Open College Network West Midlands · RQF Entry Level
Open College Network West Midlands Entry Level Extended Award in Science (Entry 3)
You don’t just earn this. You learn to use it, one-to-one, on your own real work.
- LevelRQF Entry Level
- Total credits12
- Guided learning120 hours
- Units in this qualification17
Awarded by Open College Network West Midlands · on the Ofqual register
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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 Open College Network West Midlands 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.
Basic Science SkillsReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Use a microscope.
- Use a Bunsen burner safely.
- Use a thermometre safely to take temperature readings.
- Use the flame test technique to identify a metal contained in solution.
EcosystemsReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Know characteristics of living organisms.
- Classify animals into groups.
- Grow plants from seed.
- Know why information about the weather is collected.
- Collect information about the weather.
ElectricityReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Know the difference between conductors and insulators.
- Wire a three pin plug.
- Know the purpose of a fuse.
- Make an electrical circuit.
Energy UseReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Know about different sources of energy.
- Know advantages of using renewable energy.
- Know about reducing energy use.
Forensic ScienceReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Use chromatography techniques.
- Know fingerprint types.
- Identify different fibres.
- Know how graphology can be used in forensic science.
- Use food test procedures.
Health and Safety in a Science LaboratoryReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Know about different types of hazards in a science labouratory.
- Know about fire safety in a science labouratory.
- Work safely in a science labouratory.
- Work safely in a science labouratory.
Introduction to Animal CareReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Know basic needs for an animal to survive.
- Care for animals.
- Care for an animal.
Introduction to Plant CareReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Know the requirements of plants for healthy growth.
- Propagate plants from seed.
- Care for a plant to maintain healthy growth.
Investigating ArchitectureReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Test the strength of shapes.
- Construct a supporting structure.
- Construct bridges to support a mass.
Science and CosmeticsReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Measure the amount of lather produced by a shampoo.
- Make a shampoo using readily available substances.
- Make a bath bomb.
- Understand how smells travel from the source.
Science and FoodReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Know parts of the tongue associated with taste.
- Know the importance of smell in the taste of food.
- Understand how food is digested.
- Know about the role of microorganisms in food production.
- Understand the importance of food hygiene.
Science and Our UniverseReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Know about galaxies and our solar system.
- Know ways of finding out about the universe.
- Know factors that affect the surfaces of planets and moons.
Science and the Human BodyReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Know the function of major systems in the human body.
- Know factors that affect the health of individuals.
- Investigate the health of individuals.
Science and the Plant WorldReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Know the conditions needed for plant growth.
- Investigate plant growth.
- Know plant structures.
- Know how plants reproduce.
Science in Fire FightingReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Know the components of the fire triangle.
- Know about different types of fire extinguisher.
- Understand how fire extinguishers work.
- Know about inflammable materials.
- Know about flame retardants.
The Science of Light and SoundReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Know the properties of light and sound.
- Investigate light and sound.
- Know how light can be used for communication purposes.
Variation and Adaptation in the EnvironmentReal unit · Open College Network West Midlands
What you'll be able to do
- Know how organisms show adaptation to their environment.
- Know about factors that affect the range of organisms in an environment.
- Know about food webs.
- Identify organisms in a habitat.
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
Entry Level 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.
Where this can lead
Associate Laboratory Safety Technician
Your journey starts here, building a crucial foundation. With dedication and a thirst for knowledge, this role can open doors to a rewarding and impactful career in health, safety, and environmental management within the dynamic world of Research & Development. We're excited to see where you take it.
See the whole journey →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 Open College Network West Midlands Entry Level Extended Award in Science (Entry 3)
17 units in this credential, in the order it lists them, awarded by Open College Network West Midlands.
- Basic Science Skills
- Ecosystems
- Electricity
- Energy Use
- Forensic Science
- Health and Safety in a Science Laboratory
and 11 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.