Business Administration

Agored Cymru is a Welsh awarding body specialising in meeting the distinct needs of learners, employers and communities.

We exist to create flexible learning opportunities and reward achievement to help people of every age and level achieve their full potential.

All our units and qualifications are flexible enough to meet the needs of learners in any setting – from schools to FE and from offender learning to training in the workplace.

With over 20 years experience in designing inclusive learning, our team of specialists provides support in developing an accessible and quality assured curriculum.

We are a charity and social enterprise: we work collaboratively with partners to maximise the impact of learning in meeting the diverse needs of communities and employers in Wales.

Because we work exclusively in Wales, we are ideally placed to respond to the demands of our learners and centres. Our qualifications are uniquely tailored to the needs and priorities of individuals, communities, employers and the aims of a modern Wales.

We work for the benefit of Wales: our dedicated team of specialists is committed to promoting the Welsh language by encouraging assessment through the medium of Welsh.

We offer our recognised centres the opportunity to deliver effective lifelong learning, widen opportunity and enable progression within current education and training frameworks.

At all times, we are committed to providing a high quality, responsive service to all our centres and learners.

Agored Cymru Qualifications:

• are available through the medium of Welsh, including certification;
• enable accreditation of component units to recognise continuing professional development (CPD), where full qualifications are not required;
• meet the needs of learners in Wales by developing qualifications that respond directly to the Welsh agenda;
• provide a range of flexible and responsive provision, designed to help learners achieve their potential;
• are designed to suit the needs and priorities of individuals, communities, employers and the national aims of a modern Wales.

The Business Administration Diplomas are combined knowledge and competency qualifications.  This means that these qualifications assess competence, skills, knowledge and understanding within the same qualification.

The purpose and aim of the Business Administration Diplomas is to provide learners, working in a business administration occupation (including Business Administration apprentices), with a nationally accredited qualification. The qualifications provide learners with the opportunity to gain recognition of their skills in a wide range of business administration duties; e.g. dealing with enquiries, processing information, carrying out handovers, resolving problems; and developing knowledge and skills in more challenging activities such as, resolving complaints, managing team performance or developing a social media strategy.  With the inclusion of a wide range of optional units, the qualification can be tailored to suit an individual learner’s role and the needs of their employer.

These Business Administration Diplomas are also the key qualification component within the respective Level 2 and Level 3 Instructus Skills Business Administration Apprenticeship frameworks in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as acting as standalone qualifications.

To be awarded a Diploma in Business administration, learners must demonstrate that they have the skills which are essential for individuals working in business administration. Therefore they must be able to perform their job, or an appropriate task, competently. These qualifications are assessed by learners referencing valid evidence from their workplace performance, including assessor observations, in a portfolio of evidence.

Level 2 Diploma in Business Administration

There are no specific entry requirements for this qualification. However learners must have access to a real work environment.

This qualification is ideal for learners aged 16+, with limited business administration experience, who require a qualification which shows they can take on responsibilities and carry out duties such as, dealing with calls from business administration and resolving problems.

For many learners the achievement of the Level 2 Business Administration Diploma will provide a useful recognition of their professional competence, to aid their step from one job role to another, For others, it could prepare them for progression to further learning and training, for example, learners may progress from the Level 2 to the Level 3 Diploma in Business Administration and Apprenticeship.

Guided learning hours (GLH): 290 hours

Total qualification time (TQT): 450 hours

Level 3 Diploma in Business Administration

There are no specific entry requirements for this qualification, however learners must have access to a real work environment.

This qualification is for learners, aged 16+, who have significant experience of working in a business administration occupation, and who require a qualification that recognises the skills that they consistently demonstrate in their job role.  .

For many learners, the achievement of the Level 3 Business Administration Diploma will provide a useful recognition of their professional competence, to aid their step from one job role to another, e.g. into supervisory and/or management roles. It is also the key qualification component of the Level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeship. For others, it could prepare them for progression to further learning and training.

Guided learning hours (GLH): 357 hours

Total qualification time (TQT): 580 hours

Candidates are able to use evidence from other regulated and non-regulated accreditation or experience (RPL) achieved within a five year period of claiming for either of the Agored Cymru Business Administration qualifications.

Where the candidate wishes to use such evidence, they must satisfy the centre of the currency of their skills or knowledge. To support this, learners must submit sufficient, reliable and valid evidence to the centre to enable confirmation of its suitability. This evidence must be retained for external quality assurance purposes.

There is no limit on the percentage of RPL that can be used.

Potential risks such as health and safety, legal or moral issues should be considered in relation to the maturity of the learner and the suitability of the qualification to meet their needs, experience, development and progression.

Learners must be 16 years or over as employment is required for assessment.

The learners must have access to a real work environment. Therefore entry onto these qualifications should be assessed on an individual basis. Selection criteria for entry should take into account each applicant's existing academic/vocational qualifications, experience and interest in working in the business administration sector.

It is recommended that for entry onto the level 2 qualification, learners will have a minimum of 3 GCSEs or Scottish National/Intermediate, including Maths and English/Welsh (or equivalent).

It is recommended that for entry onto the level 3 qualification, learners will have achieved the Level 2 qualification, or will be able to demonstrate that they have the appropriate experience of working in the business administration sector. Learners would also be expected to have minimum of 3 GCSEs or Scottish National/Intermediate, including Maths and English/Welsh (or equivalent).

It is advisable that in all instances initial assessment is undertaken on all learners prior to commencement of the course to ensure learners are able to meet its demands.

This qualification is available in English and Welsh. If this qualification is required in other languages, please contact a Centre Manager at Agored Cymru.

If you are an Agored Cymru recognised centre and would like more information about offering these Agored Cymru qualifications, please contact your Centre Manager.

Units from the qualification must be added to your framework – this can be done by logging onto the Agored Cymru website. For guidance on how to add units / qualifications to your framework, please click here.

If you are interested in offering this Agored Cymru qualification but are not currently an Agored Cymru recognised centre, please contact a Centre Manager for guidance on how to become a recognised centre with us.

This qualification is only available through Agored Cymru recognised centres. If you would like to find out more about either becoming a recognised centre or working in partnership with a recognised centre, please access the ‘Centre’ area of the website or contact a Centre Manager for more information.

It is the responsibility of the centre to have systems in place to ensure that the person registered on a qualification or unit and taking an assessment is indeed the person they are claiming to be. All centres are therefore required to ensure that each learner’s identification is checked before they undertake the qualification, unit and assessment. Agored Cymru recommends the following as proof of a learner’s identity:

• a valid passport (any nationality)
• a signed UK photocard driving licence
• a valid warrant card issued by HM forces or the police
• another photographic ID card, e.g. employee ID card, student ID card, travel card etc.

If a learner is unable to produce any of the forms of photographic identification listed above, a centre may accept another form of identification containing a signature, for example, a credit card. Identification by a third-party representative, such as a line manager, human resources manager or invigilator, could also be accepted.

Progression from the Level 2 Business Administration

Foundation apprentices, with support and opportunities in the workplace, can progress onto:

• the Level 3 Apprenticeship in Business Administration - general administrative, legal or medical pathways
• other level 3 apprenticeships such as business administration or management, or related subjects including finance, information technology, public services and retail business
• further education to undertake management, business related or other qualifications.

Progression from the Level 3 Business Administration

With support and opportunities in the workplace learners can progress onto:

• the Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship in Business and Professional Administration
• further or higher education to undertake business related or other qualifications, including Foundation Degrees in areas such as business, business management, and business administration
• a range of business and management undergraduate programmes
• a range of business professional qualifications at level 4 and above.

Agored Cymru is committed to the embedding of ESDGC within learning in Wales. ESDGC recognises that everyone’s actions are interlinked: the decisions and lifestyles of learners impact on the lives of other people throughout the world.

By integrating ESDGC within the curriculum, Learning and Development practitioners can present impartial and practical views that allow learners to make informed choices. ESDGC is not an ‘additional subject’: it should be integrated into all areas of the curriculum wherever possible.

There are seven interconnected key themes that have been identified within ESDGC: further information can be found on the Welsh Government website.

Each unit includes suggestions for embedding the different ESDGC themes. Please note that this is for guidance only and is not intended to restrict the ways in which ESDGC can be incorporated.

NOS is indicated on units where applicable.

These qualifications link to the National Occupational Standards (NOS) in Business & Administration (January 2013), which were set and designed by Skills CFA, the Sector Skills Council for the sector. Further details on how the units map to the NOS can be found on the website of Skills CFA: Business & Administration Standards.

INSTRUCTUS SKILLS (Previously known as Skills CFA Skills SSC)

Instructus Skills has responsibilities for (correct March 2021) the National Occupational Standards (NOS) based apprentice frameworks and qualifications in the following business skills: Bidding & Tendering, Business & Administration, Consultancy & Business Support, Contact Centre, Customer Service, Enterprise, Governance, Human Resources & Recruitment, Industrial Relations, Languages & Intercultural Working, Management & Leadership, Marketing, Public Relations, Risk Management and Sales.

