I am writing an article for Training Zone and would appreciate member's views about various training qualifications.
Many members have commented on Any Answers about CIPD, Atol and TAP qualifications, but what about the various alternatives?
Has anybody had any experience of the following? Are they worthwhile, or a waste of time? Would they help a trainer's employment prospects?
And are there any other worthwhile qualifications not mentioned in this list (apart from CIPD, TAP and Atol)?
It would be great to hear your views.
DEGREES
Doctorate in Education & Training
Masters degree in Education & Training / learning & development
Bachelors degree in Education & Training / learning & development
Foundation Degree in Education & Training / learning & development
EDUCATION CERTIFICATES
HE Certificate in Post-Compulsory Education & Training
Certificate in Education (incorporating Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector)
CITY & GUILDS
City & Guilds 7302 Diploma in Delivering Learning
City & Guilds 7303 / 7304 / 7305 (Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector)
NVQs & BTECs
NVQs in Learning & Development (and Management of L&D)
BTEC Certificates in learning, training, coaching etc
OTHERS
ILM Certificates & Diploma in Coaching and Mentoring
Postgraduate Certificate in Mentoring
OCR Certificates in Mentoring & Coaching in the Workplace
ASET Level 3 Diploma in Training and Development
Dawn Smith
4 Responses
Why, What, When
The Cert Ed and C&G quals are good qualifications and also lead to QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) and onto BA and MBA. All take a holistic view of the learning process. But the BA and MBA’s are heavy in theory but lighter on real world application.
NVQ’s are also very good, you have to be able to do it, have the knowledge, and display the attitude in the workplace, they are also very role specific. They deliver the true definition of National Occupational Competence. A NVQ is only for you if you can generate the evidence and your employer is on side.
The ILM framework qualifications are first class as they are very well recognised and very rigorously monitored (they are part of C&G).
The important thing is to make the correct solution based upon need. What do you want to do, if you wish to go near a college to work you must have a qualification that leads to QTS, ILM level 7 in Coaching is one of the best in the UK (in my opinion). Occupational learning needs the appropriate qualification based upon the role (Ofsted req), NVQ world need Assessor/IV quals as well as other units.
Some CIPD quals are needed if a likely employer is to be HR based as a lot of CIPD people do not consider anything else, The CITP is only a support level qualification. However the CIPD in my opinion do not represent the L&D profession, there is in reality no real way for a L&D practioner to reach full membership.
The question is not is the qualification any good, they all have their merits, but why do you need it, which assessment and delivery method for you, how much time do you have, what is your starting level and ability and how much money do you have?
6-8k is a lot for a CIPD CTP when you can get a Cert Ed or C&G 70 qualification for much less through your local college,
So anyone for a TNA
C&G
I did the 7302 City & Guilds. I wanted to move into a career in traning and thought a qualification would help me get my foot in the door, moving from IT to IT training. This one was easily available, cheap and quick, which is basically why I did it. It turned out to be good actually.
I’ve since done an NVQ 4 in L&D – I worked for a local authority where they made you do it. It was mostly box ticking and of little value IMHO.
CTT
I’ve been through TAP, TAP assessor, CIPD and CTT. I found CTT to be the most stretching from a delivery skills perspective. It tests the competencies defined by the International Board for Standards in Training Performance and Instruction (IBSTPI) and provided me with a much deeper understanding of the practice. Not widely available in the UK though.
DTLLS is the qual to aim for.
PGCE, Cert Ed & C&G P7305 are all based on the Government backed Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS). This leads to QTS and full membership of the new professional body IfL.
The two reasons I feel that this is the qualififcation to aim for are firstly QTS will become more important in the future, even for trainers like me within industry as I can see a time government will say you need to be QTS to teach subjects like COSH and even First Aid at work. Secondly as a part time course run by a local colleges over two years it costs around £600 per year much cheaper than CTP for example.