Conveyancing

Learning Programme Content

The Learning Programme provision shall comprise of three mandatory elements:

• Qualifications,
• Essential Skills
• On/off the job training

The total minimum credit value required for the Level 4 Pathway Conveyancing Technician is 68 credits.

The total minimum credit value required for the Level 6 Pathway Conveyancer is 62 credits.

Entry requirements

Whilst there are no minimum academic entry requirements, to be successful on the programme, entrants should preferably possess GCSE's in English and Mathematics at grades A-C, together with a Level 2 and Level 3 Apprenticeship programme in Providing Financial Services (Conveyancing) or a generic subject such as Customer Service or Business Administration.

However, many employers are also interested in skills and experience gained through employment or voluntary work.  Trust, integrity and honesty are all characteristics valued by conveyancing employers.

Learners will be asked to declare any criminal convictions, bankruptcy or CCJ's at the time of registration onto the qualifications.

Apprenticeship pathway learning programme(s)

Level 4: Conveyancing Technician

Level 4: Conveyancing Technician Qualifications

Participants must achieve the combined qualification below.

Please see Annex 1 for the relationship between the competence and knowledge units within the combined qualification.

Essential Skills Wales (ESW)

Essential Skills Wales qualifications assessment languages are English-Welsh

On/Off the Job training

On/Off the Job Qualification details (Minimum Credit & Hours)

Level 4 Diploma in Conveyancing Law and Practice - 50 credits/250 Hours;

The total on and off the job training for this pathway is 821 hours. It is anticipated that an average learner will take between 24 and 36 months to complete.

On/Off the Job Essential Skills details (Minimum Credit & Hours)

• 6 credits/60 GLH Level 2 Essential Skills Wales Communication
• 6 credits/60 GLH Level 2 Essential Skills Wales Application of Number
• 6 credits/60 GLH Level 2 Essential Skills Wales Digital Literacy

Level 6: Conveyancer

Level 6: Conveyancer Qualifications

Participants must achieve the combined qualification below.

Please see Annex 2 for the relationship between the competence and knowledge units within the combined qualification.

Essential Skills Wales (ESW)

Essential Skills Wales qualifications assessment languages are English-Welsh

On/Off the Job training

On/Off the Job Qualification details (Minimum Credit & Hours)

Level 6 Diploma in Conveyancing Law and Practice - 44 credits/218 hours.

The total on and off the job training hours for this pathway is 757 hours. It is anticipated that an average learner will take between 24-36 months to complete this pathway.

On/Off the Job Essential Skills details (Minimum Credit & Hours)

• 6 credits/60 GLH Level 2 Essential Skills Wales Communication
• 6 credits/60 GLH Level 2 Essential Skills Wales Application of Number
• 6 credits/60 GLH Level 2 Essential Skills Wales Digital Literacy

Other additional requirements

Learners will be asked to declare any criminal convictions, bankruptcy or CCJ's at the time of registration onto the qualifications.

Progression

Level 4: Conveyancing Technician

Entry into this pathway may be:

• via direct entry from school or college after completing GCSEs and/or A Levels
• from a Welsh Baccalaureate, including the Principal Learning Qualifications for Business Administration and Finance and Public Services
• from a work-based programme such as Pathways to Apprenticeships
• via direct entry from another occupation e.g. paralegal, administration, customer service, etc.
• via direct entry for existing staff progressing within an organisation
• via direct entry from an Apprenticeship in Legal Services or the Legal Administration pathway of the Business and Administration pathway

Progression routes from this level 4 pathway

Jobs:

• Conveyancing Technician

Further training and qualifications:

• Level 6 Higher Apprenticeship in Conveyancing

• Other Higher Apprenticeships such as Probate, Legal Executive and Management

• Professional legal services qualifications

• Level 4 and 5 qualifications in management and leadership

• Higher education courses such as qualifying law degrees (LLB)

• Further education qualifications at level 5 and above

• Apply for registration to become licensed with a Regulatory Body

Level 6: Conveyancer

Progression routes into this level 6 pathway

Entry into this pathway may be:

