NOCN · RQF Level 2
NOCN Level 2 Certificate in Skills for Employment and Study in Health Sciences
You don’t just earn this. You learn to use it, one-to-one, on your own real work.
- LevelRQF Level 2
- Total credits30
- Guided learning235 hours
- Units in this qualification38
Awarded by NOCN · 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
Qualification Number 601/6279/X Total Qualification Time (TQT) 300 Credits 30 Minimum Age 16 Level Level 2 Registration Start Date 1/6/2015 Current Tariff £95.00 The NOCN Level 2 Certificate in Skills for Employment and Study in Health Sciences is designed to provide learners with essential knowledge and skills that will support their progression directly into employment within the health sciences or on to Level 3 learning programmes within a range of disciplines related to health sciences. Learners will be introduced to a chosen aspect of the health sciences and subsequently acquire an understanding of distinct vocational areas within the health sciences. Learners will also develop a range of practical and cognitive study skills relevant to both applied and intellectual progression within the discipline. Additionally, learners will have the opportunity to enhance their maths and English skills. The qualification will prepare learners for transition to employment within the health sciences and/or Level 3 learning within health sciences. The qualification is for: Learners who wish to: Enter employment within the health sciences; Prepare for Level 3 studies within the health sciences; Develop confidence in their own ability to undertake further study; Optimise their progression to Level 3 learning through the acquisition of a wide range of essential study skills.
These are the units NOCN 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.
CalculationsReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Add, subtract, multiply and divide whole numbers and numbers with up to three decimal places
- Use fractions
- Use percentages
- Convert between fractions, decimals and percentages
- Calculate ratio and direct proportion
- Evaluate expressions and make whole number substitutions in given formulae to produce results
- Use a calculator to calculate with fractions, decimals and percentages
- Use strategies to check calculations
Career Development and EmployabilityReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand that a career is important for personal and financial reasons, considering factors such as job satisfaction and financial security.
- Know how personal qualities relate to career choices, including skills, interests, and values.
- Understand what is meant by employability and what skills are required to manage own career development, including job searching, interview techniques, and continuous professional development.
Common Measures and ShapeReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Calculate, measure and record time in different formats
- Estimate, measure and compare temperature, including reading scales and conversion tables
- Estimate, measure and calculate with length, distance, weight and capacity, using common metric and imperial units
- Use scale and find dimensions from scale drawings
- Use compound measures and rate of exchange
- Recognise and use common 2D representations of 3D objects
- Find the perimeters of regular and composite 2D shapes, including circles, using a given formula
- Find areas of regular and composite shapes, including circles and triangles, using given formulae
Critical Thinking SkillsReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the concept of critical thinking and its key components.
- Know the importance of critical thinking in problem-solving and decision-making.
- Apply critical thinking skills to analyse information, identify assumptions, and evaluate arguments.
- Evaluate own critical thinking skills and identify areas for improvement.
Data Handling and ProbabilityReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Extract and interpret statistical information from various sources.
- Understand the difference between discrete and continuous data and their characteristics.
- Represent discrete and continuous data using appropriate graphical and numerical methods.
- Compare two sets of data using different types of average (mean, median, mode).
- Find the range to describe the spread within sets of data and understand its limitations.
Deliver a PresentationReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the use of different presentation styles to suit different audiences and purposes.
- Prepare a presentation, including planning content and selecting appropriate resources.
- Deliver an audio-visual presentation effectively, using appropriate techniques and equipment.
- Evaluate own presentation, identifying strengths and areas for improvement.
GeneticsReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Explain the fundamental principles of genetics
- Describe the role of genetics in the modern world, including its applications in various fields
- Discuss current ethical and social issues related to genetics
Health PromotionReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the concepts of health and ill-health, including the factors that contribute to each.
- Know the purpose of health promotion and its importance in improving public health.
- Understand the role of key strategies in the delivery of health promotion initiatives, such as education, policy changes, and community engagement.
- Plan a health promotion activity, considering target audience, objectives, and resources.
Health PsychologyReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the significant role of psychology in promoting and maintaining health.
- Understand the medical model approach to health and its limitations.
- Understand the bio-psychosocial approach to health, considering the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors.
