All About NCFE

When you make the decision to sign up for a new course, you want to be assured that you are getting a high quality of education that will teach you everything you need to know. Whether you’re interested in distance learning or in-person learning, the awarding body of the qualification is a key marker of the quality of the course. One such example of a recognised and highly regarded awarding body is NCFE.

AN NCFE awarded course is a course that is accredited, nationally and internationally recognised, and which offers thousands of different courses. Here’s everything you need to know about NCFE courses, and whether they’re right for you:

Who are NCFE?

NCFE are the longest standing awarding body in the UK, awarding qualifications that are recognised all over the world. NCFE have been devising and orchestrating qualifications, specifically within vocational fields, for over 170 years. The core purpose of the NCFE is to promote and advance learning to help create a fairer society. The NCFE promotes and advances learning at all levels, and as they are a registered not for profit organisation, their courses are intended to be affordable and accessible for everyone.

NCFE are involved in every stage of the qualification process, with the body designing and developing qualifications and awards, as well as operating as an examination and awarding body, issuing qualifications earnt.  The main focuses of the majority of NCFE qualifications are the technical and vocational education sector: many people pursuing NCFE qualifications already have a chosen career in mind, or are already working in a sector, or towards a chosen career path, and are studying to further advance their industry knowledge at the same time.

NCFE qualifications can be undertaken in traditional college settings, but they are also an incredibly popular option for distance learners via distance learning colleges. Because NCFE is an awarding body, they can approve courses that are designed by other organisations, meaning that these qualifications meet the standards needed to be NCFE accredited, and that the course is considered valuable, important, and will teach you what you need to know.

When trying to understand what NCFE is at the highest level, you should see this as a seal of approval. It is a mark of quality when assessing an award. If you are considering two different courses, and one has been accredited by the NCFE whilst one has not then the NCFE accredited course may well offer you a reassurance of quality.

What does NCFE stand for?

NCFE is now a standalone term and the name of the awarding body that issues NCFE qualifications. However, when NCFE was first established the name was an acronym for Northern Council for Further Education: during the 1990s this full name was dropped because the organisation had grown to a national level, and the area-specific name no longer reflected their core purpose or values.

In 2015, NCFE purchased the Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education (CACHE) for an undisclosed sum, and now offers awards in care, health and education under the NCFE CACHE title. This further grew the types of awards and qualifications that NCFE could offer, with CACHE representing the leading sector specialist in health, care and education qualifications. As a result, NCFE is now the largest awarding body in the UK.

Because NCFE is such a large and significant organisation, it is important to understand what these qualifications represent, to recognise whether a qualification that you are interested in studying has been accredited with the NCFE. If a course is NCFE accredited then that means that it has been inspected and approved by an independent and experienced educational organisation, has been given the NCFE stamp of approval, and is recognised as a quality course worth investing in.

NCFE courses are accredited and are available in five different levels. The right NCFE level for you will depend on any other qualifications you have already secured and the level of experience you have within your vocational field. NCFE-accredited courses are accredited to various levels, from Level 1 to Level 5, according to their degree of difficulty, with level 1 being the easiest level and level 5 being the most advanced. When you choose an NCFE accredited course you are choosing a course that you know is of the highest quality.

NCFE courses are not only popular and highly regarded within the United Kingdom, they also offer an international programme for students studying from overseas. There are more than 1,000 Ofqual-regulated qualifications and bespoke programmes currently available through the NCFE. The NCFE engages with many government and non-government organisations such as the Department for International Trade (DIT), the Department for Education (DfE), and international qualifications regulators.  This means that even if you are not based in the UK, NCFE courses could still be the right option for you. The size of the qualification you can be awarded via the NCFE will depend on the number of hours that it is expected it will take you to complete the course. For example:

• A course that can be completed in 120 hours or less will be assigned Award level.
• A course that can be completed in between 121 – 369 hours will be assigned Certificate level.
• A course that will take more than 370 hours to complete will be assigned Diploma status.

Is NCFE a recognised qualification?

NCFE is a recognised awarding body and therefore an NCFE is a recognised qualification. NCFE qualifications are recognised by the qualification regulators (‘regulators’) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, including Ofqual, the Welsh government, and the CCEA in Northern Ireland.

Obtaining an NCFE level 2 qualification is considered to be at a similar level to having a GCSE at grade A*–C or 4-9 . If you move up another level, an NCFE qualification at level 3 is the equivalent level to an A-level. As a point of comparison, an NVQ level 3 is also the equivalent to an A-level. If you’re interested in extending your learning and considering further education then you need to know that many universities will accept it towards entrance on a course.

