Level 2 Certificate for the Children & Young People's Workforce

CWDC is developing the Level 2 Certificate for the Children and Young People's Workforce. We have been working closely with our Skills for Care and Development partners in Northern Ireland and Wales and our colleagues at the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) to ensure we share as may units as possible across our level 2 qualifications.  

The CWDC Qualifications Board made the decision that, in light of the aspiration that all practitioners should be qualified to level 3 as a minimum, the level 2 qualification should not be seen as an exit point but should rather be a progression towards the Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People's Workforce. 

In order to deliver the new Level 2 Certificate for the Children and Young People’s Workforce in line with the government’s 14-19 strategy, the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) has agreed to allow full and relevant Level 2 vocationally related qualifications (VRQs) included in the Qualifications List for those delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage to continue to carry occupational competence for 16-19 year old college-based learners enrolling up to December 2010 only.  This includes the following:

• CACHE Level 2 Diploma in Child Care and Education
• CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Child Care and Education
• Edexcel Level 2 BTEC First Diploma in Children’s Care, Learning and Development (Subject to approval and inclusion on the Qualifications list for those delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage)

Allowing these qualifications to continue to confer occupational competence is a temporary measure pending the launch of a suitable package of learning for 16-19 year old college based learners with the new Level 2 Certificate at its heart. 

It is likely that this will mirror the revised Apprenticeship that will become available this autumn and which will include the new Level 2 Certificate. 
 
CWDC continues to work with awarding organisations and the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) to develop the apprenticeship framework and will provide regular updates around ongoing development.

You can access further details of the Level 2 Certificate for the Children and Young People's Workforce to explore how the qualification is constructed and what the timelines are.