• via direct entry from school or college after completing A Levels
• from a Welsh Baccalaureate, including the Principal Learning Qualifications for Business Administration and Finance and Public Services
• from a work-based programme such as Pathways to Apprenticeships
• via direct entry from another occupation e.g. paralegal, administration, customer service, etc.
• via direct entry for existing staff progressing within an organisation
• via direct entry from an Apprenticeship in Legal Services or from completing the Legal Administration pathway of the Business and Administration pathway

Progression routes from this level 6 pathway

Jobs:

• To apply for a Licence to Practise for the reserved activity of conveyancing
• Further training and qualifications:
• Other Higher Apprenticeships such as Management
• Professional legal services qualifications
• Post graduate qualifications such as Masters
• To become Licensed to Practise in other reserved activities such as Probate

Equality and diversity

It is important that apprenticeship Pathways are inclusive and can demonstrate an active approach to identifying and removing barriers to entry and progression. Pathways should advance equality of opportunity between persons who share protected characteristics and those persons who do not as identified in the Equality Act 2010.

The Protected characteristics identified in the Equality Act are age, disability, gender re-assignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity. Marriage and civil partnership is also included although only in respect of the requirement to eliminate discrimination in employment.

Training providers and employers MUST also comply with the other duty under the Equality Act 2010 to ensure that applicants are not discriminated against in terms of entry to the industry based upon those nine protected characteristics.

There are particular equality and diversity issues across the sector in terms of both progression and retention. Although women and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic are well represented among law undergraduates, this is not reflected throughout the profession.

Many of the larger corporate law firms recruit almost exclusively from Oxbridge (The Law Gazette, December 21st 2010). The distribution of female and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic workers varies greatly, for example females account for 44% of solicitors in private practice, 20% of partners and 80% of solicitors in health services ( “A Time of Change: Solicitor’s Firms in England and Wales”, Plesence, Balmer and Moorhead, The Law Society, Legal Services Board, Ministry of Justice 2012 ). The labour market in legal activities is dominated (in terms of employment numbers at least) by women in both the full-time and part-time areas, but not amongst the self-employed.

The CLC Regulatory Annual Return highlights a number of interesting statistics about the make-up of the legal sector:

• The majority of the UK legal services workforce is female; 73.7% of the people working in CLC-regulated practices are women.

• At a senior level males dominate and make up 26.3% of the total workforce, but have 57.6% of managerial roles.

The likely reasons for the demographics of this sector are:

• A perception of a number of roles within the legal sector as only being appropriate for either women or men.

• The predominant entry route into legal services has been perceived as being through higher education therefore certain social groups may be disadvantaged when trying to enter the sector, such as those from less affluent backgrounds.

The main issue in this sector is the lack of vocational entry routes.

In order to address the issues in the sector, awareness of alternative routes into careers in the legal sector is being raised through:

• production of careers information, advice and guidance including, career progression pathways and case studies.

• development of apprenticeships to create vocational progression routes into and from occupations within legal services.

This pathway will help to provide new entry routes into the sector which will be more accessible to those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds than traditional entry routes.

Apprenticeships are seen as a vital route to encourage a greater diversity of individuals into the industry, therefore entry conditions to this pathway are extremely flexible, mentoring has been included to offer additional support and increase the chances of apprentices staying in a position, and there is a mandatory unit for equality and diversity.

Skills for Justice will continue to monitor take up and achievement of all apprenticeships and take steps to address any barriers to take up and achievement.

Welsh language

Skills for Justice recognises the principle that the Welsh and English languages should be treated on a basis of equality. Consideration should be given to those whose first language is Welsh or those who simply are able and choose to speak Welsh. Some law firms in Wales are keen to employ Welsh language speakers. Awarding Organisations and training providers should take a proportionate approach to delivering the on programme and assessment elements of qualifications delivered in Wales in the Welsh language; based on a level of established demand to cater for both languages where needed and/or required when delivering this apprenticeship.

Employment responsibilities and rights

Employment Responsibilities and Rights (ERR) is no longer compulsory.  But it is recommended that all apprentices (especially the 16 years -18 year group) receive a company induction programme.

Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the Training Provider and Employer to ensure that the requirements of this pathway are delivered in accordance with the Welsh Government Apprenticeships Guidance.

Further information may be obtained from: Welsh Government

DfES-ApprenticeshipUnit@gov.wales

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