Course Fees - £1,600 plus VAT

You have up to 18 months to complete this course (excluding holidays)

Fees can be paid in full to benefit from a 10% discount.

You can also pay for the course fees in instalments over 8 months - interest free.

Course fees can often be modified/reduced to reflect existing skills and knowledge - please telephone Penny Lewis at the College to discuss possible options - 01803 299955.

Start Dates

Autumn Term start dates:

• 31 August which is 60% full
• 21 September - 65% full

The qualifications gained in this course will provide you with maximum job opportunities and promotional prospects.

There are 3 main sections to this course:

• Computer/IT Skills
• Secretarial – including Shorthand
• Administration

You can study as fast as you wish to complete the course in as short a time as possible, or study at a pace which fits in around other commitments.

Included in the course is our unique Career and Job Support Service which includes helping to design a professional CV, developing your interview techniques, looking at your options based on where you live and the types of businesses you would like to work in, supporting you as you apply for jobs and attend interviews.

All of the qualifications you will be studying towards are nationally recognised qualifications with one of the leading exam boards – OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and the RSA).  OCR qualifications are well recognised in businesses and in addition to vocational qualifications they also provide GCSEs, A Levels, and Teaching qualifications.

Upon successful completion you will be awarded 3 Diplomas:

OCR Advanced Level 3 Diploma in IT
OCR Advanced Level 3 Diploma in Text Processing including Shorthand
OCR Advanced Level 3 Diploma in Administration

You can study this course by distance learning, which means you can study at home or work and complete your lessons at times to suit yourself to fit in around other commitments.

You will receive your lessons via email from your course tutor(s) who will send you the relevant courseware for that lesson plus some exercises/assignments to complete.

You will be able to return your completed work to your course tutor via email, who will then mark this and provide feedback and additional tutoring if required.

Gradually you will build your knowledge and skills and work your way through your course, preparing for exams and completing assessment portfolios as you progress.  You will complete your assessments and sit your exams at various stages throughout the course.

We are very keen to develop your confidence as you progress through the course, and it is important that we develop a close working relationship with you to ensure the course is both enjoyable and effective.

All courseware provided is written and designed specifically for our courses and is the copyright of Lewis College.

COURSE CONTENT AND QUALIFICATIONS

Computer/IT Skills

In this section of the course you will cover the key Microsoft Office applications covering Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint.  You will also develop your IT solution skills by creating and designing a computerised project suitable for an office based procedure.

Outlook

This program is useful for you to know about its features as you will find this helpful to organise your work whilst completing the course.  You will learn how to use the different email features, create folders within Outlook for file management, and use the to do list and notes section as well as the digital diary features.

Word

You will learn how to use a wide range of Word features including basic editing features, as well as creating forms, complex tables, hyperlinks, bookmarks and comments, importing files from other applications into Word documents, creating table of contents and indexes, macros, style palettes, templates, using desktop publishing features, tracking changes as well as design a complex multi page document in both draft format and final publishing standard.

PowerPoint

You will learn how to create a multi slide presentation using a range of different slide types eg tables, bulleted items, organisation charts, graphs and charts, create hyperlinks to other presentations and documents, set up master slides and templates, animated GIFs, importing audio and video clips, create transition and animation facilities, apply timings and rehearse slide presentations.  You will also learn how to create macros, speakers notes, save presentations in different formats eg for viewing on the WWW, in a non-application format, print handouts, slides and speakers notes.

Access

You will learn how to create normal and relational databases, including input masks, error messages, and data validation rules.  You will then develop your knowledge in creating queries to cover a range of simple queries to complex queries including logical operators, range operators, combining different database tables.  You will also learn how to create forms, formatting the style and producing printed forms.  Finally you will learn how to produce a range of reports using data from more than one table, grouped reports, formatting reports, add labels and summaries.

Excel

You will cover how to create spreadsheets, develop your skills in formatting the display, link spreadsheets, add comments, protect cells and sheets, hide cells and sheets, create more complex spreadsheets, use a wide range of formulas and functions including named range, multi-stage calculations, nested functions, array formulas, use auditing tools, apply conditional formatting, use concatenate text strings and cell references.  You will learn how to create macros, pivot tables, and use data validation.  You will also produce a range of different graphs/charts from different data sources including pivot tables, and produce a range of different reports.

IT Productivity

This unit will develop your skills in being able to identify IT procedures in a typical office, including identifying the aims, the needs and preferences of the procedure and resources available, the constraints, skills required and end user needs.  You will also identify the benefits and drawbacks.

Internet

This module will develop your skills in using the Internet, researching, modifying web pages etc.

IT Systems

Covering this topic you will look at some of the background knowledge required when operating computers to help maintain their performance as well as cope with a range of tasks eg setting security settings, identifying problems etc.

