The unit awards, developed by CCCS, are General Money and Debt Advice, Debt Prioritisation and Collections Process Advice, and County Court Procedures and Enforcement Advice. They will form part of the first nationally regulated Diplomas in Money and Debt Advice which CCCS is creating. The diplomas are due to be accredited on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) in June.
CCCS runs a range of training programmes which give people and organisations the skills and knowledge to provide money and debt advice. Courses include dealing with debt and personal money management, which train people in giving practical and effective advice to individuals in financial difficulty as well as more specialist courses in bankruptcy, Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVA), Debt Relief Orders (DRO) and County Court procedures.
Lesley Cheeseman, head of training and development at the CCCS, said: "We are using our vast experience of creating training materials for all our employees, including counsellors, to create the diplomas.
"At a time when money and debt advice has never been so in demand, the diploma will fill a vacuum in professional debt advice qualifications."
Debbie Tuckwood, Head of Education at the ICM, added: "CCCS have designed a flexible, credit-based qualification which will be on the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) and available for all who work in the area of money and debt advice. Each unit is individually certificated to allow the achievement of a single unit award or learners could build credit for an ICM Diploma.”
