Personal finance qualifications

Qualifications

We have compiled a list of qualifications that are centred upon personal finance, which is available to download below. Qualifications that are accredited by the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) have an accreditation number and are part of the National Qualifications Framework.

They are also listed by this number on the Register of Regulated Qualifications (RRQ), which can be searched for details of all qualifications accredited by the regulators of external qualifications in England (Ofqual), Wales (DCELLS) and Northern Ireland (CCEA).

There are other qualifications which are wider in scope but contain units on personal finance, such as qualifications in life skills, personal, social, health and economic education and applied numeracy. These can be found by using the sector subject area advanced search on the RRQ (many of these come under the code 14.1 – Foundations for Learning and Life).

Awards

Awards are not the same as qualifications. Awards are offered at different levels and schools can use awards to contribute towards a recognised qualification. For example, ASDAN’s Personal Finance Award carries no points as a standalone award. However, if used as the curriculum content of the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE) it is a qualification with points. More information is available from specific awarding bodies.

The Network for Accrediting Young People’s Achievement (NfAYPA) lists many non-formal education award schemes. These are designed to accredit the skills and competencies of young people, and in many cases are specifically targeted at ‘hard to reach’ or under performing young people. They offer a means of accrediting the achievements that many young people undertake as part of their everyday lives, which can often lead learners to access more formal learning opportunities.