Aim Higher Training

Vocational Qualifications, Online Courses, Coaching, Personal and Professional Development

How We Deliver and Assess at Aim Higher Training

Since 2010, we have helped working professionals across housing, care, education, management and beyond gain nationally recognised qualifications without putting their careers on hold. Our approach is simple: we build learning around your job, assess what you actually do, and stay with you until you achieve.

As an approved centre for two Ofqual-regulated awarding organisations, NCFE and Innovate Awarding, every qualification we deliver meets national standards. How we get you there is what makes the difference.

We have delivered work-based qualifications for over fifteen years and have a 95% success rate across all our awards. We believe in a nurturing and supportive approach towards our learners and we’re here for you while you’re studying towards achieving your qualification.

Our Principles

  • Recognition, not repetition. Your experience counts. We never ask you to relearn what you already do well every day.
  • Real work, real evidence. You are assessed on what you can do in your role, not on how well you write essays or sit exams.
  • Personal, not processed. Our coaches and assessors know their learners by name. You get a named coach, not a conveyor belt.
  • Flexible, not slow. Learning fits around your working week, with structure and accountability that keeps you moving forward.
  • Quality at every step. Rigorous internal quality assurance sits behind every assessment decision we make, so you can trust your qualification.

Your Learning Journey

A clear, supportive journey from start to finish.

1.

A friendly starting conversation. We talk through your role, experience and goals in a free consultation call.

2.

Initial assessment and skills scan. We confirm you are on the right qualification, at the right level, and that your job will provide the evidence the units require.

3.

A personalised learning plan. Built around your role, your schedule and what you already know, so your time goes where it matters.

4.

A proper induction. You learn how the qualification, the online portfolio and the assessment process work before you start, so nothing feels confusing.

5.

Learning and evidence building. Short online activities and practical workplace tasks build your portfolio as you go.

6.

Regular one-to-one coaching. Your coach checks your understanding, gives honest feedback and helps you shape your evidence.

7.

Assessment and quality assurance. Your assessor makes the assessment decisions, our quality assurance team samples and verifies them, and your awarding organisation certifies your achievement.

How We Deliver

Most of our learners study alongside full-time roles, so our delivery is designed to be flexible around you and your life.
  • Online, distance learning. Study from work or home, with no need to travel. Short e-learning modules, recorded expert sessions, guided research and practical workplace activities fit between meetings and site visits.
  • Bite-sized and job-linked. Learning is broken into short, focused steps, so you see progress early and every task builds evidence from your real work.
  • One-to-one coaching. Regular virtual or face-to-face sessions with a named, occupationally competent coach who understands your sector.
  • Workshops and group sessions. Where learners benefit, we run live online workshops and support sessions, always planned well in advance.
  • Hybrid assessment days. Some programmes, including our Fast Track Hybrid Assessor Programme, combine online learning with a practical, in-person assessment day.
  • Workplace observations. Where a qualification requires it, your assessor arranges observations around your schedule.
  • An online portfolio. Upload, organise and track your evidence in one place, with your coach able to review and feedback as you go.
We recommend allowing around 4 to 5 hours a week, plus the time you spend applying your learning at work. We confirm the Guided Learning Hours (GLH) and Total Qualification Time (TQT) for your qualification before you enroll.

How We Assess

  • Portfolio of workplace evidence

The reports, plans, case notes, records and decisions you already produce

  • Direct observation
Your assessor watches you carry out real tasks, in person or remotely
  • Professional discussion

A structured conversation that explores your knowledge, judgement and practice

  • Questioning
Oral or written questions that confirm underpinning knowledge
  • Witness testimony

Statements from your line manager or colleagues confirming your competence

  • Reflective accounts and case studies

Short pieces drawn from situations in your own service

  • Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Previous achievement credited wherever the awarding body rules allow
  • Online multiple-choice test

Used for specific units only, such as one knowledge unit in our Level 4 and Level 5 housing qualifications

Every assessment decision is checked against four principles: evidence must be valid, authentic, current and sufficient, and judged fairly and reliably.

