Ascentis · RQF Level 1
Ascentis (AptEd) Level 1 Diploma in Work Preparation for the Creative Industries (QCF)
You don’t just earn this. You learn to use it, one-to-one, on your own real work.
- LevelRQF Level 1
- Total credits39
- Guided learning62 hours
- Units in this qualification68
Awarded by Ascentis · on the Ofqual register
Start here
See how this course maps onto your role
Ten quick questions, one per Future Fluency, asked against this qualification rather than a generic one.
About 5 minutes · No card · Nothing to commit to
What you’ll learn
What each unit actually teaches you to do
These are the units Ascentis registers against this qualification. It is a catalogue, not a syllabus. Which of them you take depends on the combination the qualification requires, and that is set by the awarding body rather than by us. Every unit here is regulated, and every one you earn is yours to keep.
Applying for a JobReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand different methods of applying for jobs
- Complete a job application
Art and Design: Colour Theory and DesignReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles of colour theory and application.
- Recognise problems related to colour mixing.
- Construct a twelve-section colour wheel.
- Understand the value of colour.
- Use colour related terminology.
Basic Visual LanguageReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the characteristics of basic visual language.
- Know about drawing and painting techniques and materials.
- Use tools and equipment.
- Understand Health and Safety procedures.
- Comment on own work.
Building Working Relationships with ColleaguesReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Know why it is important to get on well with colleagues
- Work with employers and/or managers
- Work with peers in the workplace
CV WritingReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the purpose of a CV.
- Complete a CV in an appropriate format.
CeramicsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the properties of clay.
- Use basic forming techniques.
- Understand the use of decorative techniques.
- Understand the changes that take place during the making, drying and firing processes.
- Understand health and safety.
Communicating in the workplaceReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Know about ways of communicating.
- Know the methods used to communicate different types of information in the workplace.
- Use communication skills.
Craft Workshop PracticeReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles and practices of workshop safety.
- Select and use basic craft tools.
- Select and use a range of basic craft materials.
- Follow given instructions.
Creating articles for the mediaReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the media and its formats.
- Construct a media article.
- Prepare for a media interview.
- Understand safeguarding protocols as they relate to article production.
- Construct a news release.
Creative Craft SkillsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the health and safety requirements when undertaking creative activity.
- Develop ideas for creative activity.
- Experiment with media using a sketchbook and/or journal.
- Understand the importance of planning for activity.
- Use materials and equipment within given contexts.
- Use techniques to undertake activity within given contexts.
- Reflect on own work.
Customer CareReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles of good customer care.
- Provide good customer care.
- Communicate positively with customers.
- Understand the importance of keeping to organisational policies and practice.
Design ProjectReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Source research material appropriate to the needs of the project.
- Plan work to meet deadlines using time management skills.
- Record ideas for project development.
- Develop and complete design projects using appropriate materials and techniques.
- Reflect on own work.
- Understand health and safety procedures.
Design StyleReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the design characteristics of a given object or image.
- Understand basic terminology relevant to design practice and history.
- Recognise the key influences on the design of a given object or image.
- Reflect on design style.
- Record information and reflections on design style.
Developing meeting skillsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the purpose and format of meetings.
- Prepare for meetings.
- Contribute to a meeting.
Discovering MusicReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Know about classical music.
- Know about the main types of popular music.
- Know about production of sound in musical instruments.
- Understand the basic principles of music theory and notation.
DrawingReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand drawing media.
- Recognise drawing and composition problems.
- Know characteristics of line and tone.
- Understand the importance of keeping a personal sketchbook.
- Use drawing media.
- Work safely when drawing.
Enterprise skillsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs and how these are important in business situations
- Understand own strengths as an enterprising person and ways to develop own enterprising characteristics
Explore Acting SkillsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Use acting skills in practical activities.
- Develop a character for an acting role.
- Use acting skills in a performance.
- Know about and be able to demonstrate employability skills through participation in practical activities.
Explore Craft IdeasReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Explore craft ideas
Explore Graphic DesignReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Research information and ideas for graphic design work.
- Use materials, techniques and processes to develop ideas for graphic design.
- Produce and present graphic design in response to a task or theme.
- Review and record own design work.
Explore available resources to develop basic photography skillsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Explore available resources to develop basic photography skills
Exploring a Career in the Creative SectorReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Recognise career opportunities in the creative sector.
- Identify future opportunities or goals.
- Understand the value of CVs or portfolios for career development.
