BTEC National Certificate Level 3 - Management
COURSE CURRENTLY ON HOLD
PENDING QCF UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 2010
Structure of the qualification
The Edexcel Level 3 BTEC Award in Management is a qualification consisting of three units. To achieve the whole qualification, a learner must successfully complete one core unit and two specialist units from the choice below.
Level 3 BTEC Award in Management structure
Core units
- Unit 1 Improving Own Performance
Specialist units
- Unit 2 Improving the Workplace Environment
- Unit 3 Developing Effective Working Relationships
- Unit 4 Delegating and Organising Work
- Unit 5 Understanding Health and Safety in the Workplace
- Unit 6 Leading a Team
- Unit 7 Delivering Customer Service
- Unit 8 Recruiting and Selecting Staff
- Unit 9 Appraising and Developing Staff
- Unit 10 Improving Individual Performance
- Unit 11 Supporting Change Initiatives
- Unit 12 Understanding Financial Management
- Unit 13 Promoting Quality in the Workplace
- Unit 14 Managing Workbased Projects
- Unit 15 Communicating Effectively in the Workplace
Key Features
BTEC Short Course Awards, Certificates and Diplomas are designed to provide focused and specialist work-related qualifications in a range of sectors. The qualifications can provide a specialist emphasis for learners following a general vocational programme of study. BTEC Short Courses offer a focused qualification for learners, particularly more mature learners, who wish to follow a short programme of study that is directly related to their work experience or to an aspect of employment that they wish to move into in due course. On successful completion of these qualifications, learners may progress into or within employment and/or continue their study in the vocational area.
National Occupational Standards
Where appropriate, BTEC Short Courses are designed to relate to the National Occupational Standards in the sector which, in turn, form the basis of the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs).
They do not purport to deliver occupational competence in the sector, which should be demonstrated in a work context.
However, the qualifications can provide areas of underpinning knowledge for the National Occupational Standards, as well as developing practical skills in preparation for work and possible achievement of NVQs in due course.
Level 3 BTEC Award and Certificate in Management
The Level 3 BTEC Award and Certificate in Management is designed to provide:
- a framework of education and training for those with a responsibility to provide first-line management
- opportunities to achieve a nationally recognised Level 3 vocationally-specific qualification
- opportunities for full-time learners to gain a nationally recognised vocationally-specific qualification to enter employment in management or progress to further vocational qualifications such as the BTEC National Certificate or Diploma in Business and Management, an NVQ level 3 in Management or a Level 4 BTEC Advanced Award/Certificate/Diploma in Management, a Level 4 NVQ in Management or a Level 4 BTEC HNC/D in Business (Management)
- the knowledge, understanding and skills learners need to carry out effective management
- opportunities for learners to focus on the development of the major key skills and the wider key skills in a management context, such as improving own learning and performance, working with others and problem solving
- opportunities for learners to develop a range of skills and techniques, personal qualities and attributes essential for successful performance in working life.
The Level 3 BTEC Award and Certificate in Management relates to National Occupational Standards in Management and Leadership.
Unit Format
The units in BTEC Short Courses all have a standard format which is designed to provide clear guidance on the requirements of the qualification for learners, assessors and those responsible for monitoring national standards. Each unit is set out in the following way.
Unit title, learning hours and level
The unit title, as accredited by QCA, will appear on the learner’s Notification of Performance. Each unit consists of 30 guided learning hours. The level refers to the level in the NQF.
Description of unit
A brief description of the overall purpose of the unit is given, together with the key areas of study associated with the unit.
Summary of learning outcomes
The outcomes of the unit identify what each learner must do in order to pass the unit.
Content
This section picks up highlighted words from the Summary of learning outcomes and amplifies the content coverage required when addressing the learning outcomes. The content section will often have lists of topics; care should be taken to note those that begin with 'eg', where the list is merely indicative, and those that do not, where all aspects of the listed topics should be covered.
Assessment criteria
Each unit contains statements of the evidence that each learner should produce in order to successfully complete the unit and receive a pass grade (along with a merit or distinction if the unit assessment permits this). It is important to note that the merit and distinction grading criteria refer to a qualitative improvement in the learner’s evidence. Learners must not be required to perform additional tasks or work in order to achieve the higher grades.
Essential information for teachers
This section is designed to provide additional guidance and amplification related to the unit to support teachers and assessors. Its subsections are as follows:
- Delivery strategies - offers guidance about possible approaches to delivery. This advice is based on the more usual delivery modes but is not intended to rule out alternative approaches.
- Assessment strategies - provides advice about the nature and type of evidence that learners might produce in order to pass the unit or achieve the higher grades. This section should be read in conjunction with the assessment criteria.
- Links - sets out links with other units within the qualification. These could be used to ensure that learners can relate different aspects within the qualification and offer opportunities for integration of learning, delivery and assessment. Links to the Occupational Standards and/or the key skills will be highlighted here.
- Resources - identifies any specialist resources needed to allow learners to generate the evidence required by each unit. The centre will be asked to ensure that any requirements are in place when it seeks approval from Edexcel to offer the qualification.
- Support materials - suggested textbooks, videos, magazines, journals, other publications and websites.
Key skills
This section identifies where there may be opportunities within the qualification for the generation of evidence to meet the requirements of key skills units. Assessors should take care to become familiar with the key skills specifications and evidence requirements and not rely on the contents of this section when presenting key skills evidence for moderation.
Assessment and grading
The assessment for the Edexcel Level 3 BTEC Award and Certificate in Management is criterion referenced, based on the achievement of specified criteria. Each unit contains contextualised pass, merit and distinction criteria for unit assessment.
The overall grading for the Level 3 BTEC Award and Certificate in Management is a pass, based on the successful completion of all units.
To achieve the Level 3 BTEC Award in Management, learners must pass one core unit and two specialist units.
To achieve the Level 3 BTEC Certificate in Management, learners must pass three core units and three specialist units.
In the BTEC Award and Certificate in Management all units are internally assessed. Centre assessment will be verified through the National Standards Sampling process. The purpose of assessment is to ensure that effective learning of the content of each unit has taken place.
Centres are encouraged to use a variety of assessment methods, including assignments, case studies and work-based assessments, along with projects, performance observation and timeconstrained assessments. Practical application of the assessment criteria in a realistic scenario should be emphasised and maximum use made of practical work experience.
Assignments constructed for assessment by centres should be valid, reliable and fit for purpose, building on the application of the assessment criteria. Care must be taken to ensure that assignments used for assessment of a unit cover all the criteria for that unit as set out in the Assessment criteria section of that unit. It is advised that the criteria which an assignment is designed to cover should be clearly indicated in the assignment to (a) provide a focus for learners (for transparency and to help ensure that feedback is specific to the criteria) and (b) assist with internal standardisation processes.
Tasks and activities should enable learners to produce evidence that directly relates to the specified criteria.
The creation of assignments that are fit for purpose is vital to achievement by learners and their importance cannot be over emphasised. When applying the Assessment criteria and designing assessment instruments, centres should note that learners must not be required to undertake additional tasks to achieve a merit or distinction grade but must provide evidence that differs in quality.
