Important changes to First Aid Qualifications
Important changes to First Aid Qualifications, as of the 1st October 2017 all our First Aid course’s have changed over from QCF (Qualifications and Credits Framework) to RQF (Regulated Qualifications Framework).
The change has taken place after an industry wide review of the qualifications, the main areas that you will notice is that the old Level 2 Emergency First Aid at Work is now a Level 3 Emergency First Aid at Work Qualification.
What’s the difference between Level 2 and Level 3?
A level 2 qualification – The learner has the knowledge to be able to deliver basic first aid.
A level 3 qualification – The learner has the competency to deliver basic first aid.
There has also be changes to the way we assess the course in the fact that we no long complete an end of day simulative assessment, the instructor will conduct on going assessments to ensure that learners are achieving the required standards.
The change has also seen an over hall of the PowerPoint that we use, the new PowerPoint in must easier to follow, it is still like the old one in the way that it will mirror the booklets that each student get given.
What our AO (Awarding Organisation) had to say about it;
Recently, Ofqual, the qualifications regulator, consulted with Awarding Organisations and other users of qualifications with a view to amending the Conditions, requirements, guidance and criteria which would apply to all qualifications, general and vocational.
First Aid Awards Ltd, along with other Awarding Organisations, responded to the consultation and Ofqual have now taken on board those responses and set out the new approach.
None of the changes should have any effect on Centres delivering qualifications or units from First Aid Awards, the vast majority of changes will only impact behind the scenes in the way we develop and review qualifications.
The one visible change to the First Aid Qualifications is that Ofqual is ending the framework on which the vast majority of our qualifications sit, the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) – you may be familiar with the initials QCF which appear in all our qualification titles.
Ofqual is also ending the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) which is home to qualifications such as GCSEs and A Levels.
These two frameworks will be replaced by a single Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) which will house all qualifications regulated by Ofqual, regardless of the type.
Ofqual hopes that the RQF will help people understand better how qualifications relate to each other, by setting consistent measures of size (how long, typically, a qualification takes to study and be assessed for) and level of difficulty.
In practice, nothing should change for our centres or learners. We will continue to develop flexible, unitised qualifications at a variety of sizes and levels to meet the needs of our learners. The only visible difference will be that we gradually remove the (QCF) descriptor from our qualifications ahead of Ofqual’s 2017 deadline, this is a purely cosmetic change reflecting the move of the qualifications onto the RQF and does not affect how you deliver or claim for qualifications.
Further information can be found HERE
If you are still unsure if this will effect you please do not hesitate to get in contact with Kaill by clicking here where we will be happy to answer any question you may still have.