Exploring job opportunitiesReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Identify suitable job opportunities
- Identify steps for working towards getting a job
Group Devised Drama ProjectReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Communicate with an audience.
- Take direction.
- Work with a team to move a drama project forward.
- Understand the need to structure performance work to meet the needs of an audience.
- Use scripting conventions.
Improvisation and Performance SkillsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Devise performance structures through improvisation.
- Use performance skills.
- Understand the functions of a brief.
- Contribute to a group performance.
Interview SkillsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Prepare to be interviewed
- Respond to questions in an interview
- Assess own performance in an interview
Introduction to Film MakingReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Apply film making styles
- Use equipment to produce a film
- Use film making vocabulary
Introduction to Interactive Media ProductsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Know about interactive media products.
- Know how interactive media techniques and technology are used.
- Use interactive media techniques and technology to create an interactive media product.
- Review own work.
Introduction to Radio Production and InterviewingReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand different types of radio programmes.
- Know about the stories relevant for local radio.
- Conduct an interview.
- Understand different techniques used for radio.
- Understand and be able to use sound recording equipment.
- Understand relevant Health and Safety issues for radio production and interviewing.
Introduction to Video ProductionReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Know about video production techniques and technology.
- Develop ideas for video production.
- Undertake production and post-production work for video.
- Review own work.
Introduction to the Creative IndustriesReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Know the structure and working patterns of the Creative Industries.
- Know about different types of career opportunities available in the Creative Industries.
- Develop and demonstrate an appropriate skill in the Creative Industries.
Life DrawingReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Use proportion when drawing from a life model.
- Recognise characteristics of line and tone.
- Understand the importance of keeping a personal sketchbook.
- Use a suitable medium when drawing from life.
- Follow guidelines for life drawing.
Music Improvisation and Performance SkillsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Devise through improvisation.
- Use performance skills.
- Understand the functions of a brief.
- Contribute to a group performance.
Music for PerformanceReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the part music can play in creating mood and atmosphere.
- Demonstrate music making skills.
- Understand the use of rhythm and tempo.
- Select music appropriate for use in performance.
News Media TechniquesReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Know about the difference between types of writing for the media.
- Know the format of a newspaper.
- Know how design is used in newspaper and magazine production.
- Design a draft page for a newspaper or magazine.
- Review own work.
Oral Presentation SkillsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand strategies and techniques for oral presentations.
- Plan an oral presentation taking into account purpose and audience.
- Give an oral presentation taking into account purpose and audience.
PaintingReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Prepare a surface or canvas support for painting.
- Use painting materials and equipment.
- Use painting methods and techniques.
- Understand Health and Safety.
Painting in Water Based MediaReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Be able prepare for watercolour painting
- Work from direct observation
- Gather information for reference
- Know about Health and Safety procedures
Performing Physical TheatreReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand health and safety measures relating to physical theatre.
- Engage safely in physical theatre.
- Demonstrate basic movement for physical theatre.
- Choreograph simple physical performance sequences.
- Give and receive feedback on performance.
- Reflect on own performance.
Personal presentation in the workplaceReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Know conventions for personal presentation in the workplace.
- Demonstrate appropriate personal presentation for the workplace.
Photography - Using a Camera and AccessoriesReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Use a camera and relevant accessories to create images.
- Transfer images from a camera for printing.
- Understand relevant Health and Safety issues and procedures.
Photography – Using a TripodReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Prepare and use a tripod with a camera.
- Understand relevant Health and Safety issues and procedures.
Planning and Reviewing LearningReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Plan to meet targets.
- Follow a plan to meet targets and improve performance.
- Review own progress and achievements.
Preparing Performing Arts WorkReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Know the stages involved in the preparation of performing arts work
- Explore ideas for performing arts work
- Carry out a role in the preparation of performing arts work
Produce Craft WorkReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Plan the production of craft work
- Produce craft work
- Review the craft making process
Produce and Evaluate a Range of Photographic ImagesReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Create photographic images.
Produce and evaluate a range of photographic imagesReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Create photographic images
Promoting a Performing Arts EventReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand why a performing arts event needs promotion.
- Plan the promotion of a specific performance or event.
- Contribute to the promotion of a specific performance or event.
- Review the promotion of a specific performance or event.
Recognising and Respecting Diversity in the WorkplaceReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how recognising and respecting individual differences and diversity contributes to a positive environment in the workplace.
- Understand key responsibilities in relation to promoting equality in the workplace.
