Counsellor Occupational Standard Consultation 2024

25 January, 2024

The Counsellor Trailblazer Group are pleased to announce that they have opened a consultation on the draft occupational standard for the Level 4 Counsellor.

There is a shortage of counsellors in England to meet the population needs to access counselling. This occupational standard will allow awarding bodies to benchmark their higher technical qualifications (HTQ) with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to receive the HTQ quality assured mark. Students and employing organisations will be able to access the higher technical qualifications to undertake training. The occupation will be included in IfATE’s occupational map which provides key information to prospective students and employers about how to access a career in counselling through the educational products offered.

The counsellor occupational standard maps to The Scope of Practice and Education (SCoPEd) framework which was created by six professional bodies within the counselling sector. This standard aligns for professional recognition with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society.

To give maximum opportunity for everyone to contribute, the consultation is available as an online survey . This consultation opened on Thursday, 25th January and will close at 12pm on Wednesday, 21st February.

Your feedback will be reviewed following the closing date and the Trailblazer will consider where amendments should be made to the draft standards. The Standards will then be submitted to the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to seek approval.