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Funding

Competency Based Qualifications

Current government policy is committed through the Skills Funding Agency to work towards every worker gaining a competency based qualification. Competency based qualifications are based on evidence of an individual workers skills and knowledge in a particular field. This commitment means that most of the funding available for training and Continuous Professional Development is targetted towards workers gaining competency based qualifications.

Funding available to organisations means that it is cost effective or even free for organisations to equip their workforce with competency based qualifications such as Health & Social Care NVQ L3. Competency based qualifications are work-based assessed reducing additional support costs by minimalising the need to backfill posts.

Below are the main funders for competency based qualifications:

Train to Gain offer funding in a number of areas:-

NVQ L2 and L3. Train to gain will fund a complete Level 2 award and most of a Level 3 award. Eligibility criteria apply; this funding only covers practitioners who have not got a L2 equivalent or higher qualification (roughly this translates as 5 GCSEs).

Management Qualifications. Train to Gain will match fund a range of management qualifications including some knowledge based awards.

Train to Gain will fund volunteers or unpaid staff to undertake NVQ L2 or a L3 jumper. Eligibility criteria apply as for paid workers.

More info…

OU/FDAP qualifications:-

Organisations may be able to apply for Training Strategy Implementation(TSI) funding depending on the Level of the qualification and whether the unit is linked to a Health and Social Care NOS.
More info…

Care Learning Ltd :-

Care Learning Limited is an Avon based organisation that administers the Training Strategy Implementation (TSI) funding tendered through Skills for Care. If your organisation has a work base in Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset or South Gloucestershire your organisation will be able to claim funding back for particular units undertaken on the Health & Socail Care NVQ L2 and 3 and some NVQ Team Leader and Management units. This would also include 50% of the L3 & L4 Award or Certificate in Working with Substance Misuse, which consists in health and care modules.
More info…

Gloucestershire Care Sector :-

Gloucestershire Care Sector (GCS) administers Training Strategy Implementation (TSI) funding tendered through Skills for Care for organisations based in Gloucestershire. GCS fund education, training and assessment centres directly. GCS publish a directory that shows which education and training organisations are funded.
More Info…

Knowledge Based Qualifications

It is more difficult to get funding towards knowledge based awards beyond some management awards (Train to Gain). This can be doubly problematic because the support costs might be high if you have to back fill the posts when workers are out at College or University.

Mixed based qualifications, which are part competency based and part knowledge based such as Foundation degrees seem also to be attracting little mainstream funding.

Knowledge based qualifications and training are necessary to keep workers informed and up to date in their work. Workers need to progress and sometimes learn about entirely new areas of work. Knowledge based learning may be funded through DAT`s depending on training needs within the local workforce.

Unpaid workers will be able to draw on funding for certain qualifications because there income is below a certain threshold. Many courses at local colleges will be free for this group.

Apprenticeships

Funding is available through the LSC for the learning part of the apprenticeship scheme. Unfortunately there is no core funding available for apprentices wages.

Disclaimer: Whilst we endeavour to publish information that is correct and current; The Workforce Development Partnership holds no responsibility for any information that is incorrect or out of date. Always check with the linked funding body.