Level 3 Award, Certificate or Diploma In First Line Management

The NCF (National Credit Framework) Level for First Line Managers is Level 3. This is equivalent to A level standard - you can find out more about the QCF (Qualifications Credit Framework) on the QCA website or download the PDF that QCA provides by clicking here.

In terms of identifying who might fall into the category of "first line manager", it is usually people who have moved on a step from being a team leader. Typically a team leader would not have line management responsibility, whereas a first line manager would. Of course how each organisation uses terminology like this differs, so don't get hung up on the words.

Your first line managers - whatever you call them - are the people who manage, motivate and lead the people on the shop floor who actually "deliver the goods". Typically, people who are excellent press minders or packers, or social workers, or book-keepers or whatever their profession might be are spotted and singled out for promotion into a management role. However being good at "doing something" doesn't mean that you are automatically good at "managing" something. It is a different skill set. When you "do" you only have yourself to "do" with. When you manage, like a lever, you exert an influence - good or bad - over a number of others, who together can achieve far more than you could ever achieve on your own.

People promoted into first line management roles are worth investing in and developing. Presumably they were good "doers" in the first place and presumably they have acquitted themselves well in some kind of team leader role or taken on responsibilities that made them stand out from the crowd. They are the future of your organisation, and care taken with building a good foundation of management skills now will pay dividends as they continue to get promoted.

The content for first line manager programmes at NCF Level 3 tends to revolve around tactical management skills such as:

• Developing yourself and others
• Delegation
• Prioritisation and personal effectiveness
• Setting and monitoring work plans
• Managing resources
• Handling conflict
• Motivating staff
• Managing performance
• Recruitment and selection
• Understanding costs and budgets
• Building and developing teams
• Communicating effectively one to one, in groups and in writing

Across the three awarding bodies, different combinations of these kinds of subjects are possible with different kinds of content emphasis. Choosing the right awarding body will enable you to align content to meet your specific organisational development needs.

Level 3 - First Line Managers - Qualifications Available

The Level 3 Qualifications that Croft Centre delivers are:

At level 3, the amount of content for each qualification is roughly as follows. The actual number of units, taught days and guided learning hours vary depending which awarding body you choose:

** Guided Learning Hours include a mixture of:

• Face to Face study
• Own time study - reading, research, implementation in the workplace
• Assignment writing

Within Level 3, you can either run a longer qualification from day 1 and enable people who don't want to do the whole thing to "stop" at key milestones, or you can start small with a Level 3 Award, then add a few more units and do a Level 3 Certificate and then more still and do a Level 3 Diploma. You can do this over several years if you want to and this more methodical approach is a great way to motivate and develop those First Line Managers who are not destined for higher management, but need to be motivated, developed and supported to do the best possible job at their current level.

Assessment at Level 3

We usually design assessments with you based on a library of examples we have, but focused around your organisational needs. At least half of the assessment work at level 3 is written work-based assignments and these are usually between 1500 and 2000 words in length. But other assessment methods are often used such as presentations, completed workbooks, online tests and work based projects.

Overall at level 3 your managers will probably end up doing something along the following lines - each awarding body differs in its requirements and advice:

Assessments are the way in which the Awarding Bodies prove that learning outcomes have been met. There is a set of learning outcomes for each unit you choose for your programme, however you don't necessarily have to do one piece of assessed work per unit - you can often successfully combine learning outcomes for more than one unit in the same piece of work.

Croft Centre marks and feeds back on all written work along with carrying out internal verification to ensure common and fair marking standards are kept. All assessment work is periodically reviewed and inspected by the relevant Awarding body.

Level 3 - First Line Managers - Cost Information

All costs are calculated uniquely for you, taking into account a number of factors including:

• Final choice of awarding body
• Length of course
• Selected units
• Number of taught days

For the financial year 2009/10, based on a group of 15 delegates in one programme, typical costs per delegate for Level 3 qualifications planned and delivered in your organisation by Croft Management Centre fall within the following ranges:

• Level 3 Award in First Line Management - £400 to £600 per delegate plus VAT
• Level 3 Certificate in First Line Management - £900 to £1200 per delegate plus VAT
• Level 3 Diploma in First Line Management - £1400 to £1800 per delegate plus VAT

Selecting the right kind of course for your first line managers is not always easy. Usually the best way to figure things out is to have an initial conversation with our programme designer Jeremy Hamilton. Please do contact Jeremy or give him a call on 01202 461230 - he will be very happy to talk through some options with you.