Qualification Journey

Information pack to support candidates on

your qualification journey

Operational Delivery Profession Central Team

Version 1.0, November 2016

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Contents: Page:

1. Pre-enrolment

Is a qualification right for me? .....................................................................................2

CSL Self-Assessment Tool…………………………………………………………………2

Pre-enrolment checklist……………………………………………………………………..3

2. Getting started

Ready, set, enrol! ........................................................................................................4

Top Tips…………………………………………………………………………...............4-5

Buddy Scheme……………………………………………………………………………....5

3. Qualification essentials

How much time do I have? …………………………………………………………….…..6

Guide to Learning, Assignments & Feedback…………………………………………....6

Progress Report……………………………………………………………………….…….8

Key contacts………………………………………………………………………….….......9

FAQs…………………………………………………………………………………...… 9-10

4. Completion

The student becomes the master! ........................................................................10-11

5. Post Qualification

The journey never ends……………………………………………………………….…..12

Here you will find all the information you need to guide you on your

qualification journey. From enrolling and getting started with your first unit, all

the way through to celebrating your achievement and planning your next

challenge. This pack will provide you with the essentials you need to know,

including helpful tips and advice to consider along the way.

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1. Pre-enrolment

Is a qualification right for me?

“I would urge anyone, of any age, to take on a qualification, it helps you to move

forward, self-develop your own skills and learn new ones too” - Candidate, Level 2 &

3, 2016

It’s important before enrolling on your qualification that you ensure the level you have

picked is right for you. We recommend completing the following actions before you

register:

Research: make sure you have read the qualification guides and factsheets

for the levels you are considering. These can be found on the ODP website.

Here you will find information on what qualifications are on offer, the learning

objectives for the level you’re interested in and what unit topics are included.

Discuss: don’t make this decision in isolation; it’s important that you have open

discussions with your line manager and discuss the options you are

considering. Think about why you are drawn to a particular level, what are you

hoping to achieve from it, what skills do you have already and what would you

like to develop?

Decisions: Before you enrol on your qualification make sure you have decided

what units you would like to take. All our qualifications include mandatory units,

however for some, there will be optional ones as well. We recommend

reviewing the learning outcomes and assessment criteria for any units you are

considering, as this will give you an idea of what is expected and what

experiences you will need to draw on from your own role. These can be found

on the Premier Partnership website: you can access this site by logging on as

a guest.

Forward Look: although it’s impossible for anyone to say exactly what the

year ahead holds for them, it’s important to consider what other commitments

you have, both now and in the next 12 months. Undertaking a qualification

requires a high level of commitment and it’s vital that you are realistic with

yourself about whether you have the time available to complete this.

The majority of your course will be completed in your own time, although you may wish

to use your five days learning. However this will need to be booked and agreed in

advance with your line manager.

CSL Self-Assessment Tool

Before enrolling on a qualification we recommend you complete the CSL self-

assessment tool, which will help you identify not only your strengths but also areas

you could develop further. This will help you plan your development better and

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hopefully guide your choice in determining which qualification level, and units, are right

for you.

Pre-enrolment Checklist

This checklist has been included as a tool to help you decide if the qualification you

have chosen is right for you. You can always print this page and complete it ahead of

a meeting with your manager, or use it to assist with any department forms you may

have to complete to register your interest in a qualification.

Consider Comments What would you like to gain from your qualification?

Reasons why you think an ODP Qualification will benefit you and your Team…

What level would you like to do and why?

What units would you like to do and why?

What experiences can you bring from your day-to-day role to support your qualification?

Have you considered the time commitment required to complete a qualification and how do you plan on fitting this around your work and personal life?

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2. Getting started

Ready, set, enrol!

Once you have selected your qualification and you’ve discussed this with your line

manager it’s time to enrol! An online booking process is available on CSL for all

qualifications but please refer to your own department’s guidance on enrolling in the

first instance. This should be located on your intranet and will explain what process

you need to follow. Your line manager will be able to assist you with this.

Once you have completed your registration you will receive an email from CSL with

your booking confirmation.

Premier Partnership will then contact you via email, providing you with your log in

details for the website. The website is where you will upload any written assignments

and how you will access your learning opportunities and the assessment criteria for

each unit. Please do not delete this email as it will contain your log in details

which you will need every time you want to access your qualification.

Once you have accessed your qualification for the first time you will see the details of

the qualification and the units you need to complete. If your qualification has any

optional units this is the time to select these. However, you should already have an

idea of which ones you want to complete following your earlier research.

