Qualifications are one way of getting recognition for the skills you have or achieving new ones but training and development is not just about qualifications. When choosing any training and development activity you should consider whether it meets your needs. It is important to choose training and qualifications that are right for you, your role and the needs of your school. Everything you need to consider is covered in the guidance to the career development framework for school support staff. The guidance also explains how to use the framework, which may help you plan your career development.

Alternatives to qualifications include shadowing a more experienced colleague, on-the-job project work, or coaching and mentoring less experienced colleagues. These are also covered in the guidance.

There are many training and qualification options opportunities available. These include:

• skills for life qualifications in literacy and numeracy
• induction and introductory training programmes
• vocational qualifications with units to select according to your role (such as the support work in schools qualifications)
• national vocational qualifications
• specialist qualifications
• apprenticeships
• foundation degrees. 

The career development framework can help you identify qualifications that are relevant to your role. You can explore your training and development options further by visiting the websites in our Useful websites section.