What educational level is my degree?

[MrsRossPoldark]

As always, I am hoping MNers will know the answer to this!

I would like to do an English certificate in Social Care but can't afford to pay for it so am trying to get funding. I keep being bounced back as I already have a Scottish BSc (Ordinary) degree in Computing from 1985 which is totally unrelated (& very out of date!).

However, my training coordinator seems to believe I may qualify for funding because, as my degree is not Honours (I should add that in Scotland an ordinary degree is not the same as a failed honours. It's a full degree just 3 years rather than 4.) it may equate to a level 4 qualification not a level 5. If this is the case, I may be able to get funding after all.

I have tried ucas/ gov website/ original university & no one seems to be able to give me a definitive answer.

Does anyone know?

[titchy]

Honours degrees in rUK are Level 6. In Scotland they sit between Dip HE (which is Level 5) and Honours Degree (Level 6). It isn't Level 4 either way though.

[WhoTheFuckIsSimon]

Says here that a bachelors degree is lvl 6. You still have a bachelors degree even if not with hons

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Qualifications_Framework#England.2C_Wales_and_Northern_Ireland

[lougle]

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/QualificationsCanCrossBoundaries.pdf&ved=0CCIQFjACahUKEwif0pH9gK7IAhWFjiwKHbmMCfk&usg=AFQjCNHXx3FuSphQaVHCvYo52HJixQKovA&sig2=S1fRR8WwMsGjLfREK9gNLA" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/QualificationsCanCrossBoundaries.pdf&ved=0CCIQFjACahUKEwif0pH9gK7IAhWFjiwKHbmMCfk&usg=AFQjCNHXx3FuSphQaVHCvYo52HJixQKovA&sig2=S1fRR8WwMsGjLfREK9gNLA Qualifications can cross Boundaries]]

Your degree is SQF 9 which equates to our level 6,so degree level.

[MrsRossPoldark]

Titchy/whothefuckissimon: that's kind of what I thought - I'm clutching at straws tbh as I really want to do this certificate but just can't. No funding, no available sponsorship, etc. as I work for a charity.

If I win the lottery...! Just a bit sore as a friend of mine who also has a degree just qualified as a nurse & keeps making comments about it never being too late to change a career (we are both in our 50s) - well, for some of us it is too late & we have no opportunity to change career - we just have to muddle through.

[MrsRossPoldark]

Iougle: that's a great chart! Sent it in to training co-ordinarily. Whilst it obv doesn't help me, he might it useful for future reference. Thanks to everyone for their help!

[NanFlanders]

Have you considered taking out a career development loan? You can borrow between £300 and £10K to pay for a course which will help you develop your career: www.gov.uk/career-development-loans/overview
Loans are usually offered at a reduced interest rate and the government pays interest while you’re studying.

[MrsRossPoldark]

Nanflanders: chasing the one up. However no providers available to me to do the course at level I need. Open Uni do their own funding & I don't qualify so that's out. Other colleges in my area don't qualify for this loan & lesser qualifications, though useful, aren't the ones required for my planned job role.

However, I did call them to arrange for a careers advisor to call me back in the next few days so you never know!

[NanFlanders]

Good luck! Hope it works out for you.

[IamtheDevilsAvocado]

Which career are you heading towards OP? Are there different routes to qualification?

Often there is more than one way to skin the proverbial!

[Misnomer]

What is your goal with retraining? Are you hoping to become a social worker? There may be other courses around that get you to the same career and are easier to fund. I've heard that funding for postgraduate courses is changing to being on the same basis as student loans for undergraduate so that you wouldn't pay anything back until you start earning, unlike career development loans? It might be worth looking in to that.