Instructus Skills develops standards and qualifications which provide businesses with the tools to train their workforce. Instructus Skills oversees the development and review of the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for the above business skills. The NOS define exactly what it is, in terms of performance and understanding, that individuals are expected to achieve when carrying out specific functions in the workplace. NOS promote industry best practice and have been developed by experts covering all industry sectors.

Current funding information is available on Qualifications in Wales (QiW).

For further information regarding discounted charges and incentives please contact a Centre Manager.

RPL is an assessment method leading to the award of credit. Assessors must consider if RPL can be applied for any learners. RPL is a method of assessment that considers whether learners can demonstrate that they can meet the assessment requirements for a unit / part of a unit and / or qualification through knowledge, understanding or skills that they already possess and so do not need to develop through a course of learning.

Please click here to view the Recognition of Prior Learning policy for further guidance.

Centres must register all learners promptly, within a timely manner, appropriate to the duration of the course start date. For guidance on registering learners, please click here.

Delivery

Centres must ensure that qualifications are delivered effectively and efficiently. Well considered and detailed course planning is a critical feature of effective delivery. Centres must have, and be able to demonstrate, a robust documented internal process for coherent course design, development and delivery.

A key feature of many of our qualifications is the flexibility they offer centres to contextualise them to meet the specific needs of their learners. This flexibility promotes strong learner engagement and meaningful learning experiences.

Centres should ensure that detailed schemes of work and session plans are in place which consider all aspects of the qualification specification. These should include details of strategies and resources required for teaching and assessment that meet learners’ needs.

Teaching and learning approaches must be consistent with the context, level and stipulations of the qualification and be designed to engage, stimulate and motivate learners.

Assessment

Centre devised assessments must meet the qualification specification. Assessments must enable the assessor to differentiate accurately and consistently between the levels of attainment demonstrated by learners. Assessment must only include content that is drawn from the knowledge, skills and understanding in the specification and that the level of demand must be consistent.

Assessment must:

• make it possible for learners to demonstrate the extent to which they have the knowledge, skills and understanding required by the qualification
• allow the specified level of attainment to be reached by a learner who has attained the required level of knowledge, skills and understanding
• be fit for purpose, valid and appropriate to the knowledge, skills and understanding being measured
• effectively differentiate between learners (on the basis of the knowledge, skills and understanding being assessed)
• accurately measure the knowledge, skills and understanding that it is intended to measure

Centres are required to ensure that centre devised assessments are kept under review, amending them where necessary, to ensure they remain fit for purpose, for example by reflecting new requirements, good practice or legislation.

Some qualifications and their units will prescribe the assessment methods that must be used. These prescribed methods will be highlighted within individual units.

Where the methods are not prescribed, centres should use a variety of assessment methods to assess learners as this will allow learners to demonstrate their knowledge and/or skills competency. The most important factor is that the assessment methods are appropriate for the intended outcome.

Centres must adhere to Agored Cymru’s assessment requirements when delivering qualifications, a unit or units.

For guidance on assessment, please refer to the Agored Cymru Guide to Assessment.

Assessors must:

• have current and/or relevant experience in assessing;
• have undertaken relevant training if new to assessing (Agored Cymru Introduction to Assessment courses);
• have good knowledge and understanding of Agored Cymru assessment requirements;
• be familiar with the level of the qualification and its unit(s);
• have good subject knowledge and understanding and/or experience of the unit(s)/qualification(s) being assessed.

Assessors do not currently need to have a formal assessment qualification* to assess Agored Cymru units and / or qualifications, unless stated in the qualification guide or unit specification. However, Agored Cymru strongly recommends that assessors work towards formal accreditation (e.g. Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement). In addition, Agored Cymru strongly recommends that assessors attend Agored Cymru’s Introduction to Assessment training.

Specific Assessor Requirements

The primary responsibility of an assessor is to assess learners’ performance in a range of tasks and to ensure the evidence submitted by the learner meets the requirements of the assessment criteria.

It is important that an assessor can recognise occupational competence as specified by the national standard. Assessors therefore need to have a thorough understanding of assessment and quality assurance practices, as well as have in-depth technical understanding related to the qualifications for which they are assessing learners.

EVIDENCE OF OCCUPATIONAL COMPETENCE

The main purpose of these qualifications is to assess the occupational competence of learners, which is their ability to use all their skills and knowledge to complete tasks effectively, so that the expectations of employers and customers are met.

