2) Why choose PILOT over other training providers?
There are 10 key reasons, which are:

• At PILOT, we understand the manufacturing and service industries. We only offer and deliver training programmes which we consider are in the best interest of an organisation and its employees.
• We have become the chosen training provider for the majority of the organisations that we have worked for since our inception in 2001
• We give unrivalled support for BMEs (Black Minority Enterprises), with multi-lingual trainer/assessors available to assist with language difficulties.
• Our trainer/assessors are all qualified in both training and in their business discipline, so they understand and respond to Client organisations' operational requirements.
• We offer additional training to all learners that is relevant to them individually and to their work situation.
• We provide outstanding support for learners with any learning difficulties, particularly languages.
• PILOT has successfully guided learners to achieve over 8,000 nationally accredited qualifications since incorporation in 2001. Many of our learners have progressed on to undertake additional qualifications.
• It is our purpose: PILOT is a private company created to help organisations to improve performance through developing their greatest asset - their staff.
• We're good - and that is the official Grade which we were awarded after an ALI inspection in 2006. And we are working to improve!
• We care - about the achievements of our learners and about the effectiveness of our programme for their employer.

- National because it is set to standards which are the same throughout the country
- Vocational because it relates to a person's job
- Qualification because it is an officially recognised internationally

NVQs have come to be accepted by the UK government as being the most valuable means of up-skilling the nation's workforce. This has been borne out by our own experience in delivering NVQ courses since 2001.

NVQs have been developed for all the national industries and are regularly updated. They have been designed to provide valid and relevant qualifications for people at work, to reflect their ability at doing their job. The NVQs are about being competent at work, which means being able to do something at work and understand why it is done in that way.

The aim of NVQs is to recognise and increase the skills of people working in a wide range of industries.

Recognising and developing the skills of each individual person, wherever they work and whatever they do, meets a basic need for personal growth.

Developing individual skills also meets the needs of the employer for the organisation to be competitive and to succeed. NVQs have become a vital component for any business wishing for success, competing in domestic and world markets.

For the learners, an NVQ gives them the understanding of the relationship of their work to the others around them, of the importance of each activity within the organisation and the realisation that improvements and ideas are encouraged and are given serious consideration. They have proved to be a most powerful motivator for some individual learners.

2) What are the Qualification Levels?
The level of a qualification indicates its complexity (challenge). Under QCF, the range is from Entry to level 8. Entry will continue to be split into E1, E2 and E3.

To gauge the complexity of levels within the QCF: GCSEs grades A - C are equivalent to level 2; GCE A-levels are level 3; and a PhD is the maximum level 8.

For all competence-based accredited courses, the "level" of the course is also considered to relate to the level of autonomy and authority involved in the individual person's work which is being assessed for the qualification. A quick guide is:

Level 1: requires basic skills involved in working to instructions

Level 2: requires some degree of decision making in relation to work operations

Level 3: requires some degree of decision taking regarding the work of others,

Level 4: requires authority over departmental activity, with some involvement in budget setting

Level 5: relates to a departmental leadership where there is responsibility for the budget

Should you be uncertain about the level at which you should be working, we can advise after a short conversation.

To determine the appropriate level for your course, Contact us

3) What does the Level 2 signify?
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has defined a Level 2 qualification as follows:

Achievement at level two reflects the ability to select and use relevant knowledge, ideas, skills and procedures to complete well-defined tasks and address straightforward problems. It includes taking responsibility for completing tasks and procedures and exercising autonomy and judgement subject to overall direction or guidance.

4) How do I select the correct Qualification Level?
You can gain a good indication from the choice of topics described in our Course Profiles and in the answers to the questions above.

The most appropriate level for the Learner will be determined following discussions between the course Trainer/Assessor, the employer and individual learner.

To identify the appropriate level for your intended course, Contact us

5) What does an NVQ course involve?
The NVQ courses available are selected to match the current work roles of each individual person taking part.

All NVQ courses follow the same procedure. They require the person taking the course to provide evidence of his/her:

• knowledge,
• understanding and
• performance

6) How long will an NVQ course take?
This depends almost entirely on the individual participant's work load and content. The courses are run at the pace of the individual, to fit in with work requirements and the need to progress.

A course will usually span 14 to 16 weeks lapsed time, depending on the individual learner and their work activities.

7) How much does an NVQ course cost?
There are so many variables which affect cost, that no firm figures can be quoted. The government and the European Social Fund have, however, set up several sources of support funding, which can be accessed where appropriate. We can advise on these. For more details, see "What we do".

