IT OCR CAMBRIDGE TECHNICAL SUBSIDIARY DIPLOMA (RQF)

You will study 9 Units in the first year, 2 of which are compulsory. If you are successful in all 9 units in the first year (and taking other factors into consideration e.g. commitment to the course), then you will be considered for progression to do a further 9 units in the second year.

There are 3 pathways to choose from:

• IT (with a business bias),
• Networking,
• Programming.

The first year is more or less similar to all three pathways, however, there are some carefully chosen Units to reflect the needs for education and training of the IT professional according to your chosen pathway. For example, if you chose the Programming pathway you will be taught 3 specific programming Units in the first year.

You will be continually assessed throughout the course with the submission of at least two assignments per unit. Deadlines must be strictly adhered to. All students starting a course at the college are assessed for competency in maths and English. Level 2 is the preferred outcome for you to be accepted on the course and comfortably progress. Once on the course, you should aim to have "passed" three units by December.

Irrespective of the pathway you choose, there are two units which are mandatory to all pathways. These deliver the foundations for the industry-wide recognised "soft" and "hard" skills needed by the ICT practitioner. These are:

• Unit 1: Communication and employability skills for IT;
• Unit 2: Computer systems.