Therefore learners must be assessed in the workplace in a holistic manner by technically competent assessors. There, they will complete work tasks which provide them with opportunities to produce evidence to demonstrate that the National Occupational Standards within the qualification have been met. Agored Cymru will monitor approved centres to ensure that learners are generating evidence from tasks completed in the workplace. The workplace must always be the first choice for where assessment takes place.

Learners therefore must:

• produce performance evidence to show that they meet the units’ learning outcomes consistently
• produce evidence resulting from work carried out in their normal workplace
• provide evidence from the workplace that covers a minimum of a 4 month (16 week) period.

Knowledge only ‘the learner must understand’ units and learning outcomes, should still ideally be demonstrated through workplace evidence; however these units may be evidenced with the use of valid assessment methods, such as, oral questioning, assignment, written tests etc.

Assessment strategy for business administration competence-knowledge based units

The Instructus Skills assessment strategy provides principles and guidance for the assessment of competence-based qualifications within Business Administration, Customer Service and Management and Leadership in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

http://www.skillscfa.org/images/pdfs/PLTS/Skills-CFA-Assessment-Strategy.pdf

Agored Cymru will monitor approved centres to ensure that learners are generating evidence from tasks completed in the workplace and meeting Instructus Skills assessment strategy requirements.

The Instructus Skills principles are in addition to the generic criteria that all awarding organisations must meet for delivery of qualifications, as required by the qualification regulators (Ofqual, Qualifications Wales and/or SQA Accreditation).

Evidence from Workplace Performance

• evidence of occupational competence of all competence units at any level, should be generated and collected through performance under workplace conditions. This includes the knowledge-based learning outcomes and assessment criteria of the competence units.
• these conditions would be those typical to the learner's normal place of work. The evidence collected under these conditions should also be as naturally occurring as possible.  It is accepted that not all employees have identical workplace conditions and therefore there cannot be assessment conditions that are identical for all learners. However, assessors must ensure that, as far as possible, the conditions for assessment should be those under which the learner usually works.

Simulation

Simulation can be applied to all Level 1 Business administration competence-based (‘thelearner must be able to’) units.imulation must be undertaken in a ‘realistic working environment’ (RWE). A RWE is “an environment which replicates the key characteristics in which the skill to be assessed is normally employed". The RWE must provide conditions the same as the normal day-to-day working environment, with a similar range of demands, pressures and requirements for cost-effective working.

Evidence may be produced through simulation solely in exceptional circumstances. The exceptional circumstances, under which simulation is possible, are those situations that are not naturally or readily occurring, such as response to emergencies.

Where simulation is used for units at Level 2 and above, it should only form a small part of the evidence for the qualification.

Realistic Working Environment Guidelines

It is essential that organisations wishing to operate a RWE operate in an environment which reflects a real work setting. This will ensure that any competence achieved in this way will be sustained in real employment.

To undertake the assessment in a RWE the following guidelines must be met:

• the RWE is managed as a real work situation
• assessment must be carried out under realistic business pressures
• all services that are carried out should be completed in a way, and to a timescale, that is acceptable in business organisations
• learners must be expected to achieve a volume of work comparable to normal business practices
• the range of services, products, tools, materials and equipment that the learners use must be up to date and available
• account must be taken of any legislation or regulations in relation to the type of work that is being carried out
• learners must be given workplace responsibilities to enable them to meet the requirements of the units
• customer perceptions of the RWE is similar to that found in the work situation being represented
• learners must show that their productivity reflects those found in the work situation being represented.

Centres must implement and maintain an effective internal quality assurance system. Internal verification is an essential part of a quality assurance system, particularly when there is no external summative (end of course) assessment such as an exam or online test.

Agored Cymru do not impose a particular internal verification process on centres, however, centres are required to implement effective internal verification checks to confirm that the assessment process (i.e. from pre-course planning to the award of credit) is fit for purpose and is implemented accurately, fairly and consistently and to the required standards.

Centres must adhere to Agored Cymru’s quality assurance requirements when carrying out internal verification on any unit(s) from qualifications.

Internal quality assurers must:

• have current and/or relevant experience in assessing and internal verification;
• have undertaken relevant training if new to internal quality assurance (see website for Agored Cymru Introduction to Internal Verification courses);
• have good knowledge and understanding of Agored Cymru internal verification requirements.
• Have good knowledge and understanding of Agored Cymru units and qualification in their chosen sector(s).
• be familiar with the level of the unit(s)/qualification(s) being delivered;

Internal verifiers do not currently need to have a formal internal verification qualification to internally verify Agored Cymru units and / or qualification, unless stated in the qualification guide or unit criteria*. However, Agored Cymru strongly recommends that internal verifiers work towards formal accreditation (e.g Level 4 Certificate on Leading the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice). In addition, Agored Cymru strongly recommends that assessors attend Agored Cymru’s Introduction to Assessment training. Dates of when training events are held can be found here.

