The program is called the National Vocational Qualification or NVQ.

To many Filipinos, the concept of being a working student is not a foreign one. A similar arrangement – working while studying – is available thru UK’s NVQ. NVQ is a competence-based qualification. This means you learn practical, work-related tasks designed to help you develop the skills and knowledge to do a job effectively.

In the Philippines, the most common term is On-the-Job-Training (OJT). It is not a sit-down, regular classroom instruction but actual training and application of theory while in a job setting.

There are over 1,300 different NVQs to choose from. They are available in the vast majority of business sector, including business and management; sales, marketing, and distribution; health and social care; food, catering, and leisure services; construction and property; and manufacturing, production, and engineering.

Usually, those with a bachelor’s degree in a healthcare of allied care course start with NVQ Health & Social Care Level 2. Upon course completion, your qualification is awarded by OCR. The jobs available are Care Workers, Healthcare Assistance, and social worker. Yu can move up to the NVQ Level 3 of the same sector, Health & Social Care either for Adults or Children and Young People.

Potential jobs for graduates of the Level 3 are Care Home Manager, Care Worker, Health Service Manager, Health Visitor, Healthcare Assistant, and Social Worker. You will also get paid more because of higher qualifications awarded. One of the leading institutions offering work-based study program in the United Kingdom is the Affinity Training Ltd. with a website www.Care-Careers.co.uk.

The minimum wage level is £5.56 an hour or approximately £10,000 a year, approximately P800, 000. For NVQ Level 1, the course fee in only P112,000. The more profitable pay-off comes after the awarding of the UK qualification for the NVQ course completed. The UK qualification is recognized worldwide, especially in Europe, and renders the student eligible for work permit applications.

For most European member states, having a work permit for five years would lead to long-term residency. And then there is the Blue Card, a permanent migration scheme that Europe is offering.