CILEx and centres
working together
Recruit, retain and qualify students
April 2015
Alison Hollyer
Qualifications Account Manager
Objectives
To
share information and ideas on how we work together to
recruit, retain and qualify CILEx students
To
consider how CILEx can continue to support centres to
effectively recruit, retain and qualify CILEx students
CILEx Academic stages
Level 3 – set/assessed at A level standard
Level 6 – set/assessed at honours degree standard
Level 3 – 10 units for Diploma
Level 6 – 3 law and 1 linked practice and 2 skills units
A member must complete both the Level 3 & 6 qualifications plus
qualifying employment and work based learning to become a Fellow
of CILEx
 Members must complete CPD annually and the scheme has changed
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For further information see CILEx Regulation - www.cilexregulation.org.uk
What CILEx and centres can offer students
CILEx’s Level 3 qualifications
Key features
 2 main outcomes: Certificate and Diploma
 Certificate – Unit 1, any 1 Law and a linked Practice, plus
the 2 Professional Skills
 Diploma – Unit 1, 4 mandatory Law, 3 others (2 of which
must be Practice), plus 2 Professional Skills
The student completes these qualifications from a suite of units
What CILEx and centres can offer our
students and employers
Qualifications
Level 3 Professional Diploma in Law and Practice and
Certificate in Law and Practice
Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law and Practice
Level 6 Graduate Fast Track
Single Subject Certificate
Level 3 & 4 Legal Services Apprenticeships
Features of the Level 3 and 6
qualifications for students and employers
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Unitised – units are the building blocks of qualifications
Credit-based – each unit will have a credit value which
will be indicative of its size
Multiple qualification outcomes – e.g. Level 3 Professional
qualification (Diploma and Certificate)
Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law and Practice,
Graduate Fast Track and Single Subject Certificate
The Level 3 qualification
Mandatory Law units
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Unit 5
Introduction to Law and Practice
Contract Law
Criminal Law
Land Law
Law of Tort
Non-mandatory Law units
Unit 6
Unit 7
Unit 8
Employment Law
Family Law
Wills and Succession
Practice units
Unit 9
Unit 10
Unit 11
Unit 12
Unit 13
Unit 14
Unit 15
Unit 18
Unit 19
Civil Litigation
Conveyancing
Criminal Litigation
Family Practice
Employment Practice
Probate Practice
Elderly Client
Practice of Child Care Law
Residential and Commercial
Leasehold Conveyancing
Mandatory Professional Skills
units
Unit 16
Unit 17
Client Care Skills
Legal Research
Delivery of Level 3 – unit priority
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No required unit priority
 Unit 1 underpins the other units – ideally taken towards
the start of the student’s programme
 Units 16 and 17 again contain knowledge and
understanding that is useful to the delivery of the Law and
Practice units – ideally completed alongside the Law and
Practice units
 Law units and Practice units – beneficial that students are
taught the Law unit before the Practice unit
The Level 6 qualification
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Law Units
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Unit 5
Unit 6
Unit 7
Unit 8
Unit 9
Unit 10
Unit 11
Unit 12
Unit 13
Unit 14
Company and Partnership Law
Contract Law
Criminal Law
Employment Law
Equity and Trusts
European Union Law
Family Law
Immigration Law
Land Law
Landlord and Tenant Law
Planning Law
Public Law
Law of Tort
Wills and Succession
Practice Units
Unit 15
Unit 16
Unit 17
Unit 18
Unit 19
Unit 20
Unit 21
Unit 22
Unit 23
Civil Litigation
Company and Partnership Practice
Conveyancing
Criminal Litigation
Employment Practice
Family Practice
Probate Practice
Client Care Skills
Legal Research Skills
Professional qualification – three law and one linked practice paper and two professional skills units
Graduate Fast Track – two practice papers (one must be linked to a law paper) and client care unit
Other delivery considerations
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How many variations of the Certificate might you want to
run? – Endorsed pathways?
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Do you always want to meet the Certificate rubric during the
first year?
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Challenges of funding and what minimum student numbers
are required to deliver the course ?
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When and how are decisions made about which
programmes and units will run? Centre-based decision or
majority student preference? Meeting and managing student
expectations
Who can you recruit ?