Internal verifiers cannot internally verify their own assessment materials, tasks or assessment decisions. Consequently, it is recommended that the internal verification skills of a whole team are developed. This gives the centre more flexibility and avoids over-reliance on any one person.

* Some qualifications have particular requirements that must be met to enable tutors / assessors to deliver and assess the qualification. Please refer to the relevant qualification guide to confirm your tutors / assessors are able to meet these requirements. In some cases, evidence of a tutor / assessors experience / qualification must be submitted to Agored Cymru prior to delivery.

Centres must adhere to Agored Cymru’s assessment requirements when delivering qualifications, or any unit(s) from qualifications.

For guidance on internal verification please click here for the Agored Cymru Guide to Internal Verification.

The Internal Quality Assurer (IQA) must be competent within the subject they are quality assuring at the level of thequalification or above.

This approach forms part of Agored Cymru’s CASS strategy which ensures that sufficient controls are in place where an assessment is marked by a centre (Condition H2).

Agored Cymru ‘risk bands’ all of its qualifications. Risk bandings of qualifications feed into the risk management system which is ‘weighted’ accordingly.

When risk banding a qualification, Agored Cymru considers:

• the construct of the qualification
• any related professional standards for the qualification
• any evidence associated with the sector and/or qualification to suggest that a particular CASS approach may be necessary.

Agored Cymru determines the most appropriate CASS approach for each of its qualifications to ensure that regulatory minimum requirements are fully met. All centres delivering and assessing Agored Cymru qualifications will receive an Annual Centre Review.

Agored Cymru is confident that this will give additional assurance to sector specific bodies and protect the integrity of the qualification(s), creating better outcomes for learners.

It may be necessary to make changes to an assessment to accommodate the needs of a single or small group of learners. This may in response to a disability or difficulty that places the learner at a substantial disadvantage in the assessment process. Reasonable adjustments to the assessment process must not affect the readability and validity of the assessment outcomes and must be as rigorous as assessment methods used with other learners. All reasonable adjustments must be recorded and be approved by the internal verifier before use.

In some instances it may be necessary to consider applying special considerations for adjustments for a learner or group of learners as part of the assessment process. This may be applied if a learner’s performance in an assessment is affected by circumstances beyond the control of the learners e.g. recent personal illness, accident, bereavement, serious disturbance during the assessment; or if part of an assessment has been missed due to circumstances beyond the control of the learner. All special considerations must be recorded and be approved by the internal verifier before use.

Assessors must remember that a reasonable adjustment and / or special consideration must not give the learner an unfair advantage. The learner’s result must reflect his/her achievement in the assessment and not necessarily his/her potential achievement.

Further guidance about the types of and process for applying reasonable adjustments and / or special consideration can be found in the Agored Cymru Reasonable Adjustments to Assessment Policy and the Agored Cymru Special Considerations for Assessment Policy.

Centres must keep all learner evidence and assessment records safe and secure to ensure that they are available for external quality assurance and regional standardisation events. Up to date, securely stored assessment records also help to minimise the risk of assessment malpractice, or potential issues if an assessor leaves during a course.

Centres must:

a) store all assessment records securely and safely;

b) maintain records of learner achievements that are up to date, regularly reviewed and tracked accurately;

c) have all current learner evidence available for external quality assurance;

Additionally, in line with Agored Cymru and regulatory requirements, Centres must retain sufficient evidence of learners’ work, assessment decisions and internal verification records to monitor standards over time. For further guidance please see the Agored Cymru Retention of Assessment Materials Policy.

As an Agored Cymru recognised centre, you are required to attend Standardisation workshops. The workshops offer you an opportunity to meet with fellow assessment and quality assurance professionals with the aim of developing a common understanding of Agored Cymru standards and to share expertise and leading practice.

Standardisation workshops are supportive, interactive sessions where you will review examples of assessment materials and learner evidence and make judgements on whether:

• assessment materials are valid and fit for purpose;
• learner evidence is authentic, reliable and sufficient;
• assessment practice and internal quality assurance is effective and fair;
• standards are consistent across centres;
• standards are comparable over time;
• the sample includes any leading practice.

Current information on Agored Cymru standardisation workshops can be found on our website.

Certificates will be made available within Service Standards

Centres are required to distribute certificates to all learners promptly.