April 2009
Welcome to the CfA April eBriefing. This month, we share with you the key work that we are undertaking throughout 2009, for which we need your input and support. We are carrying out a full, dynamic review of the current Business & Administration National Occupational Standards (NOS). This is a hugely important project as the review will inform the new Business & Administration competence based qualifications being introduced to us all from August 2010. Please read on and get involved! See how our Young Apprenticeship Certifications go from strength to strength and you’ll find out how to meet the IPA (Institute of Professional Administrators) team at The Times Crème exhibition in May by scrolling down. Our ‘Focus on…’ this month follows Oliver Stammers our Marketing Officer and we see how last month saw the launch of brighthr, our new, free of charge online tool for non-HR professionals to help ease the burden of creating forms for HR processes. Plus, hear about ITCA’s fourth graduation, news from our Awarding Bodies OCR and EDI on their upcoming events and more information about the BAF diploma. Read on.... If you have a story of your own to share or comments in relation to the eBriefing, please contact Helen Gerlach.
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The CfA needs you! Business & Administration review workshops and consultations Throughout 2009, the CfA is carrying out a dynamic review of the current Business & Administration Standards. This work will inform the development of all Business & Administration qualifications being introduced from August 2010. Who will be interested in the Business & Administration review consultation? You! Business administrators, employers, training providers, schools, FE colleges and HE institutions, country regulators, awarding bodies and professional bodies. We need your help to make this a success and can’t do this without you, so please sign up and have your say. There are three ways to get involved:
Electronic consultations start in June 2009 for approximately 14 weeks. Each week, electronic consultation members are provided with two draft NOS to review and provide feedback on; review and feedback takes just 15 minutes. Phone consultations start in May 2009. They focus on confirming key Business & Administration themes identified in the updated 2009 Business & Administration Functional Map. Telephone discussions last approximately 15 minutes. Workshops are held in May, June and October 2009 for half a day. They take place in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Each workshop discusses and confirms the key Business & Administration themes, functions and occupational performance requirements of Business Administrators. Here are the dates for your diary:
Please confirm by return email that you would like to take part in the electronic consultation, phone consultation, attend one of the workshops above - or even take part in all three review consultations! Contact Pearlene Fields to confirm your attendance at one of the above workshops by Monday, 27th April, 2009. Contact Anthony Lapsley to register your interest in the electronic and phone consultations by Friday 8th May 2009. We look forward to working with you! |
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Never has it been more important to invest in your skills and develop your career. The Times Crème Executive Secretary & PA Event in London, from 12th – 14th May and seminar programme, offer a cost efficient way of updating as well as building new skills. The event itself is free to attend and the IPA (Institute of Professional Administrators) is excited and proud to be having its first stand at Times Crème this year. Join us at stand 655 there. New members benefit from a 25% saving on membership when they join IPA on the day, (usual membership fee is £60, join on the day for £45). Existing IPA members could also take advantage of some great member benefits and get substantial discounts on London hotels – so make this a trip to remember and stay a few days. Click here to pre-register for the free event now. To register, please click here |
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Free ePortfolio demonstration events Following the success of our forward ePortfolio PLUS demonstration sessions during 2008, we are delighted to announce a brand new series of events throughout the UK in 2009.
email Cameron |
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With the Cohort four Young Apprentices fast approaching the end of their two-year apprenticeships, it’s time to begin planning the all-important award ceremonies and requesting certificates from relevant sector skills councils and standard setting bodies. By now you will have received an email regarding the 2009 Cohort four certification process from the CfA team and if you haven’t, please let us know immediately! As per the contractual agreement with the LSC, funding is no longer available for certification and it has been agreed that a cost of £25 per Young Apprenticeship certificate shall be charged to partnerships. The CfA will not be requesting log books, but asking partnerships to fill out a declaration confirming that each Young Apprentice has completed their full 50 day work experience as well as a Business & Administration Level 2 qualification. If you have not yet received the certification process email or if you require further information about the certification process, please feel free to contact Pearlene Fields. If you have any other questions about the Young Apprenticeship programme please contact Sara Vanderheld. |
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Other disciplines featured at the graduation ceremony were Engineering, Fabrication Welding and Glazing with more than 300 family members, mentors and company representatives witnessing the presentation of awards. For more information about the SVQ Level 3 and Modern Apprenticeships in the Aberdeen area and beyond, please contact ITCA Ltd, 49 York Street, Aberdeen, AB11 5DP. Tel 01224 594808 or email |
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With UK companies shedding workforce to counteract the economic downturn, it is important, now even more than before, to find cost-effective solutions that reduce workload for existing employees and improve their productivity at the same time. Last month we launched a free resource, designed and developed by the CfA team to address these points. brighthr is an online support tool that instantly creates effective, tailor-made HR documentation for office and administrative staff to save time and reduce workload. You can access the tool here Fully interactive templates allow quick and easy production of everything needed to select, recruit and appraise employees using the Business, Administration and Governance National Occupational Standards and this free tool will benefit end users in small to medium enterprises across the UK. Brighthr
To find out more about brighthr please contact Kelly Saliba. To read the full press release about the brighthr launch please click here. email Kelly |
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A focus on Oliver Stammers, Marketing Officer
My role covers a wide range of responsibilities. One of the major parts is managing the different websites that form the CfA group which means taking care of regular updates and carrying out general website maintenance. This is something that I have learnt a great deal about and continue to learn, on an almost daily basis and it takes up the lion’s share of my day at work. I also deal with forward ePortfolio PLUS, helping with all questions and resolving any issues that customers have. I thoroughly enjoy liaising with customers and helping them understand the system and have been out of the office with colleagues giving demonstrations on it in the past, which helps to put it all in context. I am also responsible for some of the marketing publications that CfA delivers to its customers and this includes this eBriefing, plus, helping organising events all over the country and attending some too. I take an active role in CfA publications including design input and the ordering of new and existing marketing materials and most of all, enjoy the web-design projects that I work on. It is always good to be out of the office meeting new and existing clients, whether on a training front or for product demonstrations although as with any job, there are aspects that don’t excite me as much, such as mailing out publications, proof reading documents and formatting documents. As these fall under the general marketing umbrella too, they have to be done. When I am not working, I am an avid rugby player and supporter, playing for Fulham and Hammersmith whilst in London. I have really enjoyed my role at the CfA and am looking forward to finishing my degree with the experiences that I have gained.
