HE Certificate in Personal and Professional Skills

Information for Prospective Students

A Certificate for All!

In response to ever increasing demands for support in personal and professional development Lifelong Learning are delighted to offer a flexible, modular certificate of University accredited training to meet the needs of many individuals and sectors within the economy.

Although we would ideally wish to enrol students for the full certificate we acknowledge that many businesses and individuals will, at least initially, be seeking solutions to specific training needs. It is for this reason that the certificate is designed in a modular format so that students may opt to take a single module to meet immediate training needs. Further modules may then be taken as training needs arise and over a period of time students will eventually work toward and complete the full certificate.

Flexibility is Paramount

Lifelong Learning specialises in delivering learning into the community that we serve. We have extensive experience in delivering at times and in locations that meet the needs of the students. This means that if you are an individual looking for personal development opportunities we would hope to be able to offer modules at times and in locations that suit your availability and accessibility.

If you are a training officer or manager with responsibility for training within an organisation, have a suitable room for training to take place and can offer a viable number of students then we will come and deliver on-site – if this applies to you please give us a call and discuss your full needs.

How Long Will It Take To Complete A Full Certificate?

It naturally depends on how many modules are studied at any one time. To obtain a Certificate you must complete 120 credits. The modules offered are all either 10, 20 or 30 credits in value. University regulations allow part-time students to study no more than 80 credits in any one year; therefore the quickest route will take one and a half years. However, we allow students to take up to 6 years to complete a certificate and therefore flexibility is once again designed in to the programme.

How Much Does It Cost?

Please contact us or see our Finance & Funding pages for current fees and information about funding opportunities. Don’t forget that we can assist individuals to look at the various grants and fee waivers that may be accessible – contact the us for details.

Can I Progress Beyond A Certificate?

Of course! We are after all Lifelong Learning. See the various module fact sheets for progression opportunities or contact us for more information.

How Do I Apply?

Simply complete an application form and return it to Lifelong Learning at the address shown. A member of our team will then contact you to make a mutually convenient appointment to discuss your application and subsequently provide advice and guidance on start dates, times and locations.

Compulsory Modules

To obtain the full certificate you will need to complete modules totalling a value of 120 credits. Dependent on the selection of modules that you make you may find that your Certificate will fit in to one of three named strands:

There are two modules (10 credits each) that are compulsory for all pathways. These two modules are designed to support your general study skills and your own personal development. An outline for these modules follows:

YSE 1001 Strategies for Learning (10 credits)

This module is designed to ease your way into higher education studies. It provides a grounding and understanding in how best you, as an individual, learn. This is done by considering your personal learning style and equating this to the various methods of delivery that you are likely to encounter whilst completing the certificate. You will be able to explore how you might overcome delivery styles that do not particularly suit your preferred style of learning and how you can take charge of your own learning. Naturally any such exploration is only possible by considering different methods of learning and common barriers to learning.

This module will also provide an opportunity for you to brush up on essential study skills and activities such as essay and report writing, note taking, basic research skills, referencing, planning and delivering oral presentations and working with fellow students etc.

YBE 1018 Personal Development in Practice (10 credits)

A module again designed to support you as an individual to maximise the benefit of study across all other modules that you may encounter.

In this module you will explore the communication process in detail. One of the most commonly stated sayings appears to be “it happened as a result of a break down in communications”. Although we can’t guarantee that this will never happen the module should at least highlight the areas where communication can cause problems in personal and working life and how these problems can be avoided and/or alleviated.

The module then goes on to cover important personal skills such as time management (personal and that of others), stress recognition and management, assertiveness, dealing with criticism, conflict and negotiation, delegation techniques and practice and concludes with personal development planning and evaluation.

For further information about this Certificate, or to apply, please contact us on 01248 382475. Or e-mail ll@bangor.ac.uk.