CILEx and centres working together Recruit, retain and qualify students April 2015 Alison Hollyer Qualifications Account Manager

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

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 -

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

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

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

The Level 3 qualification Mandatory Law units Non-mandatory Law units Practice units Mandatory Professional Skills units Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6 Unit 7 Unit 8 Unit 9 Unit 10 Unit 11 Unit 12 Unit 13 Unit 14 Unit 15 Unit 18 Unit 19 Unit 16 Unit 17 Introduction to Law and Practice Contract Law Criminal Law Land Law Law of Tort Employment Law Family Law Wills and Succession Civil Litigation Conveyancing Criminal Litigation Family Practice Employment Practice Probate Practice Elderly Client Practice of Child Care Law Residential and Commercial Leasehold Conveyancing Client Care Skills Legal Research

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

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 Law Units Practice Units Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6 Unit 7 Unit 8 Unit 9 Unit 10 Unit 11 Unit 12 Unit 13 Unit 14 Unit 15 Unit 16 Unit 17 Unit 18 Unit 19 Unit 20 Unit 21 Unit 22 Unit 23 Company and Partnership Law Contract Law Criminal Law Employment Law Equity and Trusts European Union Law Family Law Immigration Law Land Law Landlord and Tenant Law Planning Law Public Law Law of Tort Wills and Succession Civil Litigation Company and Partnership Practice Conveyancing Criminal Litigation Employment Practice Family Practice Probate Practice Client Care Skills Legal Research Skills

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

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

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?

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

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

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 ?

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

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

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 ?

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

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

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