CILEx Centre Collaboration Guide: Recruiting, Retaining, & Qualifying Students

1. CILEx and centresworking together Recruit, retain and qualify studentsApril 2015Alison HollyerQualifications Account Manager

2. Objectives • To share information and ideas on how we work together to recruit, retain and qualify CILEx students • To consider how CILEx can continue to support centres to effectively recruit, retain and qualify CILEx students

3. CILEx Academic stages • Level 3 – set/assessed at A level standard • Level 6 – set/assessed at honours degree standard • Level 3 – 10 units for Diploma • Level 6 – 3 law and 1 linked practice and 2 skills units • A member must complete both the Level 3 & 6 qualifications plus qualifying employment and work based learning to become a Fellow of CILEx • Members must complete CPD annually and the scheme has changed For further information see CILEx Regulation - www.cilexregulation.org.uk

4. What CILEx and centres can offer students CILEx’s Level 3 qualifications Key features • 2 main outcomes: Certificate and Diploma • Certificate – Unit 1, any 1 Law and a linked Practice, plus the 2 Professional Skills • Diploma – Unit 1, 4 mandatory Law, 3 others (2 of which must be Practice), plus 2 Professional Skills The student completes these qualifications from a suite of units

5. What CILEx and centres can offer our students and employers Qualifications • Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice and Certificate in Law and Practice • Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law and Practice • Level 6 Graduate Fast Track • Single Subject Certificate • Level 3 & 4 Legal Services Apprenticeships

6. Features of the Level 3 and 6 qualifications for students and employers • Unitised – units are the building blocks of qualifications • Credit-based – each unit will have a credit value which will be indicative of its size • Multiple qualification outcomes – e.g. Level 3 Professional qualification (Diploma and Certificate) • Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law and Practice, Graduate Fast Track and Single Subject Certificate

7. The Level 3 qualification

8. Delivery of Level 3 –unit priority • No required unit priority • Unit 1 underpins the other units – ideally taken towards the start of the student’s programme • Units 16 and 17 again contain knowledge and understanding that is useful to the delivery of the Law and Practice units – ideally completed alongside the Law and Practice units • Law units and Practice units – beneficial that students are taught the Law unit before the Practice unit

9. The Level 6 qualification • Professional qualification – three law and one linked practice paper and two professional skills units • Graduate Fast Track – two practice papers (one must be linked to a law paper) and client care unit

10. Other delivery considerations • How many variations of the Certificate might you want to run? – Endorsed pathways? • Do you always want to meet the Certificate rubric during the first year? • Challenges of funding and what minimum student numbers are required to deliver the course ? • When and how are decisions made about which programmes and units will run? Centre-based decision or majority student preference? Meeting and managing student expectations

11. Who can you recruit ? • Existing centre students – A level law students – paralegal and vocational students e.g. BTEC Nationals • Exemption opportunities – Business Studies graduates with law element • New student market – recently qualified law graduates – Graduate Fast Track – (Legal Services Apprenticeships) – – exemptions • Legal sector and non legal sector employees – local businesses’ need for up-to-date legal knowledge – Niche areas – Employment Practice – Civil Litigation – Contract Law

12. Benefits for Legal Employers • Train staff while they are in post – new business models – Alternative Business Structures • Client facing staff understand the importance of acting professionally – Client Care units • Realise the fee-earning potential of staff – consider costs of training against charge out fee earning time • Who is the decision maker regarding approved training for the business?

13. Recruitment opportunities • Existing students on CILEx or other courses • Students hear about CILEx by word of mouth from existing students or fellow employees or their employer – training manager or principal • Who is the decision maker in the firm to support an employee on the CILEx route ? • Emphasise to employers the financial benefits of qualifying team members – higher charge out rates which add to the firm’s profitability and number of fee earners. Increase employee retention • Careers advice agencies – recent government review • Consider other financial support for students

14. How can CILEx and centres recruit successfully? • Timescales – Approval of course running –production of Centre prospectus • Resources - CILEx marketing materials – CILEx Journal – Get into Law – Centre materials – Events – contact with local CILEx Branch, and local careers fairs for school leavers and briefing centre careers advisers • Think creatively – where does CILEx fit in your centre’s provision? Consider linking your marketing activity with other professional courses in centre e.g. CIM or AAT • Local opportunities – partnerships with schools – universities - local employers – Jobcentres – local careers advice agencies - you know your area! Be proactive; develop personal links and networks • Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

15. Recruitment for centres • What is your student profile - age – gender - ethnicity - employment status-fees paid by employers ? Full and/or part-time ? • How did you recruit your current students? • Has recruitment become more difficult recently, and if so, why? • What support do you receive from within your centre to recruit? For example a designated marketing team • What is your relationship with careers advice agencies? • How do you develop links with local employers and network? Chamber of Commerce, Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) • How can CILEx help you to recruit, retain and qualify students in 2016 ?

16. Retention • Level 3 Year 1 Certificate delivery model • Level 3 Year 2 Diploma delivery model • Unitised delivery as opposed to continuous delivery • Centres looking to help students make a positive start; units achieved following first sitting in January session • Feedback is that a unit model used helps to retain students • Consider your students’ needs and preferences to support achievement, build up the units and achieve a qualification

17. Retention • Consider different delivery models to meet student needs – assume September start and part-time provision • Complete unit one first and sit in January with a professional skills unit • Considerations – streams of provision e.g. Civil Litigation, Conveyancing and Employment • Resources – interesting and innovative teaching – highlight information on the website for students – current unit specifications, past examination papers, suggested answers • Support for students – “buddy” or mentor system – year 2 students support year 1 students • Student background – in legal employment – full or part-time ? • Pair a student working in a legal environment with one who does not

18. Recruit, retain and qualify students • Recruitment • How do you recruit? Do you use social media? • What support do you receive? • Target market – What is your target market? Will Apprenticeships impact on this? • Employers – how do you identify employers and build relationships • Has it got more difficult to recruit? • What networks do you use – Careers advice agencies, LinkedIn, CILEx branches, Chamber of Commerce, Local business networks/initiatives, LEPs, Jobcentres, business support units (in house or external) • Retain and Qualify • What do you do to retain students ? • What do you think is effective ? • Any ideas to share ?

19. Key information to support student retention and qualification • Understanding of key dates and deadlines • Understand what units/qualification students are studying including unit specification and consider previous assessment materials • Content and assessment of the qualification • Any reasonable adjustments required or special consideration after examination • Relationship between CILEx, student, centre and, if appropriate, the employer • Unitised range of qualifications provides opportunities to widen pool of stakeholders

20. Qualify students • Celebrate achievement with student (and if sponsored their employer) and consider centre event –presentation – press release – CILEx local branch ? • Opportunities with CILEx as a chartered lawyer – regulated person by CILEx Regulation – recognised by peers and employer • Obtain differential membership grade • CPD requirements • Qualifying employment and work based learning • Students become a CILEx ambassador to share their achievement and support the centre • Tell CILEx PR and Comms team of unusual success stories for use as a case study

21. Any comments or questions ? Sources of information please regularly visit the CILEx website and read the Legal Executive Journal Alison Hollyer Qualifications Account Manager