Qualifications

Assessment is through completion of an assessment portfolio, showing your range of knowledge and skills, for each module.

You will be awarded an individual certificate for each module and upon successful completion of all modules, you will be awarded the OCR Diploma for IT Users.

Secretarial Skills

This section of the course is designed to develop your key secretarial skills to enable you to produce a range of professional documents used in business today.

These include:

Preparing a range of business documents eg letters, notices, minutes of meetings, reports, leaflets, advertisements, technical documents, display documents etc.

Audio Transcription – preparing a range of business documents from audio dictation

Editing multi page documents using a range of editing functions eg setting margins, moving text, copying text, emphasising text, using different font styles, indenting, setting headers and footers, sorting text, using superscript and subscript characters, inserting footnotes, tracking changes and column display.

Tables including creating tables, modifying borders, sorting rows of data, splitting and merging cells, vertical text, aligning decimal point, sorting rows of data and moving columns.

Mail Merge including creating data files and main document templates, merging documents and matching criteria, developing repetitive data entry techniques.

Desk top publishing features including inserting pictures, creating diagrams, using word art, borders, inserting dividers, text wrapping options, creating a range of different types of documents using a variety of dtp features.

Shorthand (Teeline) covering theory knowledge, speed development, and transcription skills.  Students are encouraged to use this skill in their daily working and home life as soon as possible in order to develop confidence in using their shorthand.

Qualifications

You will sit 7 separate exams as follows:

• Text Production
• Speed Keying
• Word Processing
• Audio Transcription
• Document Presentation 
• Mail Merge
• Shorthand

Upon successful completion of the above exams, you will be awarded the OCR Advanced Diploma Level 3 in Text Processing

Administration

This section of the course is designed to develop your administration skills - and you can choose from a range of different modules to complete your Diploma.

COMPOSITION OF BUSINESS DOCUMENTS

You will learn how to compose a range of business documents including letters, reports, instructions, job descriptions, guidance notes, notices and leaflets, minutes of meetings and agendas. 

You will also develop your skills in evaluating, extracting and adapting complex information.

Assessment will require you to provide a range of documents from a given scenario where you will need to use evaluating and analysis skills, and the ability to compose different types of documents for specific purposes.

UNDERSTANDING FUNCTIONS AND ROLES WITHIN BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS

You will learn about the different types of businesses and how business organisations are structured. You will also evaluate internal and external stakeholders and their impact on businesses.  You will also develop your knowledge and understanding of different roles within organisations.

Assessment will require you to produce a multi page booklet providing information on how businesses or organisations are organised and operate.  Diagrams or charts can be included to help describe the organisation of the company.  You will be comparing a SME with a large organisation.

SUPPORT BUSINESS MEETINGS

You will learn how to prepare for business meetings, including Agendas and Chair's Agenda, taking minutes during a meeting and prepare the minutes from your notes.

Assessment will be your participation in a real business meeting at your place of work.

REVIEWING AND DEVELOPING OFFICE PROCEDURES

You will develop your understanding of office procedures and their uses, how they are maintained, supported reviewed and amended.  You will develop your skills in being able to carry out a review of office procedures and understanding of training and development requirements.

Assessment will be through producing a report, guide, draft procedure and rationale and a training plan using a given scenario.

CARRY OUT RESEARCH AND PREPARE A REPORT

This module will develop your skills in being able to research business information for a specific purpose, and produce a report which will include terms of reference, procedures, findings, conclusions, recommendations, appendices and bibliography.

Assessment will be through the planning the research, carrying out research and providing evidence and the preparation of a report.

Careers and Job

This section of the course is for those of you who would find it beneficial to have some guidance and support in developing a professional CV as well as developing interview techniques, either at the end of the course or part way through.

You will prepare a draft CV to include the qualifications gained on this course and submit this to our careers adviser who can provide help and guidance in developing this to a professional standard, ensuring it is suitable for the types of jobs and businesses you wish to work in.

You will also prepare draft answers to standard interviews, enabling you to prepare a “script” in readiness for any interviews, and again submit this to our careers adviser who can see how you are portraying yourself at the interview stage.

Additional support can also be provided in connection with individual job applications and career plans.

Equipment you will need for this course

You will need to be able to access the Internet – either at home or work to receive your lessons via email and to be able to download programs and course material from our storage area on the Internet - which is password protected.

You will also need a computer – a tower or laptop, plus a printer to enable you to print off the courseware (if preferred) and mock papers.

You will need either Office 2003 or Office 2007 including Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and Outlook.

You will also need a folder with plastic pockets if you would wish to print off your courseware to create a hardcopy of the manual for each program.

You will also need 3 text books for the Shorthand module.

This is our complete PA course - designed for those who wish to have a full career as a PA and possibly go into management or supervisory positions later on in their career.