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From 2010, 78% of local authorities in England, a total of 205 consortias, will offer the Diploma in Business Administration and Finance following an announcement made last week by Schools Minister Jim Knight. Schools and colleges needed to pass a rigorous application process in order to get the go ahead to deliver the qualification, which is available to 14-19 year olds. The Diploma, which will be introduced in September 2009, has been developed with the help of employers and universities. It combines classroom learning with practical hands-on experience to better prepare students for work and university. To read more, please click here.
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Training dates will be announced on the OCR website. In addition, free briefing events are being held in Northern Ireland and Wales. Further details are available from the National Office Ireland by email or by telephone on 02890 669 797 and through the website. Full details of the new suite of qualifications please click here. Functional Skills Expo OCR is hosting a Functional Skills Expo on 25th September at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham. This Expo will give a unique opportunity for teachers to explore functional skills further. Experts will be on hand to answer any questions and there will be teachers from centres already delivering functional skills talking about how they have integrated functional skills into their teaching programme. To register your interest in finding out more about the OCR 2010 Functional Skills Expo event, simply email OCR. Business Skills OCR is offering a number of free, half-day training events throughout May and June, to enable centres to 'Get Ready' for delivering its suite of cross-cutting Business Skills qualifications. The events will examine the structure of the specification and consider delivery models and curriculum planning, in addition to providing a brief overview of the QCF and its benefits. To book onto an event, please contact OCR's Training Division either by email or you can call on 02476 496398. Further information about the qualifications can be found on OCR's website Text Processing A ‘Get started’ course aimed at new and experienced practitioners of the Text Processing (Business Professional) suite will run in May and June 2009. This full day course will offer advice on preparing candidates for assessment, review exemplar candidate work and enable delegates to network and share ideas for best practice. The course will be held in Cardiff, London, Coventry, Belfast, Plymouth Leeds and Manchester and details of dates will be announced on the OCR training website. There is NO FEE per delegate, there will be refreshments, lunch and course materials available on the day.
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EDI - Starting a New Business Enterprise The EDI Level 2 Certificate in Employability Skills has now entered its second year. It provides an up-to-date, cross-sector qualification that is in line with industry needs and presents an opportunity for individuals to progress within both their present role, and potential future positions of employment. The qualification aims to allow candidates to develop a range of skills, knowledge and techniques which are essential for successful performance in the workplace. The qualification covers the following areas:
The qualification is assessed through an assignment consisting of a number of workplace tasks, together with an end of qualification knowledge based test. For further information please email. EDI - Starting a New Business Enterprise EDI is pleased to be Headline Conference Sponsor for the ALP Spring Conference (Association of Learning Providers) taking place on 13th–14th May in Nottingham. The focus of the event will be on examining the strategic vision and policy planning direction for the FE Sector. In addition to sponsoring the event, EDI is hosting a number of workshops on: the QCF Framework for the future, Exploring good practice in Functional Skills delivery, Foundation Learning Tier and Delivering 14-19 reform. To find out more about the conference and to register your place click here. For further information please email |
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Q: If a learner is working towards a Level 3 Business Administration NVQ/SVQ is there a limit to the number of lower level units they can choose?
Please Click here |
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To subscribe to the CfA eBriefing, please email Helen Gerlach. The CfA is not responsible for the content of any external links from this newsletter. The Council for Administration is a registered charity, No 1095 809. |
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Since June 2008, I’ve been working at the CfA on a placement from Oxford Brookes University where I study Business and Marketing. I’m due to return to University at the end of July having completed a 13-month placement in Industry, as part of the marketing team at the CfA.
OCR is putting together free training for centres preparing to offer the new suite of vocationally related qualifications in Administration (Business Professional). The suite will be accredited on to the Qualifications and Credit Framework and will be open for registration from 1st September 2009.
If you would like to submit information to the CfA eBriefing, please contact Helen Gerlach on 020 7091 9620.
© CfA 2009
