The route
From delivery to verified award
Five stages, in order. Each one has to be satisfied before the next carries any weight.
Choosing a mode of delivery
LCDM does not specify the mode of delivery for its qualifications. Approved centres are free to deliver using any mode that meets the needs of their learners — classroom, blended, online or distance.
What we do ask is that centres design around the learner's complete learning experience, rather than around what is administratively convenient.
Equality of opportunity
Centres must ensure the chosen mode of delivery does not unlawfully or unfairly discriminate, whether directly or indirectly, and that equality of opportunity is actively promoted.
Where it is reasonable and practicable to do so, steps must be taken to address identified inequalities or barriers as they arise. This is a condition of approval, not a recommendation.
Guided Learning Hours
Guided Learning Hours (GLH) are listed in each unit specification. GLH tells a centre how many hours of teacher-supervised or direct study time are likely to be required to teach that unit.
It is a planning figure for timetabling and resourcing — it is not a cap, and it is not a target a learner has to clock.
Assessment against criteria
All units within the qualification are internally assessed by the centre. Qualifications are criterion referenced and based on the achievement of all specified learning outcomes.
To achieve a pass for a unit, learners must provide evidence demonstrating that they have fulfilled all the learning outcomes and met the standards specified by every assessment criterion. That judgement is made by the Assessor.
Verification and audit trail
Every unit is externally verified by LCDM. The Assessor must provide an audit trail showing how the judgement on a learner's overall achievement was arrived at.
That audit trail is what makes the award portable. It is the reason a certificate issued through one centre carries the same meaning as one issued through another, in a different country, in a different year.
Who does what
Two roles, kept separate
The division of responsibility is the mechanism, not the paperwork. It only works because neither side does the other's job.
The approved centre
Designs and delivers the programme, chooses the mode of delivery, resources the teaching, assesses learner evidence against the criteria, and produces the audit trail supporting each judgement.
LCDM
Publishes the units, learning outcomes, assessment criteria and GLH; approves centres before delivery begins; externally verifies assessment decisions; and awards the qualification.
A note on internal and external verifiers
Internal verifiers sample and quality-assure assessment decisions inside a centre. External verifiers do the same on LCDM's behalf, across centres. Meet the verification team.
Bring the LCDM standard to your institute
Centre approval opens our qualifications, verification support and the global registry to your learners. Our team will walk you through what is required.