The IT user qualification ITQ is a nationally recognised qualification for those who need digital skills as users of technology. It is designed for people using technology at work, in education, when looking for work or in their leisure time.
ITQ can help employers improve productivity, effectiveness and their company’s ability to take advantage of the digital economy. Using the ITQ, you can assess the skills of your existing or potential employees, and you can train to skills levels that are recognised within a national framework.
These two Diploma qualifications sit within the SASW:
IT Users - non-statutory (Wales) Framework ID: FR03974 http://www.afo.sscalliance.org/frameworkslibrary/index.cfm?id=FR03974&back
The qualifications and thus the apprenticeship framework provide the learner / apprentice with the competence, skills and knowledge to work effectively and efficiently with IT systems, communications and productivity tools and applications in a range of job roles and industry sectors.
The IT User may be working in a wide range of industries, including typical job roles as:
- Personal assistant
- Office support
- Accounts Assistant / wages clerk
- Application helpdesk support
- Website design or technician
- Publishing or multimedia assistant
- Sales and Marketing executive
- Teaching assistant or school administrator.
For many of these jobs, the level of competence is not necessarily neither wide nor deep and for these situations a level 2 qualification is deemed to be appropriate.
The addition of underpinning knowledge, personal learning and thinking skills and functional skills, if completed within the context of the apprenticeship framework ensures the learner / apprentice can not only use IT but is also literate, numerate and able to solve problems and work in teams as required.
The level 3 learner / apprentice will be prepared for job roles requiring in-depth knowledge and competence in the use of particular systems and software, as well as wide-ranging transferable skills and the ability to develop and test solutions to improve workplace productivity through the use of IT.
The qualification includes a balance of content in technical, business and interpersonal areas, designed to ensure apprentices have an appropriate set of IT skills to operate in their specific chosen job role.
The technical content includes units for setting up and using IT systems; system and personal security; using internet, email and collaborative software; confi guring and using operating systems and mobile devices; using office applications, using multimedia, video, audio and website software and using accounting and project management software. All learners / apprentices build the competences to plan, select and use appropriate IT tools and applications for the task and develop approaches to improve personal effectiveness and business productivity using IT.
A learner / apprentice can plan and review their use of predefined or commonly used IT tools for complex and non-routine activities. As a result of reviewing their work, they will be able to devise solutions in the use of IT tools in order to improve productivity for themselves and others. Through practical application they will develop transferable skills and techniques for self-help and in turn be prepared to offer support and advice to others.
The ITQ qualifications recognise employers’ needs for ICT qualifications that refl ect real-world skills, and the challenges of work-place learning. They enable recognition of the skills that employers want across the range of levels, have been successfully piloted in a wide range of companies and organisations, and are now a part of mainstream provision. They enable learning providers to target teaching and equipment resource effectively and use fl exible approaches to assessment and delivery that ensure all learning counts towards a qualifi cation, wherever it takes place.
The qualifications are particularly suitable for:
Employees and work-based learners
ITQ is ideal for those in employment. They may be using IT as a significant part of their role or be developing new skills to meet the demands of a changing workplace. It is not limited to those working at a desk or with a PC, since tailored programmes can be designed for those working with other ICT systems such as retail, engineering or manufacturing.
Unemployed, and those seeking work
Nine out of 10 new jobs require people with IT user skills. Operating a computer and being able to use the internet and a word processor are essential skills for work as well as for life. ITQ can be used to develop a tailored work preparation package, alongside other units to properly prepare the jobseeker for a positive return to work.
Full-time students and under 16s
All the learning and assessment for the units can be undertaken in school or college. Assessment of the units can be linked to work experience or work placement, giving the young person the opportunity to use evidence arising naturally from workplace tasks and activities. ITQ can run alongside other qualifi cations, recognising IT skills development in other vocational areas and providing additional evidence of skills in high demand from employers.
Please note that those Agored Cymru ITQ qualifications that are available to learners aged <16 years do not cover the full programme of study for ICT at Key Stage 4
This qualification meets requirements and is ‘Designated’ by Qualifications Wales.
QW is about to conduct a review into qualifications provision within the ICT sector. As this qualification falls within that sector and therefore the scope of the review, there is currently an imposed review date of 31 August 2020 and certification end dates of 31 August 2022.
Agored Cymru Level 2 Diploma in IT User Skills (ITQ)
TQT 380
GLH 280
Agored Cymru Level 3 Diploma in IT User Skills (ITQ)
TQT 390
GLH 290