Open College Network Northern Ireland · RQF Level 2
OCN NI Level 2 Certificate in Applied Science
You don’t just earn this. You learn to use it, one-to-one, on your own real work.
- LevelRQF Level 2
- Total credits18
- Guided learning144 hours
- Units in this qualification10
Awarded by Open College Network Northern Ireland · 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
Open Share Open Share Previewing Specification OCN NI L2 Certificate-Extended Certificate in Applied Science.pdf Specification OCN NI L2 Certificate-Extended Certificate in Applied Science.pdf
These are the units Open College Network Northern Ireland 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.
Chemical Analysis and DetectionReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Know the reagents and techniques used to analyse a variety of chemical compounds in a laboratory setting
- Classify chemical substances according to their pH level using appropriate indicators or meters
- Explain how chromatography is used to analyse materials and separate their components
- Detect the presence of different chemicals in unknown compounds using appropriate analytical techniques
Exploring our UniverseReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Know the main theories regarding the evolution of the universe
- Know the current scientific theory on the structure of the universe, including galaxies, stars and planets
- Be aware of the application of technology to astronomy and space exploration, including telescopes and space probes
Health ScienceReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Identify and describe factors that contribute to healthy living, including diet, exercise, sleep, and mental wellbeing.
- Explain how preventative measures, such as vaccinations, screening programmes, and health education, can be used to promote a healthier population.
- Describe a range of treatments used to combat illness, including medication, surgery, and therapy.
Life Processes and Living ThingsReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Understand cellular structure and functions within living organisms
- Know about the processes involved in the transport of nutrients and gases in plants
- Understand the principles of genetics and inheritance
- Understand how organisms interact with the environment and with each other within ecosystems
- Understand what enzymes are, their role in living organisms, and their applications in industrial processes
Materials and their Chemical PropertiesReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Explain atomic structure, including the roles of protons, neutrons, and electrons, and describe the different types of chemical bonding.
- Describe the organisation of the periodic table and explain how the properties of elements relate to their position in the table.
- Explain the nature of chemistry and describe the main types of chemical reaction, including acid-base reactions, redox reactions, and precipitation reactions.
- Explain the factors that affect rates of reaction, including temperature, concentration, and catalysts.
Mathematics for ScienceReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Select and use appropriate mathematical tools and techniques to solve scientific problems
- Apply mathematical concepts such as algebra, geometry, and statistics in a scientific context
- Collect scientific data accurately and systematically using appropriate methods and equipment
- Record scientific data in a clear and organised manner, using tables, charts, and graphs
- Present scientific data effectively using appropriate visual aids
- Interpret scientific data to draw conclusions and identify trends
Physical ProcessesReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles of energy transfer, including different forms of energy and how energy is conserved.
- Understand the basic principles of electricity, including current, voltage, resistance, and simple circuits.
- Understand the concepts of forces and motion, including Newton's laws of motion and the effects of forces on objects.
- Understand the nature of waves and radiation, including the electromagnetic spectrum and the properties of different types of radiation.
Planning, Conducting and Reporting on Scientific ProjectsReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Plan a practical scientific project, including defining a research question, formulating a hypothesis, and designing an experiment.
- Carry out a practical scientific project, following established procedures and safety guidelines, and collecting data accurately.
- Analyse and present the results of a practical scientific project, using appropriate statistical methods and graphical representations, and draw conclusions based on the evidence.
The Environment and Human InfluencesReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Describe the structure of different types of ecosystems, including the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers, and explain how ecosystems operate.
- Explain how human activities, such as pollution, deforestation, and climate change, influence the environment and its ecosystems.
- Describe the techniques used to monitor changes in the environment, including air and water quality monitoring, biodiversity surveys, and remote sensing.
- Explain how environmental protection is regulated through legislation, policies, and international agreements.
The Living BodyReal unit · Open College Network Northern Ireland
What you'll be able to do
- Describe the structure and function of different body systems, including the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, and excretory systems
- Explain how body systems interact to maintain homeostasis
- Describe the structure and function of the nervous system in animals
- Explain how animals respond to stimuli through nervous impulses and reflexes
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
Principal Research Scientist
Your journey as a Principal Research Scientist here is about more than just your next experiment; it's about building a career where your scientific leadership genuinely makes a difference. We're committed to supporting your growth, whether that's into management or as a world-class individual contributor. The future of science, and our company, depends on people like you.
See the whole journey →Showing 1 roles, drawn from 2 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
Learners will gain knowledge of chemical analysis techniques and detection methods. The unit covers reagents, pH classification, chromatography, safe labouratory practices, and identification of chemicals in unknown compounds.
- Remember
- Understand
- Apply
- Analyse
- Evaluate
- Create
Built for OCN NI Level 2 Certificate in Applied Science
10 units in this credential, in the order it lists them, awarded by Open College Network Northern Ireland.
- Chemical Analysis and Detection
- Exploring our Universe
- Health Science
- Life Processes and Living Things
- Materials and their Chemical Properties
- Mathematics for Science
and 4 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.