Access Organisations FAQs

Do young people have to register with the DofE Award?
No, a Certificate of Prior Learning is a 'stand alone' qualification. Young people do not have to register with the DofE, but having completed one or two sections they should be encouraged to go on to a full award.

Do young people have to purchase a DofE Award Record Book?
No. But they will if they intend to gain a full DofE Award.

Does the Access Organisation have to deliver all sections of the award?
No, you can credit just one section, or all five if you feel qualified to do so.

Can a young person gain more than one Certificate of Prior Learning?
Yes, but they should be for different sections of the award.

How can my youngsters develop their Certificate of Prior Learning into full Award?
Advise them to join an Award unit or the Herefordshire Open Award Group, and when they receive their Record Book they can affix the credit note into their Record book.

Do I have to get someone from the Award scheme to assess my participants?
No, its your organisation, you are the experts - we rely on your judgement.

I am the Access Officer, what do I do?
The Access Officer is the nominated contact between the access Organisation and the Award Office. You should notify the Award Office whenever Certificates are required, and keep a record of the number of Certificates gained. You should have some knowledge of the Award Scheme (training can be given), and advise young people that they can develop their Certificate of Prior Learning into a full DofE Award.

Some young people have spent more than 3 months on a project, can this count?
You can still award a Certificate of Prior Learning. If, for example, the young people want to complete a full Bronze Award, then one of the sections must be for 6 months.

My young people work for more than one hour per week on the activity, do they still have to participate for 3 months?
Yes, participants have to show commitment, and improve their skills. Both of these take time. The Award is a Marathon not a sprint!

Young people in our organisation have already qualified for a Certificate of Prior Learning and continue to work with us. Can they receive another certificate?
There's no point in issuing another Certificate for the same activity, unless the person has joined the Award Scheme and wishes to use the activity for a higher level Award, i.e. they started at Bronze and want to continue onto Silver or Gold. However some activities could be developed into another section of the Award for which you could issue a different certificate, e.g. someone may have participated in a sport and qualified for a 'Physical' Certificate, and could then become involved in coaching younger players and gain a Volunteering Certificate, or become involved in the organisation of the club and gain a Skills Certificate.