. 6 months sounds way too fast and it sounds as if there is no support for your staff what-so-ever, not good. Set up a meeting asap and find out what is going on!

[Guest DeborahF]

Thanks for all your advice - that meeting is on my "Jobs" list for tomorrow!!!