Top Tips

Here are our top tips to help you get started with your qualification:

Plan: it is up to you to organise your time affectively to ensure that you complete

all the required work within the time frame (12 or 18 months depending on your

qualification). Before starting your qualification we recommend having a look

through all your selected units and work out exactly what work you have to

complete, what learning you will have to complete to support this, and organise

your time accordingly.

Don’t panic! Don’t forget you are not on your own, even though the

qualifications are learner led. We understand it can be a daunting experience

but there is a community around you who can offer support and guidance.

Study time: when completing any learning it is important to remember to keep

referring back to the learning outcomes and assessment criteria for the unit you

are studying, as this is what you will be tested on.

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Unit guides: the unit guides are your new best friends throughout your

qualification! Don’t forget to keep referring to these as this is where you will find

recommended learning and details on the tasks you have to complete.

Departmental knowledge: for many of the units you need to draw on your own

experiences in the workplace and understand your Department’s policies and

procedures. A good place to start is by using your Department’s intranet, so

don’t forget to use this as a tool to help your studies.

Talk about it! The best way to learn is sometimes to talk about it and to get

another’s perspective. Colleagues within your team may have knowledge that

will be able to assist you with assignments but they can’t help you if you don’t

let them know what you are doing.

It’s also important to identify what your own learning style is, and to reflect on your

time management skills.

Why not try the quick two minute quiz to identify your learning style and what tools you

might be able to use to support your qualification journey.

There are also plenty of resources to help you manage your time better but why not

take a look at this helpful guide on managing your time, which includes helpful

workplace activities to try.

Buddy Scheme

If you are the type of person who works better in a group environment and prefers to

have the support of others when facing a challenge our cross-government qualification

buddy scheme is for you!

We would recommend joining the buddy scheme as you will be matched with other

candidates who are undertaking the same level of qualification as you and you will be

assigned a buddy who has already completed the qualification.

For more information on the scheme and to get involved please see our handy Buddy

Scheme Information Pack for all the information you need.

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3. Qualification Essentials

You’ve completed your research, successfully enrolled on your ODP qualification and

your qualification journey has just begun!

Here we have included the key information that you need to know to help you on your

way.

How much time do I have?

The timescales above have been agreed and these are what you will have to work

towards. On registration, you may be advised that you have a three year registration

period. However, the actual times for completion are 12 or 18 months depending on

your chosen qualification.

It’s important to plan your qualification around your deadline, in order to ensure

you don’t run out of time and that you get to work at a pace that suits you.

Guide to Learning, Assessments & Feedback

Assessments: you will receive a pass or fail marking for all assessments.

Individual marks will not be given however you will receive feedback on any

written assignments. All tasks for each unit must be submitted before they will

be marked. Tasks can’t be marked individually so you must complete one unit

in full before you will be awarded any marks. Depending on your choice of

qualification the assessment for units may include online tests, written

assignments, projects and examinations.

Feedback and Marking: any online multiple choice tests will have immediate results saved. Assignments, projects and formal examinations have a turnaround time of four-six weeks.

12 months: Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, Level 5 (Certificate), Level 6 (Certificate),

Level 7 (Certificate).

18 months: Level 5 (Diploma), Level 6 (Diploma), Level 7 (Diploma)

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Learning: for each unit you will see learning opportunities which is a list of

hand selected learning resources that we think will help you with your

assessments and develop your knowledge on the subject. This is a

recommended list so don’t feel like you have to complete everything. You may

also wish to complete your own research, but ensure that any learning you do

directly relates to your assessment criteria, as this is what you will be tested

on.

The recommended learning will be a combination of e-learning, workshops, online

guides and work activities. There is also a catalogue of free resources available on

CSL that you may also wish to use – CSL free resources.

We would recommend that you only work on one unit at a time. This will allow you to

concentrate on the content of the unit which will make revision for any assessment

more meaningful.

You can also access the ODP forum online where you can share ideas, discuss units

and raise any queries you may have.

Please remember to report any changes to your contact details direct to Premier

Partnership and your Department’s ODP team. Should your line manager change

during your qualification please also notify them of your new line manager’s

details in order to ensure your records are accurate and up-to-date?

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Progress Report

You may like to use this template throughout your qualification to help reflect on your

progress so far, identify your successes and help plan what work you have left to do.

You may also find it useful to complete this ahead of any 1-2-1s you have planned

with your line manager to update them on your progress.

We would recommend completing your own progress report on a monthly basis to

help keep you on track.

Reflection Points Comments

% Completed (think about how much you

have completed so far and the time that you have left. Are you on track to where you wanted to be? If not, what can you do to address this)

Successes (make a note of your successes,

have you passed an exam, learnt new skills that you can implement at work. Don’t forget to celebrate successes along the way!)

