Diploma in Advice and Guidance – Level 4

This qualification has been designed to provide a statement of competence which testifies to candidates’ ability to work with practitioners and clients to achieve clients’ objectives.  It recognises that employment in the advice and guidance sectors involves a diverse range of functions, tasks and activities that are constantly developing in the light of changing client needs.

You will need to be involved in providing specialised advice and guidance services to clients. This could include offering careers education guidance, advocacy or mediation services.  The range of services involved may include government agencies, schools, colleges, universities, prison services or trade unions.

In addition to having good ICT skills, you must be willing to use and maintain an eportfolio of evidence.

There are five mandatory units:

• Understand the importance of legislation and procedures
• Develop interactions with advice and guidance clients
• Manage personal caseload
• Evaluate and develop own contribution to the service
• Operate within networks

There is also a range of optional units you will complete. These could include liaising with other services, facilitating learning in groups, providing support for other practitioners, and undertaking research for the service and its clients.  These will be decided by matching your job role to the list of optional units and selecting those for which you are able to generate evidence of your performance in the workplace.

This course will be delivered off-site.  Learners will complete a number of online assessments, collect workplace evidence, be observed in the workplace and produce reflective accounts which demonstrate their competence in the work environment.

They will meet with their assessor, on a one to one basis, both online, and in their workplace on a monthly basis.

You need access to a laptop and the Internet because an E Learning platform is used.

You will be assessed on the job, using a range of methods including the production of evidence such as case histories, products of work, questions, witness testimonies, professional discussions and observations.

These will be uploaded into an electronic portfolio.

There is a range of opportunities available to those who have completed this course, including Administration, Management or Learning and Development qualifications.

For more information contact Derby College on 0800 0280289 or enquiries@derby-college.ac.uk