Health and Safety in a Laboratory EnvironmentReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Maintain health and safety standards in a laboratory environment
- Operate safely in a laboratory, following established protocols and procedures
Human BiologyReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Know the detailed structure of a cell, including its organelles, and understand the function of each component.
- Understand the key systems of the human body, including their main organs and functions, such as the circulatory, respiratory, and digestive systems.
- Know the main causes of disease in the human body, including infectious agents, genetic factors, and environmental influences.
ImmunologyReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Describe the structure and function of the body's immune system
- Explain the different types of immune response
- Identify common disorders of the immune system
Introducing Health StudiesReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the nature of health studies as an academic discipline, including its scope and key concepts.
- Understand the different research methods used in health studies, including quantitative and qualitative approaches.
- Understand the practical applications of health studies' research in various settings.
- Know the potential career paths related to health studies, including roles in research, healthcare, and public health.
Introducing Life ScienceReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the scope and nature of the discipline of life science.
- Understand different research methods used in life science.
- Understand the applications of life science research in various fields.
- Know potential career paths related to life science, including required qualifications and skills.
Introducing Physical ScienceReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand physical science as an academic discipline, including its key areas of study
- Understand the investigative methods used in physical science research
- Understand the applications of physical science research in various fields
- Know potential career paths related to physical science and the required qualifications
Introducing PsychologyReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand psychology as an academic discipline, including its key concepts and theories.
- Understand research methods used in psychology, including quantitative and qualitative approaches.
- Understand applications of psychological research in various fields, such as healthcare, education, and business.
- Know potential career paths related to psychology, including roles in research, clinical practice, and education.
Investigating a Vocational AreaReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Research a vocational area, using appropriate sources of information
- Develop the skills and knowledge required for a chosen job role within a vocational area
Life Processes and Living ThingsReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the nature of biological science, including its key principles and methods.
- Demonstrate knowledge of animal, plant and bacterial cells, including their structure and function.
- Understand inheritance, including the role of genes and chromosomes.
- Understand how organisms interact with the environment and each other, including food chains and ecosystems.
- Understand the structure and function of a key plant system, such as the vascular system or reproductive system.
- Understand the structure and function of a key animal system, such as the digestive system or circulatory system.
Nutritional ScienceReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the function of the major nutrient groups (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals) in human physiology.
- Understand the nutritional requirements of individuals, considering factors such as age, gender, activity level, and health status.
- Know how the human body absorbs nutrients from food, including the processes of digestion and absorption in the digestive system.
- Understand the role of nutrition in the development and prevention of diet-related diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Personal Career PlanningReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand own skills, knowledge and abilities, identifying strengths and areas for development
- Relate current skills, knowledge and abilities to progression opportunities in chosen career paths
- Know personal development routes related to selected career paths, including education, training and work experience
- Create a personal career development plan, setting realistic and achievable goals
Personal Learning GoalsReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the concept of setting personal learning goals
- Set personal learning goals
- Evaluate own progress towards learning goals
Personal Study SkillsReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Locate and retrieve information from a variety of sources, both physical and digital.
- Store information electronically in an organised and accessible manner.
- Summarise written materials accurately and concisely, identifying key points and arguments.
Principles of ChemistryReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the fundamental nature of chemistry and the main types of chemical reaction, including acid-base reactions, redox reactions, and precipitation reactions.
- Understand atomic structure, including the arrangement of protons, neutrons, and electrons, and the different types of chemical bonding, including ionic, covalent, and metallic bonding.
- Know the organisation and key features of the periodic table, including the properties of different groups and periods.
- Understand the factors that affect rates of reaction, including temperature, concentration, and catalysts.
Professional Skills in Health CareReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the importance of interpersonal skills within health care practice for effective patient care
- Overcome barriers to effective communication with patients and colleagues
- Understand professionalism within health care practice, including ethical conduct and accountability
- Understand the complexity of service users' rights in health care, including confidentiality and informed consent
Research SkillsReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the key concepts of research, including methodologies and data analysis.
- Understand research ethics, including issues of confidentiality, informed consent, and data integrity.
- Plan a research project, including defining research questions, selecting appropriate methods, and developing a timeline.
