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.
NCC Education is an awarding organisation offering education solutions to a global network of accredited partner centres in more than 50 countries worldwide.
Originally a division of the National Computing Centre, which was first established as an IT initiative by the British Government in 1966, NCC started offering IT qualifications and gradually expanded the higher education portfolio to include business, English language, and foundation level qualifications. In 1997, NCC were incorporated as an awarding organisation of British qualifications.
The Level 3 International Foundation Diploma for Higher Education Studies (L3IFDHES) is designed for international students who have studied usually in a 12 grade system and who need to complete extra study in order to meet HE entry requirements. The L3IFDHES prepares students linguistically and socio-culturally to enter the first year of a UK degree course.
The grade descriptors Pass, Merit and Distinction are awarded by unit to successful candidates.
A Pass is awarded for an overall unit mark of between 40 and 59. A Merit is awarded for an overall unit mark of between 60 and 69 and a Distinction is awarded for an overall unit mark of 70 and above. Candidates who obtain an overall unit mark of below 40 are classed as a fail in the unit and may resit.
A final Qualification mark will be awarded upon successful completion of all units. This is calculated by multiplying the candidate’s unit mark with the unit’s points (dictated by its weighting). The total of this is then divided by the total qualification points.
Assessment includes both external and internal (externally moderated) components. All assessment for the qualification is intended to allow candidates to demonstrate they have met the relevant Learning Outcomes. NCC Education’s assessment is appropriate to the assessment criteria as stated in the qualification specification and is regularly reviewed to ensure it remains consistent with the specification. Students are assessed by global exams (marked by NCC Education), assignments and local exams (marked by Centres and moderated by NCC Education.)
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.
- These qualifications are 663 GLH. If they are presented for admission to HE it is likely to be in conjunction with other qualifications.
This qualification is designed as a bridging course for international students who have completed a high school diploma in their home country under a 12 grade system and so may not meet the university entry requirements for entry on their high school diploma alone. Therefore in addition to the L3IFDHES certificate, applications should include evidence of high school completion.
For more information, visit http://www.nccedu.com.
Additionally please consult the qualification specification.