
1 
These Regulations may be cited as the Employment Rights (Time Off for Study or Training) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 and shall come into operation on 1st September 2000.
2 
In these Regulations—
 “the 1996 Order” means the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996;
 “BTEC” means Business and Technology Education Council;
 “CSYS” means a Certificate of Sixth Year Studies;
 “GCE ‘A’ level examination” and “GCE ‘AS’ examination” mean General Certificate of Education advanced level and advanced supplementry examinations respectively;
 “GCSE” means General Certificate of Secondary Education;
 “GNVQ” means a General National Vocational Qualification;
 “GSVQ” means a General Scottish Vocational Qualification;
 “NVQ” means a National Vocational Qualification;
 “SQA” means the Scottish Qualifications Authority;
 “SVQ” means a Scottish Vocational Qualification.
3 

(1) For the purposes of Article 91A(1) of the 1996 Order and subject to paragraphs (2) to (4) the standard of achievement shall be as follows:
(a) grades A* to C in five subjects in GCSE examinations;
(b) SQA Standard Grades at grades 1 to 3 in five subjects;
(c) one Intermediate level GNVQ or one GSVQ at level 2;
(d) one NVQ or SVQ at level 2;
(e) one BTEC First Certificate awarded by the first Edexcel Foundation;
(f) one BTEC First Diploma awarded by the Edexcel Foundation;
(g) the City and Guilds of London Institute Diploma of Vocational Education at Intermediate level; or
(h) 16 SQA unit or assessment credits at least 8 of which are at Intermediate 2 or above and the remainder at Intermediate 1, where unit credits are awarded on the basis of 1 per 40 hour SQA National Unit or National Certificate module or SQA Short Course and pro rata for SQA National Units or National Certificate module of different duration.
(2) For the purpose of paragraph (1):
(a) where an employee has been awarded a Part One GNVQ (Intermediate level) he shall be treated as having achieved grade A* to C in two GCSE subjects:
(b) where an employee has been awarded a GNVQ Language Unit (Intermediate level) he shall be treated as having achieved grade A in half a GCSE subject;
(c) where an employee has been awarded a grade in an examination relating to a GCSE short course, he shall be treated as having achieved that grade in half a GCSE subject;
(d) where an employee has been awarded—
(i) a SQA Standard Grade at grades 1 to 2, he shall be treated as having achieved 4 SQV unit or assessment credits at Intermediate 2,
(ii) a SQA Standard Grade at grade 3, he shall be treated as having achieved 4 SQV unit or assessment credits at Intermediate 1,
(iii) a GSVQ at level 1, he shall be treated as having achieved 12 SQA unit or assessment credits at Intermediate 1,
in any case such unit credits being treated as awarded on the basis of 1 per 40 hour SQA National Unit;
(e) where an employee has been awarded an SQA National Certificate module or SQA National Unit of 40 hours duration or an SQA Short Course and the relevant certificate does not specify the level of award—
(i) if the title of the module, unit or Short Course ends with the numeral “3” or higher, he shall be treated as having an SQA unit credit at Intermediate 2, and
(ii) in any other case, he shall be treated as having achieved an SQA unit credit at Intermediate 1; and
(f) sub-paragraph (e) shall also apply in the case of an employee awarded an SQA National Certificate module or SQA National Unit of a duration other than 40 hours where the relevant certificate does not specify the level of award, subject to the modification that the unit credits shall be treated as awarded in that case on the same basis as is specified in paragraph (1)(h).
(3) Where an employee has been awarded any of the qualifications specified in paragraph (4) he shall be treated as having attained the standard of achievement for the purposes of Article 91A(1) of the 1996 Order.
(4) The qualifications referred to in paragraph (3) are:
(a) grades A to E in one GCE ‘A’ level examination;
(b) grades A to E in GCE ‘AS’ examination;
(c) one Advanced Level GNVQ or one GSVQ at level 3;
(d) one SQA Higher Grade at grades A to C;
(e) one CSYS at grades A to C; and
(f) one NVQ or SVQ at level 3.
4 
The awarding bodies listed in the Schedule (whether acting alone or jointly with any other body) are hereby specified for the purposes of Article 91A(2)(c) of the 1996 Order.
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment on 23rd May 2000.
R. B. Gamble
A senior officer of the
Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment
The Department of Education hereby approves these Regulations.Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Education on 23rd May 2000.
C. Jendoubi (Mrs)
A senior officer of the
Department of Education

SCHEDULE
Regulation 4
A 
GCSE and GNVQ Awarding Bodies
 Assessment and Qualifications Alliance
 Edexcel Foundation
 Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment Oxford, Cambridge and RSQ Examinations
 Welsh Joint Education Committee
B 
NVQ Awarding Bodies
 Association of Accounting Technicians
 Association of Industrial Truck Trainers
 Automotive Management and Development Limited
 Awarding Body for the Built Environment
 The British Computer Society
 The British Horse Society
 British Horseracing Training Board
 British Polymer Training Association
 CABWI Awarding Body
 Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work
 Chartered Institute of Bankers
 City and Guilds of London Institute
 Confederation of International Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology
 Construction Industry Training Board
 Construction Industry Training Board Northern Ireland
 Council for Awards in Children’s Care and Education
 Distributive Occupational Standards Council
 Edexcel Foundation
 EMTA Awards Limited
 Engineering Construction Industry Training Board
 Engineering Training Council (Northern Ireland)
 EPIC
 Fibreboard Awarding Body
 Glass Qualifications Authority
 Hospitality Awarding Body
 Institute of Linguists Education Trust
 The Institute of Management Foundation
 The Institute of the Motor Industry
 Institute of Personnel and Development
 Institute of Supervision and Management
 Joint Examining Board
 Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry
 Leather Producing Industry Vocational Qualifications Board
 London Chamber of Commerce & Industry Examinations Board
 Local Government Management Board
 Management Verification Consortium Ltd
 Meat Training Council
 NCC Education Services Ltd
 National Examining Board for Supervisory Management
 National Fencing Training Authority
 National Proficiency Tests Council
 Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations
 The Open University
 Pitman Qualifications
 Process Awards Authority
 Qualifications for Industry Ltd
 The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
 Security Industry Training Organisation/Parking Committee for London
 Steel Industry Qualifications Board
 Telecommunications Vocational Standards Council
 Vocational Qualifications in Science, Engineering & Technology
 Vocational Training Charitable Trust
C 
National Entry Level Qualifications Awarding Bodies
 Assessment and Qualifications Alliance
 Edexcel Foundation
 Languages Development Centre (St Martin’s College)
 Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment
 Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations
 The Christian Theology Trust
 Welsh Joint Education Committee