8) If an NVQ qualification relates to a person's current work activities, how are training and up-skilling achieved?
The NVQ process follows the Assess-Train-Assess process. It concentrates on the person's ability to meet national standards of performance in their own job. Shortcomings against these standards will be identified through initial assessment. The appropriate training is provided and the operational activities then reassessed. Any other training needs can be identified at the same time and arranged to be provided in the most appropriate way.

• Closer adherence to organisational procedures
• Improved quality of work/production
• Increased number of valid suggestions for improvements within the workplace
• Improved internal communications
• Increased incidence of feedback on Company Documentation
• Identification of further training needs
• Safer production and work operations:
• Adherence to Company safety signage
• Correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Fewer reportable accidents and entries in the Accident Book
• Increased number of hazard alerts.
• Reduced threat of adverse legal actions by the Health and Safety Executive
• Assists the organisation to be competitive and to succeed
• Improved morale
• Reduced absentee rate
• Improved timekeeping
• Improved teamwork
• Helps to identify the commitment of the individual within the organisation.

2) Have you any examples of increased profitability or turnover?
Yes, we have lots of specific examples from all industry sectors: our Representatives will gladly give you details relating to your own industry.

3) Will the training interfere with our work activities?
This would depend totally on the programme being undertaken; our training programmes are all designed to minimise disruption to operational activities and are all set up in agreement with your operational managers.

4) How much time must learners spend away from their workstations?
Learners will need to spend 15 to 30 minutes each week working with their Trainer/Assessor. There is also course material to be completed as and when their work allows.

5) Can my organisation get funding to support an NVQ training programme?
Quite possibly. It all depends on a variety of factors, as outlined below.

Criteria for funding
The amount of support funding available and the route to obtain it is dependent on:

- the actual number of participants for the courses
- the type and level of the course being undertaken
- the size and location of the employer organisation
- the existing qualifications of the prospective participants

Luckily, the nationally accredited courses which we deliver are widely supported with government funding. We will access this funding in accordance with the support schemes current at the time and with regard to your particular situation.

We will ensure that you receive the relevant funding support available to us.

With PILOT, there are no colleges to be visited, no work to be done away from your place of employment and no examinations or tests to be undertaken!

You will achieve a formal confirmation that you are able to work to the quality standards of your national industry. This will give you a qualification and a Certificate which is your own personal property, which is recognised and respected internationally. It confirms for any employer your level of competence and understanding of your work.

2) Do I need an NVQ qualification if I am about to retire?
It might be in your best interest: some organisations are now insisting on the qualification as an automatic requirement for future employment, others are using it as a guide of a person's commitment to their work. It would surely not be in your own best interests to put yourself at a disadvantage compared with other employees, however short you expect your future time in employment will be?

3) Where will the training take place?
At the workplace; much of it at your workstation if it is operationally safe to do it there.

4) Do I get a Certificate?
Yes, if you succeed in satisfying your Trainer/Assessor of the quality of your work in relation to the required National Standards

5) What progression is possible after my present course?
Successful learners can progress to other, relevant courses at the same Level, (see General Answers above), to alternative work-based subjects or to the next Level in Business and Administration or Management NVQ, or to Certificate or HNC Business courses. Your PILOT Trainer/Assessor will give you appropriate advice and guidance regarding further suitable training for you to undertake.

Each Unit has a credit value which specifies the number of "Credits" gained by a learner who completes that Unit. The credit value reflects the amount of time that would be expected to be spent, on average, by a learner in completing the Unit.

The QCF enables learners to accumulate Credits such that they can gain enough for a full qualification, obtained at their own pace through a choice of subjects and Units that are the most suitable for both them and their employer.

For many subjects, a new series of qualifications can be achieved by the learner, depending upon the number of Credits gained. There are three types of qualification:

• Awards (1 to 12 credits)
• Certificates (13 to 36 credits)
• Diplomas (37 credits or more)

2) How do I find the Credit values?
The numbers of Credits required for any one qualification will be published as part of the course details, together with the Credit values of each.

Unit and the structure of the qualification and any specific rules of combination or exclusion of Units.

Learners gain recognition for every Unit which they complete successfully.

3) When do the changes take place?
The requirements of the QCF came into effect nationally on 1st Jan. 2011.

The newly constructed courses are being introduced as they become available from their Awarding Body. QCF-compliant courses will eventually replace all the existing nationally accredited qualifications.