Vocational qualifications are either work-related qualifications designed to enable students to gain the skills required to perform a particular job, or qualifications that may be taken as part of a wider study programme or an apprenticeship.
Schools and colleges may offer qualifications that are not included in the DfE performance tables, if approved for teaching to 16 – 19 year olds by the Secretary of State for Education in England under Section 96, where this is in the best interests of individual students.
This qualification is appropriate for specialist learning support practitioners who work with deaf students in FE colleges, adult and community learning centres, or learning providers, and for those supporting work-based training such as in voluntary, community, private, and public organisations. It allows for the underpinning knowledge, understanding, and skills to fulfil the specialist learning support practitioner role.
Candidates must achieve a Pass in all units to achieve an overall Pass in the qualification.
Assessment for all the units associated with this qualification is in the form of submission of a portfolio.
There are a number of key considerations for HEPs when reviewing vocational qualifications that are not listed on the DfE 16 – 19 performance tables for England:
- Some of these qualifications are occupational, and may not be designed specifically for progression to HE.
- Applicants holding these qualifications may be school or college leavers, however, some may be more mature students who are likely to have other relevant experience alongside these qualifications.
- These qualifications may have been taken as part of a wider study programme or an apprenticeship.
- If they are presented for admission to HE it is likely to be in conjunction with other qualifications.
Holders of this qualification will have the ability to communicate with and support deaf students.
https://www.signature.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CSW3-v1.00.pdf