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Existing centre students – A level law students – paralegal
and vocational students e.g. BTEC Nationals
Exemption opportunities – Business Studies graduates
with law element
New student market – recently qualified law graduates –
Graduate Fast Track – (Legal Services Apprenticeships) –
– exemptions
Legal sector and non legal sector employees – local
businesses’ need for up-to-date legal knowledge – Niche
areas – Employment Practice – Civil Litigation – Contract
Law
Benefits for Legal Employers
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Train staff while they are in post – new business models –
Alternative Business Structures
Client facing staff understand the importance of acting
professionally – Client Care units
Realise the fee-earning potential of staff – consider costs
of training against charge out fee earning time
Who is the decision maker regarding approved training for
the business?
Recruitment opportunities
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Existing students on CILEx or other courses
Students hear about CILEx by word of mouth from existing students or
fellow employees or their employer – training manager or principal
Who is the decision maker in the firm to support an employee on the
CILEx route ?
Emphasise to employers the financial benefits of qualifying team
members – higher charge out rates which add to the firm’s profitability
and number of fee earners. Increase employee retention
Careers advice agencies – recent government review
Consider other financial support for students
How can CILEx and centres recruit successfully?
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Timescales – Approval of course running – production of Centre
prospectus
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Resources - CILEx marketing materials – CILEx Journal – Get into Law
– Centre materials – Events – contact with local CILEx Branch, and local
careers fairs for school leavers and briefing centre careers advisers
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Think creatively – where does CILEx fit in your centre’s provision?
Consider linking your marketing activity with other professional courses in
centre e.g. CIM or AAT
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Local opportunities – partnerships with schools – universities - local
employers – Jobcentres – local careers advice agencies - you know your
area!
Be proactive; develop personal links and networks
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Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
Recruitment for centres
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What is your student profile - age – gender - ethnicity - employment statusfees paid by employers ? Full and/or part-time ?
How did you recruit your current students?
Has recruitment become more difficult recently, and if so, why?
What support do you receive from within your centre to recruit? For example
a designated marketing team
What is your relationship with careers advice agencies?
How do you develop links with local employers and network? Chamber of
Commerce, Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)
How can CILEx help you to recruit, retain and qualify students in 2016 ?
Retention
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Level 3 Year 1 Certificate delivery model
Level 3 Year 2 Diploma delivery model
Unitised delivery as opposed to continuous delivery
Centres looking to help students make a positive start;
units achieved following first sitting in January session
Feedback is that a unit model used helps to retain
students
Consider your students’ needs and preferences to support
achievement, build up the units and achieve a qualification
Retention
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Consider different delivery models to meet student needs – assume
September start and part-time provision
Complete unit one first and sit in January with a professional skills unit
Considerations – streams of provision e.g. Civil Litigation,
Conveyancing and Employment
Resources – interesting and innovative teaching – highlight
information on the website for students – current unit specifications,
past examination papers, suggested answers
Support for students – “buddy” or mentor system – year 2 students
support year 1 students
Student background – in legal employment – full or part-time ?
Pair a student working in a legal environment with one who does not
Recruit, retain and qualify students
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Recruitment
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How do you recruit? Do you use social media?
What support do you receive?
Target market – What is your target market? Will Apprenticeships impact on this?
Employers – how do you identify employers and build relationships
Has it got more difficult to recruit?
What networks do you use – Careers advice agencies, LinkedIn, CILEx branches,
Chamber of Commerce, Local business networks/initiatives, LEPs, Jobcentres, business
support units (in house or external)
Retain and Qualify
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What do you do to retain students ?
What do you think is effective ?
Any ideas to share ?
Key information to support student retention
and qualification
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Understanding of key dates and deadlines
 Understand what units/qualification students are studying
including unit specification and consider previous
assessment materials
 Content and assessment of the qualification
 Any
reasonable adjustments required or special
consideration after examination
 Relationship between CILEx, student, centre and, if
appropriate, the employer
 Unitised range of qualifications provides opportunities to
widen pool of stakeholders
Qualify students
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Celebrate achievement with student (and if sponsored their
employer) and consider centre event –presentation – press
release – CILEx local branch ?
Opportunities with CILEx as a chartered lawyer – regulated
person by CILEx Regulation – recognised by peers and
employer
Obtain differential membership grade
CPD requirements
Qualifying employment and work based learning
Students become a CILEx ambassador to share their
achievement and support the centre
Tell CILEx PR and Comms team of unusual success stories for
use as a case study
Any comments or questions ?
Sources of information please regularly visit the CILEx
website and read the Legal Executive Journal
Alison Hollyer
Qualifications Account Manager