Struggles (think about if there is anything you

are struggling with and if so how you can overcome this. Would additional support help?)

Action Plan (Based on what you have

identified you have left to complete think about creating an action plan to outline what your next steps will be and when you are aiming to complete learning or tasks by). It’s important to keep coming back to your action plan and updating it to help keep you on track!

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Key contacts

Throughout your qualification journey we would encourage you to regularly engage

with your line manager and your Department however we have included a list of the

key contacts that can support you with any queries you may have:

Contacts Contact them for... Contact details ODP Central Team

Qualification queries Additional support with qualification (buddy scheme)

Contact us direct at: learningandaccreditationteam.centralodp@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk

Premier Partnership (learning provider)

Access problems to the Premier Partnership website Registration & log in enquiries Updating personal details (contacts, line manager details etc.)

You can contact Premier Partnership on 01623 287951 or you can email them on quals@premier-partnership.co.uk

Civil Service Learning (CSL)

Problems accessing CSL Queries regarding learning products on CSL (accessibility, error messages with e-learning etc.)

You can contact the Civil Service Learning helpdesk on 020 3640 7985 or by email on support@civilservicelearning.uk

FAQ’s

Q: What happens if I change my job during my qualification?

A: If you move jobs to any department or line of business within the Civil Service you

can continue your qualification, as long as you have access to Civil Service Learning. Please advise your ODP team within your Department and Premier Partnership of this change so they can update their records.

Q: Will I be allowed time during my working week to work on my qualification?

A: This must be discussed and agreed with your line manager. You and your

manager could consider how you might use your recommended ‘five days’ targeted learning and development to develop your professional skills and knowledge. You should also refer to your own Department’s policies on study leave (where applicable).

Q: Can I access Civil Service Learning and Premier Partnership’s website from

home?

A: Yes, both of these sites are accessible from any internet connected PC, tablet or

smartphone.

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Q: Do I have to complete every piece of recommended learning listed in the

learning opportunities?

A: The learning given is a suggestion only. As the courses are based on your personal

knowledge you may feel that you do not need to complete all the learning suggested.

Q: I think I’m ready to take my exam. What do I need to do?

A: You need to let your manager know when you are ready to take your unit

examination. It is your manager’s responsibility to arrange your assessment with your learning provider and they can do this by emailing on quals@premier-partnership.co.uk. The learning provider will send them full instructions on how to organise this for you.

Q: What if I fail my exam?

A: Firstly, don’t worry. You can re-sit assessments and again this is organised by your

manager. Premier Partnerships do ask that you take at least two weeks to refresh your knowledge throughout the unit before you arrange your resit.

Q: What if I fail my written assignment?

A: If your assignment doesn’t quite meet the pass threshold, again, don’t worry!

Premier Partnership will notify you that your work has been returned and will provide you with feedback on what additional information is required that you need to add in order to successfully pass the task.

Q: What support should my manager be giving me?

A: When your manager agrees for you to study an ODP qualification they agree to

support you with your learning. They are also responsible for organising your assessments with your learning provider and support you with your learning, so they should be asking you about it. We have developed a similar pack especially for line managers so please make sure your line manager has a copy, if they haven’t got one already. This can be found online on the ODP website.

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4. Completion

You might have thought that this day would never come but once you have completed

all your units and your work has been reviewed you will be notified that you have

completed your qualification!

Congratulations! This is a huge achievement and you should be proud of the

accreditation you have received.

All your assessments get verified and go through a strict process before completion is

confirmed, which mean certificates can take up to three months to be received, so

don’t worry if you don’t receive anything immediately. We would encourage you to

have a meeting with your line manager at this point and update them on your

achievement.

This is a time to reflect on what you have achieved and identify what skills and

knowledge you have developed. Think about how you can put your new skills into

practice in the work place, if you haven’t been able to do so already.

The student becomes the master!

On completing your qualification we would encourage you to consider volunteering to

act as a buddy in the buddy scheme. You may have been part of a buddy group during

your qualification but this is a great opportunity to continue to work across government,

leading and managing a group of candidates and developing your competencies

further.

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5. Post Qualification

The journey never ends!

It’s important to remember that learning and development is a continuous process and

you should already be thinking about what your next challenge is going to be. How

can you develop on what you have learnt already? How can you make sure you keep

up to date with your learning?

If you have enjoyed your qualification you may wish to continue on to the next level,

or maybe you would like to upgrade your certificate to a diploma?

If you would like any more information on what opportunities are available please visit

the ODP website where you will find a whole host of information and resources to

support you on the next step of your journey.