Accreditations
Mantra Learning is accredited by some of the UK's largest
awarding bodies to deliver and assess qualifications and
apprenticeships.
Qualifications explained
A qualification is intended to show employers, teachers and
learners what someone has learnt and can do as a result of that
achievement.
The Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) set out the levels
against which a qualification can be recognised in England, Wales
and Northern Ireland. This framework helps learners to make
informed decisions about the qualifications they need, and help
employers and providers assess what qualifications a candidate has.
The QCF is comprised of nine levels, and set out the basis on which
qualifications are approved, so that everyone can have confidence
in the standards of qualifications and the consistency between
these qualifications in terms of levels, size, content, use of
titles, etc.
Qualifications are best understood by their level of difficulty,
size and, of course, their content. Each accredited qualification
has a level according to the qualifications framework it is on.
Levels are a standard way of comparing how challenging a
qualification is and what learners should be able to do once they
have successfully completed it. Qualifications which are not
accredited are not nationally recognised. Defining the size of a
qualification is dependent, in part, by the framework to which it
is accredited. All accredited qualifications can be found on the National
Database of Accredited Qualifications, where you can also view
the level and a basic outline of the content of a qualification and
the units it contains.
All qualifications on the QCF have titles which consistently
describe what is in the qualification (its content), how
challenging it is (its level) and how much work it involves (its
size). On the QCF the size of the qualification is indicated by its
title and credit value. QCF qualifications have three sizes: award,
certificate, and diploma. Awards consist of 1-12 credits,
certificates 13-36 credits, and diplomas 37 credits and above. A
credit represents ten notional learning hours, and credits
therefore describe how long a qualification takes to complete.
Vocational qualifications explained
Vocational Qualifications are work related, competence-based
qualifications. They reflect the skills, knowledge and
understanding needed to do a given job, and show that a candidate
is competent in the area of work the qualification represents. The
standards for these are designed and set by the relevant sector
body, ensuring expertise in determining the skills that are gained
when undertaking a qualification.
Apprenticeships explained
Apprenticeships are a form of vocational training that enable
learners to gain skills necessary to succeed in their chosen career
and earn money at the same time. They involve a combination of on
and off the job training - apprentices work alongside experienced
staff to gain job-specific skills and receive training. An
Apprenticeship is not a qualification in itself, but a framework
that contains separately certified elements, including an
appropriate work-based qualification at either level 2 or level 3,
key skills and in some cases a relevant knowledge based
qualification such as a BTEC. Apprenticeships have been developed
by employers and tailored to meet the needs of specific employment
sectors. Apprenticeships are open to anyone over 16 years who wants
to gain new skills and qualifications. More information can be
found on the Apprenticeships
website.
