SVQ Enabling Clients to Access Career Development Services SCQF level 9

This SVQ for the CIAG sector is a new qualification. It is designed to provide specialist training for practitioners working in career guidance and/or employability support and to provide maximum flexibility for candidates and employers in this diverse sector.

National Context

Across the UK, there are differing structures and approaches to career development. The NOS have been written to enable the differences to be accommodated and to enable different terminology to be applied as appropriate.

However, regardless of the national context, at the heart of career development is the client-centred approach, with a focus on positive outcomes for the individuals or groups that a career development practitioner supports.

It is expected that effective practice in career development will be based on a specialist body of knowledge that supports the profession.

Principles and Values

The principles and values of those who work in career development were discussed during development of these NOS, and identified as integral to the way in which practitioners deliver career development and support opportunities to individuals and groups. The career development sector has developed codes of practice and ethics which capture this approach, and it is expected that the majority of the career development workforce will be aware of and adhere to relevant codes.

Target group and relevant occupations

These standards are for anybody who supports or delivers career development opportunities and activities, either as a part, or as the majority, of their role, within the public, private or voluntary sectors. They apply at organisational and individual levels.

The range of occupations in the career development workforce is extensive and encompasses work-based and education-related services, private organisations, voluntary, public sector and community-based services across the UK. The range of functions that are delivered by the sector as a whole is defined in the functional map developed by the CDI.

‘Career Development’ has been used to mean the improvement of the career management skills of individuals. It does this by providing information, advice and guidance about career and learning options and identifying and developing individuals’ knowledge, attitudes and skills, aspirations and motivation to lifelong learning. This could take place in the workplace, community or in organisations with a career development focus, learning organisations or other places where individuals are encouraged to develop their career or educational prospects.  Career development support will occur across a range of delivery channels or media.

Successful candidates will gain an internationally-recognised qualification that guarantees that they have the skills, knowledge and abilities required to carry out their role successfully.  Assessment is carried out in the workplace, which minimises any time candidates would need to be away from their work.

The SVQ can be offered in any of the following modes:

• in the workplace
• part-time (eg day-release)

The SVQ is suitable for:

• individuals who are currently in employment in the career guidance and employability support sectors and who wish to obtain a formal qualification
• new recruits to the sector

Entry is at the discretion of the centre.

The SVQ is work-based and assessed in the workplace. Candidates should be employed in the sector or have access to a suitable placement where they are carrying out relevant tasks and responsibilities which allow them to gather the required evidence. 

Candidates successfully completing The SVQ 4 Career Information, Advice and Employability Support at SCQF level 9 could progress to:

• higher level degree study in a related discipline at a higher education institution or with the professional body, the Career Development Institute
• promoted posts in a range of jobs in the CIAG or Employability Support sectors

Centres with devolved authority for approval should use their own internal approval process.

Centres without devolved authority will have to come forward for approval and should contact SQA’s Business Development Team for guidance.

Assessors and verifiers must be able to meet SQA’s general requirements for technical/occupational competence as outlined in the Guide to Approval

For general information on how to assess this qualification, please refer to the document Guidance on how to assess SVQs. For detailed guidance on how to assess this particular SVQ, please refer to the Assessment Strategy.

Group Award Code: GL48 24

The SVQ Career Information, Advice and Employability Support at SVQF level 9 consists of 3 mandatory Units and 6 optional Units.

For details of the Units making up the SVQ, please refer to the Qualification Structure document:

• SVQ Career Information Advice and Employability Support Structure GL48 24 (80 KB)

Unit information for this qualification is available on our Unit Search.

Core Skill mappings are carried out by the SSC responsible for the development of an SVQ. It is a requirement of SQA Accreditation that every SVQ submission includes information on where possible opportunities for candidates to develop Core Skills exist across the mandatory units.

Centres should note that mappings are not audited or validated against the Core Skills framework/units so are not accepted by SQA awarding body as evidence towards achievement of the Core Skills units.

• CSS L4 Career Information Advice and ES (13 KB)

*Details of the relevant MA should be available shortly

• Assessment Strategy SVQs Career Development (234 KB)

Assessor’s Guidelines are under development and will be added when available

• Information for candidates starting an SVQ (382 KB)
• Candidate Portfolio A4 Cover (118 KB)
• Candidate printable blank recording forms (245 KB)
• Candidate blank recording forms (Template for Word) (134 KB)

• Guidance for Candidates starting an SVQ
• Candidate Portfolio A4 Cover
• Candidate blank recording form

• 2022 Qualification Verification Summary Report (118 KB)