New external quality assurance model
From September 1 2021, we will be moving the BTEC Specialist qualifications listed in the table below to the Work Based Learning (WBL) Assessment Quality Assurance model and WBL Assessment team. We will apply the WBL quality assurance model to these qualifications. Please note that no qualifications in scope for this model require the registration of a Lead IV.
Teamwork and Personal Development Suite
| QN | Qualification title | Op start date | Op end date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 601/4068/9 | Pearson BTEC Level 2 Certificate in Teamwork and Personal Development in the Community | 01-Sep-14 | 31-May-21 |
| 601/4067/7 | Pearson BTEC Level 2 Diploma in Teamwork and Personal Development in the Community | 01-Sep-14 | 31-May-21 |
| 601/4184/0 | Pearson BTEC Level 2 Extended Certificate in Teamwork and Personal Development in the Community | 01-Sep-14 | 31-May-21 |
| 603/1292/0 | Pearson BTEC Level 1 Award in Teamwork and Personal Skills for Uniformed Youth Organisations | 01-Apr-17 | 31-Dec-21 |
| 603/1294/4 | Pearson BTEC Level 1 Award in Teamwork and Personal Skills in the Community | 01-Apr-17 | 31-Dec-21 |
| 603/1291/9 | Pearson BTEC Level 1 Certificate in Teamwork and Personal Skills for Uniformed Youth Organisations | 01-Apr-17 | 31-Dec-21 |
| 603/1293/2 | Pearson BTEC Level 1 Certificate in Teamwork and Personal Skills in the Community | 01-Apr-17 | 31-Dec-21 |
| 603/6450/6 | Pearson BTEC Level 2 Certificate in Teamwork and Personal Development in the Community | 01-Jun-21 | 31-May-25 |
| 603/6452/X | Pearson BTEC Level 2 Extended Certificate in Teamwork and Personal Development in the Community | 01-Jun-21 | 31-May-25 |
| 603/6454/3 | Pearson BTEC Level 2 Diploma in Teamwork and Personal Development in the Community | 01-Jun-21 | 31-May-25 |
| R589 | Pearson BTEC Certificate in Teamwork and Personal Skills for Uniformed Youth Organisations at SCQF Level 4 | 01-Sep-18 | 30-Sep-23 |
The WBL quality assurance model is a risk-based quality assurance model explained in our “How does the Work-Based Learning Quality Assurance model work?” guidance document. We work with you upfront, to reduce risks before certification, thereby reducing any delays to certification.
The reason for this move is to:
- enable certification throughout the year and to support the roll on roll off nature of centre registrations, short courses as well as those running to an academic yearvia a ‘Direct Claims Status’ QA system
- support the wide range and differing needs of centres and learners
- allow for more timely support for progression to further employment or training
- bring the qualificationsunder the WBL Lead Standards Verifier (LSV) model, enabling one-to-one centre support.
This quality assurance model will ensure yourcentre is provided with as much support as possible in the form of a WBL LSV, who will act as a point of contact for all your quality assurance questions and will also work with your sector Standards Verifierscreating a ‘team approach’ to quality assurance.
The Lead Standards Verifier will simplify the verificationprocessthat sector-specific Standards Verifiers make, allowing them to focus on sampling assessments, providing judgements and giving simple and specific feedback and reduce any replication. Moreover, work with you to plan verification for the year ahead, removing delays in certification.
Pearson’s Quality Advisors will also be available to support all Quality Nominees and will work closely with the LSV and SV to provide the best support for your centre.
Your centre’s Lead Standards Verifier may also be appointed as yourStandards Verifier for your programme areas, and Pearson will try to arrange for this where possible. It is envisaged that your appointed Lead Standards Verifier and Standards Verifier(s) will work with your centre for up to 4 years which will provide continuity of support and advice.
The timings suggested in the description below may vary depending on when you are delivering your programmes and when certification needs to be released.
Your Lead Standards Verifier and Standards Verifier(s) will work with you to plan an annual visit schedule in advance.
The Work-Based Learning quality assurance model is a four-stage process:
Centres complete self-assessments for each programme area using the Centre Self-Assessment Form. This is a short and quick review of your programme area(s). It allows you to be as critical as you want of your delivery and quality assurance systems. The best time to complete this is in September / October, ahead of your Lead Standards Verifier (LSV) visit. The form can be downloaded below.
Pearson will have allocated your centre an LSV in October. They will have introduced themselves, and asked that you complete your Self Assessments per programme and send this to them. This will allow the Lead Standards Verifier to plan and tailor their visit to your needs.
The Lead Standards Verifier will undertake the following responsibilities:
- act as a single point of contact for all centre work-based learning provision. This includes all qualifications listed in Appendix A
- liaise with your sector specific Standards Verifiers (SVs), to ensure a team approach to all standards verification activities
- support you by providing upfront guidance for your programmes and identify any issues aheadof your standards verification activities.
Your Lead Standards Verifier visit should take place before December, but this will depend on your needs. Lead Standards Verifiers will mainly be reviewing your management systems across all programme areas, with a view to removing any duplication and reduce your administrative burden. After the Lead Standards Verifier visit you will be provided with a report outlining the findings. This will include good practice, and any actions to help improve programme delivery or your quality assurance systems.
The aim is to identify any “risk to valid certification”. Unless significant failings are evident, the findings should be used to prepare for your standards verification visit(s) later on in the year. This means if any “risks” are identified in one of your programme areas, you will be able to mitigate these ahead of your standards verification visits (avoiding blocks, or removal of DCS).
Your Standards Verifier will review Direct Claims Status annually. There will be a minimum of 1 standards verification sample per year. Additional samples or visits may take place if needed.
The standards verification samples will be planned to ensure all cohorts/assessors/delivery locations for your centre are sampled over time.
Standards Verifiers will check each time they complete their sample that your centre is fully compliant with the requirements for delivering and assessing the qualifications, which are detailed in the Specification and the Quality Assurance handbooks and you will be required to provide evidence to confirm compliance.
Lead Standards Verifiers will then use the outcomes of your standards verification visits to complete a final report each academic year and provide recommendations for your verification cycle for the following year.
Please refer to the WBL Quality Assurance Handbook for full guidance on the Lead Standards Verifier role and the Work-Based Learning quality assurance model.
Next steps in verification
You will receive your allocated LSV and SV in mid September 2021, and they will introduce themselves and work with you to arrange verificationat a time and date that suits you.
Further information and questions
For further information regarding this new approach to quality assurance, please visit the WBL QA webpages, where you can find:
- free online events
- bitesize videos
- QA year planner for WBL qualifications.
Any further questions can be raised via the Customer Service Portal
**Please note that we refer to ‘visits’ in our communications. This will be subject to the latest government guidance and Covid-19 related restrictions. We envisage for now that ‘visits’ will remain ‘remote’ until further noticeto maintain the safety of all involved.