- Understand the importance of challenging discrimination at work.
Recognising prejudice and discriminationReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how stereotyping people can lead to prejudice and discrimination.
- Understand the impact of discriminatory behaviour on individuals and the workplace.
Responsible Work PracticeReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the requirements of the workplace.
- Understand the importance of positive attitudes and behaviours at work.
- Understand the characteristics of appropriate work practice.
Rights and Responsibilities in the WorkplaceReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand that employees have rights in the workplace.
- Understand that employees have responsibilities in the workplace.
SculptureReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Use imaginative or observational skills to prepare for modelling.
- Understand the principles of working in two and three dimensions.
- Understand the use of tools and techniques for modelling clay.
- Understand Health and Safety.
Set and Meet Goals in the Performing ArtsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Plan to meet goals in the performing arts.
- Contribute to the setting of group and individual goals in the performing arts.
- Understand own and others’ responsibilities in achieving group goals in the performing arts.
- Plan group activities in the performing arts.
- Undertake group activities in the performing arts.
- Review own group’s performing arts activities.
Solving Problems in the WorkplaceReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the different types of problems they might encounter in the workplace.
- Understand how problems can be solved.
Stained GlassReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Translate images and/or patterns for the production of a stained glass panel
- Use tools and equipment
- Select materials
- Use techniques in assembling stained glass panels
- Understand safe working practices and carry out Health and Safety procedures
Teamwork and Communication Skills for Performing ArtsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Know roles for individuals in a performing arts group.
- Interact with group members during performing arts activities.
- Demonstrate listening and conversational skills for social interaction during performing arts activities.
- Accept the right of other people to communicate within a group situation during performance arts activities.
- Understand the importance of co-operation in group situations during performing arts activities.
- Accept and respond to praise and criticism during performing arts activities.
- Be aware of the role of those in authority
Technical Skills for PerformanceReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Know the roles of technical support in the performance arts.
- Set up and use production equipment.
- Use technical skills to enhance a production.
- Understand health and safety regulations relevant to technical support in the performance arts.
TextilesReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Know about surface pattern design.
- Understand and use basic techniques.
- Understand Health and Safety procedures.
Textiles – Textile DecorationReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Use colour, line and texture to make simple designs for decorated textiles.
- Prepare to make decorated textiles to the selected designs.
- Work safely and effectively.
- Make decorated textiles.
Understanding Change in the WorkplaceReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand that organisations need to respond to change and new directions.
- Understand the impacts of change in the workplace.
Understanding Opportunities in Work Based Learning and ApprenticeshipsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Identify types of work based learning and apprenticeships.
- Understand how to identify a relevant work based learning opportunity for own development.
Understanding Structures in the WorkplaceReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the importance of organisational objectives and values.
- Understand the need for effective communication routes within an organisation.
- Recognise the way in which decisions are made in relation to organisational structure.
Urban, Street or Graffiti Art PracticeReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Know the development of urban, street or graffiti art practice.
- Generate ideas for site-specific art works.
- Plan for and create site-specific art works.
- Know about ways to solve problems with urban, street or graffiti art practice.
- Use Health and Safety procedures for self and general public.
Using Computers in the ArtsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how to initialise software for use in the arts.
- Understand and use tools for use in the arts.
- Edit items to support development of ideas.
- Save and retrieve files.
- Understand the possibilities and limitations of the software to achieve output expectations.
- Understand Health and Safety procedures.
Work ExperienceReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Prepare for their work experience placement.
- Work appropriately in their role.
- Review their work experience placement.
Working in CraftReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Know different types of organisations in the craft industry.
- Know job roles in the craft industry.
- Know the skills and training required for jobs in craft.
- Know about progression opportunities in the craft industry.
- Know own skills and qualities relevant to craft.
- Complete a C.V. for a specific job role in the craft industry.
Working in the Performing ArtsReal unit · Ascentis
What you'll be able to do
- Know different types of organisations in the performing arts industry.
- Know job roles in the performing arts industry.
- Know the skills and training required for jobs in performing arts.
- Know progression opportunities in performing arts.
- Know own skills and qualities relevant to performing arts.
- Complete a C.V. for a specific job role in the performing arts industry.
The honest bit
You’ve started things before
Most courses were built for a room full of people who aren’t you. A cohort moves on whether or not your week allowed it, and by the third week the thing you’re behind on becomes the reason you stop opening it.
