Assessors handbook - Annexe 1 Extended qualifications
INGOT (Enterprise) and INGOT (Extended)
By studying additional related units, the Silver and Gold Ingot qualifications can be extended to more comprehensive qualifications. These qualifications will be known as the Silver and Gold Enterprise INGOTs or Level 1 and Level 2 Certificates in ICT Open Systems, Enterprise and Business Growth, reflecting the role of contemporary ICT skills and knowledge in developing capability to support enterprise. This reinforces the relevance of the qualifications to IT users in enterprising contexts in general but with a specific emphasis on the needs of business start up and small scale enterprises. There is planned progression from the units at Level 1 to the units at Level 2 and the Entry level INGOT certificates provide a flexible foundation. Further units are in development to build further extension to the basic ICT qualifications associated with different IT contexts. For example, practical units in statistics to exploit ICT and develop the mathematics needed to support a better understanding of business development, units in ICT based art, graphics and music technology to provide support for self-sufficiency in advertising and general sales and marketing of an enterprise. Environment, health and safety to support responsible ethical attitudes to the use of ICT systems in enterprise and its development. Logical combinations of these units will provide additional learning units for Diplomas as well as standalone qualifications in their own right.
To achieve the Level 1 and Level 2 Certificates in ICT, Enterprise and Business Growth, the candidates must pass all 5 of the mandatory units, three of which are in common with the existing Silver and Gold INGOTs. To achieve other Extended qualifications the candidates must pass all the mandatory units for the Silver and Gold INGOTs and combinations of optional units. As with the basic qualifications, success is catered for at 3 levels, pass, merit and distinction. To achieve a pass, the candidate must pass every unit. For a pass with merit, the candidate must pass all units including the mandatory units of the basic qualifications and a majority of units overall with merit or distinction. To achieve a pass with distinction, the candidate must achieve at least a merit in all units and a distinction in more than half of the units. Once a candidate has achieved a qualification that has additional units to a previous qualification, where relevant, the value of the qualification will be only the one with the most guided learning hours.
