What is the CPC all about?
The CPC is work-related, competence-based qualifications. They reflect the skills and knowledge needed to do a job effectively, and show that a candidate is competent in the area of work the CPC framework represents.
CPC are based on national occupational standards. These standards are statements of performance that describe what competent people in a particular occupation are expected to be able to do. They cover all the main aspects of an occupation, including current best practice, the ability to adapt to future requirements and the knowledge and understanding that underpin competent performance..
Within reason, a CPC does not have to be completed in a specified amount of time. It can be taken by full-time employees or by school and college students with a work placement or part-time job that enables them to develop the appropriate skills.
How is the CPC achieved?
CPC is achieved through assessment and training. Assessment is normally through on-the-job observation and questioning. Candidates produce evidence to prove they have the competence to meet the CPC standards. Assessors sign off CPC modules when the candidates are ready. The assessor tests candidates’ knowledge, understanding and work-based performance to make sure they can demonstrate competence in the workplace.
When new candidates start a CPC, the assessor will usually help them to:
- identify what they can do already
- agree on the standard and level they are aiming for
- analyse what they need to learn
- choose and agree on activities that would allow them to learn what they need.
At this point, candidates might take a course if that seems the best way to learn what they need. Or they might agree with their employer or supervisor to do slightly different work to gain the evidence of competence they need.
Candidates compare their performance with the standards as they learn. They look at what they have achieved, how much they still need to do and how they should go about it, until they are assessed as competent for a unit or a whole CPC. The system is right for candidates who already have skills and want to increase them, but also for those who are starting from the beginning. As the system is so flexible, new ways of learning can be used immediately.