There’s no cohort here, and no timetable to fall behind. Before anything starts, Zavmo asks when you’re sharpest and how long you can realistically sit down for, then builds the sessions around those answers. A bad fortnight changes your pace. It doesn’t put you behind.
And you only pay once you start learning. Searching and planning are free, and you can cancel any time — so the cost of finding out is an afternoon, not a year.
Your passport
Every credit is a stamp you keep
Level 1 credits are regulated. They don’t vanish when a subscription ends or a website closes. They travel to any employer, and Zavmo keeps the map of what you’ve earned and what’s next.
Each stamp is a real unit registered against this qualification.
Who’d teach you this
The Evidence Evaluator
Assessor
Helps you show what you can actually do, gathering the evidence that proves it as you learn.
Meet all twelve tutorsWhere this connects
Where these credits take you
A qualification is never a dead end here. See the jobs its credits open, the national occupational standards its units map to, and the future skills they quietly build.
- Fire ceramic products using a kiln
- Fire crafted ceramics using a kiln
- Select and brief radio and audio contributors
- Set up, operate and monitor a roller kiln
Where this can lead
Production Assistant / AV Technician
Your journey starts here, learning the foundations. The events industry is a vibrant, challenging, and incredibly rewarding place to build a career. If you're willing to put in the hard work, stay curious, and embrace the chaos, there's a huge world of opportunity waiting for you.
See the whole journey →Showing 5 roles, drawn from 9 job records mapped to this qualification.
Skills it covers
What the job actually needs. These are the standards the units are built against, in the words employers and awarding bodies already use for the work itself.
How you’ll actually learn this
One-to-one, on your own real work
A qualification is usually something done to you: sit the class, sit the exam, hope it sticks. Here it’s the opposite. You learn it one-to-one with a companion, on your own real work, and you keep going until you can use it, not just recall it.
Applied to your work in any of these jobs
- Remember
- Understand
- Apply
- Analyse
- Evaluate
- Create
Built for Ascentis (AptEd) Level 1 Diploma in Work Preparation for the Creative Industries (QCF)
67 units in this credential, in the order it lists them, awarded by Ascentis.
- Applying for a Job
- Art and Design: Colour Theory and Design
- Basic Visual Language
- Building Working Relationships with Colleagues
- CV Writing
- Ceramics
and 61 more in the full unit list below.
One to one, not one to many
No two people run this the same way
A course is written once and handed to everyone. This is assembled around you, and keeps changing as it learns you. Five things it reads, and what each one changes.
- Your actual work Every unit is taught against a live piece of your own work, not a worked example from a textbook.
- What you already know The first conversation finds your starting point, so you skip what you can already do and spend the time on what you cannot.
- The conditions you learn under Not a learning-styles quiz. The evidence does not support those. The dimensions the research does back, read once and used to shape the plan.
- How far you got last time It picks up mid-thought. The tutor knows what you said, what you struggled with, and what it asked you to try.
- Which tutor suits the moment Twelve of them, each for a different kind of thinking. The one who walks you through a first idea is not the one who stress-tests it.
See how you learn, free. Eight questions, no sign-up. A directional taster; the diagnostic inside Zavmo goes deeper and keeps adapting.
Why it sticks
Most courses stop at remembering
There’s a well-known ladder of how deeply you learn something, called Bloom’s Taxonomy. Most courses get you up the first two rungs: you remember some facts, you pass a test, you forget it. Real skill lives at the top. Judging, deciding, creating. And this isn’t a generic ladder: every rung has a named Zavmo tutor who walks you up it.
- 6CreateThe Creative Catalyst
- 5EvaluateThe Evidence Evaluator
- 4AnalyseThe Analyst
- 3ApplyThe Coach
- 2UnderstandThe Connector
- 1RememberThe Builder
Where most courses leave you Where Zavmo takes you
The value
Why the companion is worth £70 a month
You’re not paying for the units. They’re regulated, and the same wherever you earn them. You’re paying for the one thing that decides whether you actually get there: a companion that makes them stick, on your real work.
That is one-to-one on this qualification, every day, on the work you already do, for £70 a month. Your first module is free, so you can see the teaching before you pay for any of it. Billed monthly, cancel any time and billing stops.
Earned on your own work, taught to the top.
Everything you just read, learned one-to-one on the job you already do. Your first module is free, so you can see the teaching before you pay for any of it.
Build my plan, freeNo card. See how this qualification maps onto your role and meet the tutors who’d teach it, free. The learning begins when you subscribe. It’s £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.