National Certificate Business

SCQF level 5

Duration: 9 months

Mode of study: Online

Credits awarded: 72

Overview

The Blended Institute National Certificate in Business qualification has been credit rated by the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) of Scotland at Level 5 on the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) with 72 allocated SCQF credits. This enables students to progress to relevant undergraduate programmes of study in compliance with the entry requirements of individual universities in the UK with Credit Exemptions. In addition, the qualification is at Level 3 of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).

Level 5 is widely considered as the Foundation year of the Undergraduate study and after Level 5, students are accepted for entering into the First Year of the Undergraduate Degree.

Please see a link to the SCQF database form where you can access the Blended Institute qualification information https://scqf.org.uk/about-the-framework/scqf-database/.

The SQA is the national awarding body in Scotland responsible for the development, accreditation, assessment, certification and awarding of qualifications other than University Degrees. SQA was established by the Education (Scotland) Act 1996 which is an act of Parliament and as such is responsible to the Scottish Government.

As an internationally recognised awarding body many of the qualifications that are quality assured and certificated by SQA are accepted by UK and International Universities for advanced entry and/or credit transfer into Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes. Additionally, the UK University sector are important stakeholders of SQA who are integral to the development and validation of a range of SQA qualifications which can facilitate progression pathways to University

Entry requirements

  • If you have achieved 12 years of formal education. 

  • If you have completed other comparable programmes awarded by other recognised regulated awarding bodies or local equivalents. Blended Institute will consider your educational achievements, work experience and motivation to decide on your entry to the programme.

  • As all our programmes are delivered and assessed via assignments to be written in English, you will need to be highly competent in Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking in the same.

Non-standard entry for mature students

A non-standard entry is when an applicant does not meet the standard entry requirements but demonstrates life and work skills that qualify for this level of business studies, in such cases, Blended Institute will consider the applicant’s entry to the programme, based on a personal statement detailing their previous work and life experience.

This non-standard entry often applies to mature applicants, who may have been away from education for a while or did not have the chance to complete their studies before. This programme is a learner’s chance to get back into education and ultimately enhance their career.

Multiple entry points

With admissions being open almost every month, SCQF Level 5 – National Certificate in Business from Blended Institute allows the learner to enter the programme at any time during the year. The programme comprises 12 modules which can be taken in any order and the module you start with will depend on the month in which you start.

Programme structure

The programme curriculum is structured into 12 modules each carrying a credit of 6 points. Each module takes 8 weeks to complete and is delivered online by our industry practitioners and PhD qualified lecturers, according to a schedule as well as at the learner’s preferred time and pace. Towards the end of each module, the learner must submit an assignment – not an exam. However, if an exam is required, you will be notified at the start of the course.

Each module is separately assessed through a variety of modes in order to enable you to demonstrate your acquired skills, knowledge and competencies. The learner will receive credits and progress to the next module once the assignment is successfully completed.

Eight mandatory modules

  • IT Software —Spreadsheet and Database

  • IT Software — Word Processing and Presenting Information 

  • Enterprise Skills 

  • Marketing: Basic Principles and Applications

  • Skills for Customer Care

  • Market Operations and the Economy

  • Recording Cash Transactions

  • Communication 

Four optional modules from the following areas:

  • Economics

  • Accounting

  • Work Experience/Working with Others

  • Business Decision Areas

  • Business Management

  • IT

  • Marketing

  • Numeracy

  • ESOL - English as a second language

Fees and funding

National Certificate in Business (SCQF Level 5): fees*

*This fee is fully inclusive of all costs, including all teaching materials & assessments.

Progression

Blended Institute SQA Level 5 – National Certificate in Business is the first part of a three-stage programme). On successful completion of the qualification, you will be able to progress to Blended Institute’s SCQF Level 7 – Advanced Certificate in Business. The Blended Institute’s SCQF Level 5 is a 72 credit programme that may also be completed as a standalone qualification.