What is Community Education Validation and Endorsement (CeVe)?
CeVe was set up in 1991 by the Scottish Office, and given delegated powers to approve community learning and development courses. It will become the Approvals Sub-committee of the Standards Council from the end of 2008.
This approval is a quality assurance process similar to a validation event at a university, where a panel of peers considers the course against a set of guidelines. This ensures that an individual has both the knowledge and skills to carry out the work. Most courses are approved for a period of five years with a mid-term review carried out during that time.
There are six sets of guidelines.
Graduate and post-graduate qualifying community education training
Endorsement of fieldwork supervision courses
Endorsement of training programmes for part-time and voluntary workers
Development and endorsement of pre-qualifying training
Recognition as a community educator for applicants trained outwith Scotland
The guidelines, which are currently being refreshed, were based on a functional analysis of the field; research is being undertaken to review these guidelines, which currently have six key competences. These are used to ensure an individual is competent to practise in this sector.
Also available are the Guidelines for Post-Qualification Community Practice and Development Training.
Which courses does CeVe approve?
The current qualification for a professional Community Learning and Development worker is at degree or post-graduate level. There are currently five degree level programmes and three post-graduate programmes approved in Scotland.
There are a number of HNC Working with Communities programmes which are approved.
CeVe committee
The CeVe unit currently sits within Scottish Government but reports to the Ceve Comittee. The CeVe committee is made up of a mixture of employers, training providers and other appropriate agencies, for example, QAA. It meets around four times a year to oversee the work of the CeVe unit, including approving recommended courses.
Recognition
The CeVe unit will create recognition panels for individuals who have trained outside Scotland and wish to be recognised as a competent community learning and development worker.
Recognition is a process of matching an individual's qualifications and experience against a set of specific CeVe guidelines to ensure that they will be make a competent community learning and development worker. See guidelines above.
The CeVe Unit provides information and guidance to employers, students, potential students, career services and training providers.
Note: if you want to be employed as a fully qualified community learning and development worker you must have undertaken a qualifying level CeVe-endorsed course. If you qualified outside Scotland and want more information, contact us by email.
Useful links
PAULO
Lifelong Learning United Kingdom (LLUK)
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF)