Post Apprenticeship Recognition Scheme
The Chartered Institution for Further Education (CIFE) and the Association of Apprentices (AoA) are collaborating to create a professional recognition scheme for qualified apprentices.
The Scheme will recognise the unique educational route offered by apprenticeships and the core skills and attributes they promote regardless of level and occupational area. It highlights that completion of an apprenticeship frequently results in individuals who are assets to organisations, possessing the necessary resilience, tenacity, organisational skills, and adaptability successfully to manage integrated employment and study.
The Scheme will be open to qualified apprentices based in the UK and will offer a simple route to recognition on successful completion of an apprenticeship. Apprentices must have the support of their employer or an industry-linked sponsor and be registered with AoA (which is free to join). The application process will seek evidence of the individual’s organisational and societal contributions resulting from their successful apprenticeship completion and the associated impact.
Apprentices who are successful in their application will be eligible to use post nominal designations (letters after their name) issued by the Chartered Institution for Further Education as a mark of their achievement.
Level 2 Certificate of Standard (Level) Apprenticeship (CSA)
Level 3 Certificate of Advanced (Level) Apprenticeship (CAA)
Level 4/5 Certificate of Higher (Level) Apprenticeship (CHA)
Level 6 & above Certificate of Graduate (Level) Apprenticeship (CGA)
The Importance of Professional Recognition
Research conducted with apprentices and employers suggested strong support for a professional recognition scheme. Award of post nominal designations may elevate the cachet of both the recipient and the apprenticeship route and maintains a continual link to the apprenticeship. Apprentices and employers alike believe that a scheme will
- support increased retention, normalise full completion and help to improve achievement rates
- contribute to raising parity of esteem
- build awareness of the skills, behaviours and impact that qualified apprentices offer to businesses
This scheme is:
- a one-off recognition of an apprentice’s achievement at a specific point in time
- recognition of the unique mode of learning and working that is an apprenticeship
- recognition for a qualified apprentice, their summative achievement and the impact that they have made as a result on their organisation and/or community.
- complementary to industry specific or occupational professional recognition
This scheme is not:
- an accreditation with membership of a professional body
- an accreditation ladder where one level leads to another
- a qualification in its own right
- an assessment of competence
- a further validation of technical or occupational competency
When Can I Apply?
We are placing apprentices front and centre of the scheme’s development. Over recent months we have reviewed criteria and worked directly with a small pilot group of apprentices to design, shape and test the application process to ensure it is simple, straight forward and accessible. We are currently completing the evaluation of the pilot programme and preparing for the full launch and implementation.
The full scheme will be launched in early summer 2024.
Register Your Interest Now
To register your interest in the scheme and be kept up to date on developments and the launch date when PARS will open for applications, email us here using PARS in the subject line or contact us via the enquiry form.
Further Information
For general enquiries about PARS, please email CIFE or AoA using the details below.