If you are focused on a vocational career, for example you have aspirations to become a teaching assistant, line manager within a retail environment, or a nurse or healthcare assistant (to name just a few), then an NCFE or NCFE CACHE qualification is likely to be the best type of qualification you can achieve. These qualifications are highly regarded, recognised in their field, and considered to be the highest standard qualification available within many industries. By contrast, if you have aspirations to become a lawyer or a doctor, you may well find that the conventional route of taking A-levels then securing an undergraduate degree is the best path to achieving your career aspirations. In short, the job you want to do and the individual requirements of your employer will determine which NCFE qualifications will best suit your unique needs.

What makes NCFE unique, and so highly regarded, is that they are created collaboratively in conjunction with both industry experts and key stakeholders. These are the people that know what you need to know to be successful in your chosen career, so it makes sense that they should be involved in setting the course criteria for your NCFE vocational studies.

What courses do NCFE offer?

NCFE offer a huge number of courses (far too many to list here) but the main sector specialisms that they focus on are, alongside some examples of courses that you could study for within that sector:

Childcare and early years education (under the CACHE umbrella)

• CACHE Level 2 Certificate Introducing Caring for Children & Young People
• CACHE Level 3 Award in Childcare and Education

Social care (under the CACHE umbrella)

• CACHE Level 3 Award in Health and Social Care

Health and science (under the CACHE umbrella)

• CACHE Level 2 Certificate Infection Control in Health Care Settings

Catering

• Level 1 Certificate in Food and Cookery Skills
• Level 2 Certificate in Food and Cookery Skills

Digital

• Level 1 Essential digital skills

Retail

• Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Retail Operations
• Level 2 Certificate in Retail Skills
• Level 2 Certificate in Principles of Customer Service

Business administration and management

• NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Principles of Customer Service Course
• NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Principles of Business Administration Course
• NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Principles of Management Course

Transport, logistics and engineering

• Level 1 Certificate in Warehousing and Storage
• Level 1/2 Technical Award in Engineering

Travel and sport

• Level 2 travel and tourism suite

Uniformed public services

• Level 1 Uniformed Services
• Level 1/2 Uniformed Protective Services

NCFE qualifications, no matter what the sector, are designed to provide learners with a structured and challenging learning experience that will support their development and progression. An NCFE should enhance your career, or help you to reach future goals: this could be job progression, taking your career in a new direction, or furthering your education with further study. Obtaining an NCFE qualification will dramatically improve your employability. These courses can help you to develop the skills you need to succeed within your workplace, and achieve personal and professional success.

As well as the tangible benefits of completing an NCFE qualification from an academic and employment point of view, NCFE can also improve your interpersonal skills. They will build your confidence, assess your existing skill level and the goals you have the potential to achieve, and develop problem solving and teamwork skills at the same time.

The Difference Between NCFE and NVQ

When choosing what NCFE accredited course is right for them, many learners will ask what the difference between an NCFE and NVQ is. Both are recognised and accredited qualifications, and both are aimed at vocational learners, although they can be also used to access further education. NVQ is an acronym for National Vocational Qualification, and so as is implied by the title, NVQ’s are competency-based awards that are used to demonstrate that you are qualified to undertake a specific job. You can study for NVQs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, the qualifications are near-identical but they are known as Scottish Vocational Qualifications or SVQs.

NVQs focus much more on on-the-job learning or training. They are often completed as part of an apprenticeship or job training scheme. This means that training is often conducted in settings that replicate authentic workplace settings. By contrast, NCFE is an awarding body rather than a qualification in itself, so what achieving a NCFE qualification involves will vary more from course to course. As a general rule, whilst there is some on-the-job learning involved in NCFE’s, particularly at the higher levels, NCFE’s involve much more book-based or academic learning in a high number of cases. Many NCFE qualifications are also designed specifically to be better suited to distance learning and allow learners to complete their courses at home, at a time and pace that suits them. This is ideal if you are trying to fit your advancing qualifications around your current employment, home life, or any other factors that lead you to research home learning in the first place.

NCFE is a highly regarded awarding body and one that offers a seal of approval to over 1,000 distance learning courses throughout the UK. When you choose an NCFE qualification, you can rest assured that you are choosing a qualification that is recognised by both educational bodies and employers, and one that will give you the skillset you need to succeed in your chosen profession.