FAQs

How much are the courses?

As we are funded by the government, our courses are free (this includes our exams and certificates)! To find out if you are eligible, please visit www.thinkemployment.com/apply/ or take a look at our ‘Am i eligible’ FAQ below.

How do I apply?

You can apply for our courses anytime by visiting www.thinkemployment.com/apply/.

Am I eligible?

As the eligibility criteria for funded courses can be fairly complicated, we have added the criteria into our online form. If you are able to submit the form found at www.thinkemployment.com/apply/, it is likely you are eligible (as long as the information you provide is accurate). Our Maths and English courses are also subject to a pre-course assessment.

How long are the courses?

The time it takes to complete our courses is largely down to how many hours you can dedicate to your learning per day/week. This is because they are online courses, so you simply login and complete your learning as and when suits you. We do expect learners to complete a minimum of 10 hours per week. To see the duration of each course, please visit www.thinkemployment.com/courses/ and select the course you are interested in. The duration is detailed under the ‘duration’ tab.

Are the courses Nationally-Recognised?

Yes. All Think Employment courses are nationally-recognised and come with official certification. Awarding bodies for each course can be found on our course pages. You can find these by visiting www.thinkemployment.com/courses/ and clicking on the course you are interested in.

I am on the waiting list for a course, how long will this take?

Each waiting list will vary in length depending on the course. You will be notified via email as soon as a space opens up for you. If you are on the waiting list for Maths/English, this is usually a couple of months.

Are the courses online?

Yes. All our courses are completed online. Once you have enrolled you will be provided with a login. This will give you 24/7 access to our online learning platform where you can complete your course. Assessments are also completed online (apart from our ICT course).

Do your courses have exams / how do exams work?

Our English, Maths and ICT courses have exams, the rest of our courses are assessed via an online workbook which is submitted to your tutor and then sent to external moderators.

For English there are 3 exams, Maths has 1 and ICT has an exam for each module that you select (up to 7). Our English and Maths exams can be completed online, or in one of our registered learning centres (we have these in Grimsby, Hull and Leeds). The ICT exam must be taken in one of our learning centres.

Can I complete more than one course?

You can complete as many courses are you like with Think Employment (if you are eligible). However we do ask that you complete one fully, before moving onto the next. Please only apply for one at a time, as applying for more than this, may slow down your application.

There is an error showing on the application form - help!

Please read the error message carefully, as it will detail the error you need to fix before you are able to submit the form. Common error messages include:

“Sorry but you are not eligible for our courses in your area”

We cannot deliver courses/funding in devolved postcode areas and you are therefore not able to complete our courses. We understand that this can be frustrating, given that our courses are completed online, however devolved areas have their own ‘pot’ of funding. This means we can’t use our ‘pot’ there too. If this error message appears, please contact your local college, or the National Careers Service, who may be able to help you find an alternative provider in your area.

Error: “Your Learning History”

The most common reason for this error message showing is the text box at the bottom of this section. The text in this box must contain at least 50 words. If you have entered 50 words, please add a few more and try again. Sometimes ‘a’ or ‘i’ is not picked up by the system.

It’s asking me for a date for employment but I am unemployed!?

This question is actually asking you for the date that your current employment status started. For example if you are unemployed, when did you become unemployed and if you are employed, when did you start your job. If you do not know the specific date, please use a best guess.

I can’t submit my ID

If you are having problems uploading your ID, you send send this (along with your National Insurance number) to [email protected]. All the other information you have filled out up to that point will have already been submitted to us.

I’ve completed an assessment and now it says it is paused and to contact a tutor - help!

Once you have completed your Initial assessment, our tutors will take a look at your results and get back to you within 48 hours of you completing it (not including weekends/bank holidays). You do not need to do anything at this stage, other than wait for an email from us.

How can I find out more information about a course?

You can find our full course range at www.thinkemployment.com/courses/. Simply click on the course that you are interested in to see the modules, duration, entry requirements and more!

Do the courses allow me to apply for jobs / go to university?

All our courses are nationally-recognised and come with official certificates to demonstrate achievement. Each employer/ higher education provider will have their own entry requirements so we advise that you check these before applying. Functional Skills are widely accepted as an equivalent to GCSE grade C.

I can’t do the Maths / English course due to my results, when can I re-apply?

If you scored too low on your assessment to complete our English/Maths courses, you can re-apply again in 3 months time. This is to allow you to complete some additional learning.

I need my Maths / English qualifications ASAP, can you help me?

Our Functional skills courses take on average 55 hours to complete which typically equates to around 8-12 weeks. However this does depend on what level you are currently working at and also how much free time you have available to spend on your course. Please take into consideration though that this time frame doesn’t take into account the time for your mocks and actual exams to be taken and marked.