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What is recognised certification?

Recognised certification essentially fall into two brackets, nationally accredited awards and qualifications and industry/internationally recognised certification.

Industry Accredited Certification:

Industry Recognised certificates which have been created by the leading companies or organisations within their specified sector. These certificates do not have the same set levels as nationally accredited certification as they have been created for a worldwide audience. For example Microsoft, Cisco, CIW, Adobe and nearly all large industry leaders have created their own qualifications to cover their applications and skills for IT professionals, developers, office workers, home users, and technology trainers. Their exams can be sat in most countries around the World through registered Prometric, Pearson VUE or CertiPort testing centres.

For Example: CompTIA is the world's largest developer of vendor-neutral IT certification exams. Experts and industry leaders from the public and private sectors, including training, academia and government work with CompTIA to develop broad-based, entry level exams that validate an individual's IT skill set.

Nationally Accredited Certification:

The majority of courses that we offer lead to accredited awards or qualifications issued through a national awarding body. You can find out more information about these awarding bodies on the next page. All of the awards and qualifications are accredited according to the levels defined by The National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and the level identifies the level of difficulty that has been achieved. All accredited awards & qualifications will be set at a level equivalent to that listed on the NQF.

The NQF sets out the levels against which an award or qualification can be recognised in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The framework is maintained by the three regulatory authorities, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), the Qualifications, Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales (ACCAC) and the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA).

Level	Course	Indicator
1	No awards offered at this level	Qualifications and awards recognise basic knowledge and skills and the ability to apply learning with guidance or supervision. Learning at this level is about activities which mostly relate to everyday situations and may be linked to job competence.
2	EDI Certificates NCFE Awards OCN Level 2 Ascentis Level 2	Qualifications and awards recognise the ability to gain a good knowledge and understanding of a subject area of work or study, and to perform varied tasks with some guidance or supervision. Learning at this level involves building knowledge and/or skills in relation to an area of work or a subject area and is appropriate for many job roles. Level 2 awards & qualifications are comparable to working at GCSE or NVQ Level 2.
3	EDI Diplomas OCN level 3 NCFE Awards Ascentis Level 3	Qualifications and awards recognise the ability to gain, and where relevant apply a range of knowledge, skills and understanding. Learning at this level involves obtaining detailed knowledge and skills. It is appropriate for people wishing to go to university, people working independently, or in some areas supervising and training others in their field of work. Level 3 awards & qualifications are comparable to working at A Level or NVQ Level 3.
4	NCFE Awards Ascentis Level 4	Qualifications and awards recognise specialist learning and involve detailed analysis of a high level of information and knowledge in an area of work or study. Learning at this level is appropriate for people working in technical and professional jobs, and/or managing and developing others. Level 4 awards & qualifications are comparable to working at a level equivalent to Certificates of Higher Education.

TYPES OF ACCREDITATION

GCSE & iGCSE GCSE stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education. GCSE’s are the national curriculum examinations, usually set for the ages of 14-16 Years old, but open to all ages. iGCSEs are the same qualification level as a standard GCSE and recognised internationally and by the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Pass grades are awarded on an A*-G scale. There is a starred A (A*) awarded to pupils who have performed outstandingly well at this level.
AS, A2 and A Level An A Level examination is a general certificate of education at advanced level in a particular subject. Candidates can achieve grades of A-E. The Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Level comprises the first three modules of an A Level course. It is, effectively, the first year of the A Level course. The standard required is that expected from students after one year of A Level study. Students may choose to take the AS modules in the first year of their course or take both the AS and A2 (second half) exams at the end. The AS Level is a qualification in its own right.
	OCN Certification Distance Learning Centre has been recognised as a centre to deliver OCN Validated courses and NOCN qualifications through the North West region of NOCN. OCNNW is a licensed member of NOCN which is an approved awarding body licensed by QCA (Qualification & Curriculum Authority)to offer accredited qualifications.
	NCFE Awards & Qualifications NCFE is recognised as an awarding body by the qualification regulators ('regulators') for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. NCFE awards are offered in conjunction with Study House Ltd and UK Open Learning Ltd.
	Ascentis Awards & Qualifications Ascentis is a Qualifications & Curriculum Authority (QCA) approved national awarding body that designs user-friendly awards & qualifications and supports these with the highest possible standard of customer service. Ascentis awards & qualifications are offered in conjunction with NCC Resources.
	eLearning Centre Diploma of Completion Distance Learning Centre Certificates are given on completion of courses which do not lead directly to accredited certification. The course assignments are marked by our expert team of Course Tutors and an appropriate grade is issued.
	CompTIA Certification CompTIA specialise in providing qualifications like the A+, Network+, Server+, Security+ and Linux+. There are lots of reasons to get certified with CompTIA and we aim to make the process as simple as possible.
	CIW Certification CIW comprises the world's fastest growing vendor-neutral Web technology education and certification programs for professionals. More than a certification or a curriculum publisher, CIW has become the educational standard adopted by academic institutions, governments and businesses worldwide for Web technology skills.
	Microsoft Certification Microsoft offer many different industry recognised certification routes designed to meet the demand for qualified and knowledgeable people in the modern workplace. Qualifications include MOS, MCDST, MCP, MCSA and MCSE.