First Gear and On Two Wheels can be accredited through UK Youth's Youth Achievement Awards and through Wider Key Skills.
- Youth Achievement Awards
- Wider Key Skills
Youth Achievement Awards
The Youth Achievement Awards are a nationally accredited programme designed to recognise individual achievement within non-formal learning. Young people are encouraged to identify their own learning needs through the challenges they set themselves and agree with their peer group. Taking part in a First Gear or On Two Wheels programme can be recognised through UK Youth's Youth Achievement Awards at Bronze level.
Accreditation of Prior Learning
If a young person has successfully taken part in and completed a First Gear or On Two Wheels programme within the past two years this can count as one of the four Challenges required to complete a Bronze Youth Achievement Award (i.e. one quarter of a whole Award). In order to make their participation in the First Gear or On Two Wheels programme count towards their Youth Achievement Award, they will need to indicate this clearly both in the Award Booklet and their portfolio of evidence. A clear note should be made in the 'Summary of Challenges' (on the back page of the Award booklet) and a copy of their First Gear or On Two Wheels certificate should be included in the portfolio.
Designing Challenges from the First Gear or On Two Wheels programme
Each Challenge of the Youth Achievement Awards should take a minimum of 15 hours. As the First Gear or On Two Wheels programme is 30 hours long they can be used to form up to two Challenges at Bronze level (30 hour programme - 15 hour Challenges = 2 Challenges). However a young person who is assisting in the planning and preparation of the programme to gain an Award at a higher level should count the time spent on these aspects as well. Care must be taken to not 'double-count' time - the best way of evidencing that the minimum time was spent on each Challenge is for the young people to develop and use a log sheet. This allows a running record of time spent and is a good piece of evidence to include in a portfolio.
Within each Challenge young people are required to identify targets, or learning points, that they wish to gain from the experience. These, naturally, will differ from one young person to another, and the individuality shown through these targets should be encouraged.
It is essential that, however the First Gear or On Two Wheels programmes are delivered, workers build in time for the peer assessment process that is central to the Youth Achievement Awards philosophy. The Award Group (peer group) needs to agree and assess Challenges and review the evidence provided by the young person on completion. They should be a motivating and encouraging factor in that young person's completion of the Award and so will need careful facilitation by the worker.
Workers will also need to play an active role in supporting young people to identify and collect evidence that demonstrates:
a) that they were involved in that activity
b) that they spent a minimum of 15 hours on that activity
c) that they took an appropriate level of responsibility (at Bronze this is "taking part").
There will be a whole raft of evidence that occurs naturally from the young person's involvement in the First Gear or On Two Wheels programme that can be used as evidence. It is important that no young person feels that there is too much writing and that as a result they can't complete their portfolio. Certificates, photos, videos, notes, handouts, programmes, flipchart notes, calculations, drawings etc can all be personalised and used as evidence. The evidence will also need to be organised in a logical way, into Challenges, to allow the moderator to understand what happened during the Award easily. Young people may need an introduction to portfolio building and evidence gathering to assist this process.
A Sample Bronze Challenge:
Challenge: To learn about cars and driving Targets:
1. To learn the basics of driving
2. To learn how to perform the basic maintenance checks on a car
3. To find out more about the costs involved in owning a car
4. To take part in the group work sessions and contribute to them well
Types of Evidence which could be included:
- Photo of me driving the car
- Notes from the video we watched
- Video of me changing a wheel
- A list of the stages involved in checking the oil level
- Insurance quotes from the Internet
- A time log
- Handouts from group work session with my notes on them
- A statement from one of my friends saying how well I took part
For more information on using the Youth Achievement Awards to accredit your First Gear or On Two Wheels programme, please contact Charmaine Simpson.
Wider Key Skills
The Wider Key Skills are a set of essential skills that underpin success in education, employment, lifelong learning and personal development. The Wider Key Skills are qualifications that are approved for use in schools (via Section 96) and are fundable by LSC for use with young people aged 16 plus (via Section 97). The Wider Key Skills are all assessed through portfolio-based evidence (and can be cross referenced to a Youth Achievement Award). Other advantages are that the Wider Key Skills also appear in school and college league tables (where relevant) and at Levels 1 and 2 each one contributes 3/4 of a GCSE's worth of league table points. At Level 3 all three Wider Key Skills broadly equate to an AS Level with 60 UCAS Tariff points on offer (the same as a Grade A at AS level).
The six Wider Key Skills are:
1. Communication
2. Application of Number
3. Information Technology
4. Problem Solving
5. Working with others
6. Improving Own Learning and Performance
The First Gear and on Two Wheels programme provide the opportunity for learners to develop key skills:
1. Communication Skills- The First Gear and On Two Wheels programmes require participants to communicate in a variety of situations. The ‘In The Mind’ section encourages learners to discuss and develop their understanding of the rights and responsibilities of road users.
2. Number Skills- the curriculum of the First Gear and On Two Wheels programme utilize data for many purposes such as studying statistical information on vehicle performance, accidents and the levels of vehicle crime.
3. Information Technology- a project that has access to computers would be able to engage participants in this area e.g. research using the internet.
4. Problem Solving- in many aspects of the First Gear and On Two Wheels programme, learners will be involved in discussing the problems that arise for drivers, riders, and for the community as a whole.
5. Working with others- most elements of the First Gear and On Two Wheels programme involve group learning, peer support and group problem solving.
6. Improving Own Learning and Performance- this is the central theme of the First Gear and On Two Wheels programme. For example, in the ‘Behind the Wheel/Handlebars’ sections, learners will wish to improve their driving or riding skills.
Organisations wishing to accredit the First Gear and On Two Wheels programme using Wider Key Skills must attend a Key Skills Training Day and purchase a Key Skills Manual. For more information, please contact Charmaine Simpson