Started a qualification before? Through our RPL and completion route, your assessor reviews your existing evidence and holds a professional discussion to confirm it is current and relevant. You then complete only what is left.

How We Assure Quality

For us, quality assurance is not a box to tick before an inspection. It is built into how we deliver, from your first conversation to your certificate.

Qualified, occupationally competent assessors

Our assessors and coaches hold recognised assessor qualifications and current experience in the sectors they assess.

Internal Quality Assurance (IQA)

Qualified IQAs sample assessment decisions, observe assessment practice and review portfolios throughout your programme, not just at the end.

Standardisation

Our team meets regularly to compare judgements, so every learner is assessed to the same standard, whoever their assessor is.

External quality assurance

NCFE and Innovate Awarding review our assessment and quality processes before certificates are issued. Our most recent NCFE EQA visit recognised the level of learner support we provide and the quality of our feedback.

Ongoing CPD for our team

Assessment practice keeps changing, from apprenticeship reform to AI-generated evidence. Our assessors and IQAs keep and improve their skills and judgement current.

Fair access and appeals

Reasonable adjustments are available where needed, and every learner can query or appeal an assessment decision.

How We Support You

  • A named coach who knows your role and your progress
  • Specific, developmental feedback on every piece of evidence you submit
  • Proactive check-ins. If work gets busy and you fall behind, your coach gets in touch and helps you plan a way back, rather than waiting for a deadline to pass
  • Honest progress reviews, so you always know where you stand
  • Clear guidance and templates that remove unnecessary guesswork.
  • Flexibility when life happens. Programmes can be paused on request and picked up again later.
  • 0% APR payment plans for learners funding their own development.

For Employers

We work with public sector, corporate organisations and SME’s to build qualified capacity across whole teams. We can align delivery to your workforce plan, run cohort programmes, map existing staff qualifications with a skills scan, and provide progress reporting so you can see who is on track.

Our clients include

Local authorities
Government departments
Housing associations
Private sector employers

Our Approach in Practice

Sarah had twelve years’ experience in health and social care but no formal assessor qualification when her employer asked her to grow internal training capacity. She was also managing a full-time leadership role.

We built her Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) around her working week: flexible online induction and workshops, one-to-one coaching, practical activity on one of our assessment days, and regular feedback from an assessor who understood her sector. She achieved within the planned timescale and now supports learners across her organisation, which has reduced its reliance on external assessors.

"The learning was practical, flexible and directly relevant to my role. My assessor gave me clear guidance, honest feedback and real encouragement at every stage."

- Sarah, Health and Social Care Professional
Read Sarah's full story

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Most of our qualifications are delivered online, with virtual one-to-one coaching and live sessions you join from work or home. Some programmes include a workplace observation or an in-person assessment day, arranged around your schedule.
Very few, if any. Most of your evidence comes from your everyday work, supported by observations and professional discussions with your assessor. We may ask you to write a personal statement about a particular situation, especially if it’s confidential in nature.
Yes. Work-based qualifications require you to be in a relevant role, paid or voluntary, full or part time, that is varied enough to cover the qualification’s units.
We recommend around 4 to 5 hours a week, plus time applying your learning at work. Fast-track routes can be quicker for experienced professionals.
Your coach will contact you and help you re-plan. You can also request to pause your programme for personal reasons.
Your assessor makes the decisions, our internal quality assurers’ sample and verify them, and your awarding organisation, NCFE or Innovate Awarding, externally quality assures them before certification.
Often, yes. Through Recognition of Prior Learning, previous achievement can be credited wherever awarding body rules allow.
Often, yes. Through Recognition of Prior Learning, previous achievement can be credited wherever awarding body rules allow.

Ready to talk about your qualification?

Whether you are taking your first step, progressing to the next level, or building a qualified team, the best place to start is a conversation.
Book your free discovery call

Or if you’d prefer to send us a message first, get in touch here.

Our Clients

Awarding Body and Registrations

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ICO No: A878670

UKPRN No: 10062610

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