- Structure a research report, including introduction, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion.
Revision and Examination SkillsReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the purpose of revision and its role in learning.
- Know and apply a range of effective revision techniques.
- Understand the purpose of examinations and their role in assessment.
- Know and apply effective examination techniques to maximise performance.
Social PsychologyReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand alternative approaches to social psychology, including behaviourist, cognitive, and psychodynamic perspectives.
- Understand social psychological theory in relation to the self, including concepts such as self-esteem, self-perception, and social identity.
- Understand social psychological theory in relation to groups, including concepts such as group dynamics, conformity, and obedience.
- Know the different research methods used in social psychology, including experiments, surveys, and observational studies.
Spelling SkillsReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Locate correct spellings
- Evaluate own spelling strengths and weaknesses
- Maintain a personal spelling programme over a time-span
SpreadsheetsReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Know different uses for spreadsheets
- Use formatting techniques to enter data into a spreadsheet
- Use multiple worksheets within a spreadsheet
- Use formulae in a spreadsheet to calculate data
- Present data in graphical form
- Sort and manage data in a spreadsheet
- Print a spreadsheet
Study Management SkillsReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the fundamental concept of study management
- Recognise the importance of effective study management techniques
- Create a suitable and effective study environment
- Apply study management skills to improve learning outcomes
The Building Blocks of ChemistryReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the classification of substances based on their properties and composition
- Separate mixtures using appropriate techniques
- Understand atomic structure, including the arrangement of protons, neutrons, and electrons
- Understand bonding, including ionic, covalent, and metallic bonds
Understanding PlagiarismReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the fundamental concept of plagiarism and its implications.
- Know the different types and forms that plagiarism can take.
- Understand the methods and strategies for avoiding plagiarism in academic and professional work.
- Correctly use appropriate citation methods and referencing techniques.
Undertaking Group WorkReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the fundamental concepts underpinning group work and its purpose.
- Plan group work activities, including defining roles and responsibilities.
- Undertake group work activity effectively, demonstrating collaboration and communication skills.
- Evaluate a group's performance, identifying strengths and areas for improvement.
Undertaking a Research ProjectReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Plan a research project, defining clear objectives, scope, and methodology
- Undertake a research project, collecting and analysing relevant data
- Present the findings of a research project in a clear and concise manner
- Evaluate a research report, assessing its validity, reliability, and conclusions
Using Grammar and PunctuationReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Use grammar correctly in written communication
- Use punctuation correctly to ensure clarity in written communication
Valuing Equality and DiversityReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Understand different aspects of equality in the workplace and wider society.
- Understand different aspects of diversity in the workplace and wider society.
- Understand different aspects of discrimination in the workplace and wider society.
Word ProcessingReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Create new documents using word processing software
- Open existing documents using word processing software
- Manipulate text within a word processing document, including editing, formatting and moving text
- Insert images into a word processing document
- Manipulate images within a word processing document, including resizing and positioning
- Save word processing documents in different file formats
- Print word processing documents, adjusting print settings as required
Writing SkillsReal unit · NOCN
What you'll be able to do
- Use grammar correctly and consistently in accordance with standard English conventions.
- Use different writing styles and formats appropriately for different purposes and audiences.
- Plan a piece of writing effectively, considering purpose, audience, and content.
- Present information clearly and coherently in an essay format.
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 2 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
Junior Research Coordinator
Your journey starts here, but where it takes you is up to you. We're committed to providing the opportunities and support for you to build a truly impactful career in research. If you're ready to learn, grow, and contribute to something meaningful, we'd love to have you.
See the whole journey →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
This unit equips learners with essential mathematical skills, including performing calculations with whole numbers, decimals, fractions, and percentages. Learners will also work with ratios, proportions, evaluate expressions, and use calculators effectively.
- Remember
- Understand
- Apply
- Analyse
- Evaluate
- Create
Built for NOCN Level 2 Certificate in Skills for Employment and Study in Health Sciences
38 units in this credential, in the order it lists them, awarded by NOCN.
- Calculations
- Career Development and Employability
- Common Measures and Shape
- Critical Thinking Skills
- Data Handling and Probability
- Deliver a Presentation
and 32 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.