Level 2 Certificate in Information, Advice and Guidance

Why Choose This Course?

The NCFE Certificate in Information, Advice and Guidance provides you with the tools to support others with confidence whether you’re working in education, employment services, housing, healthcare or another sector.

You’ll develop the skills needed to offer accurate information, signpost effectively, and support individuals to make informed decisions, all while respecting confidentiality and boundaries.

This course is designed to be studied at your own pace, anytime, from anywhere, and you won’t be alone! Your dedicated tutor will be on hand to offer support, feedback and guidance whenever you need it.

Could be fully funded – Enquire today to find out if you could study this course for FREE!

Who is this course aimed at?

Ideal for anyone in a role focused on supporting others, including careers advisors, support workers, teaching assistants, HR staff, youth workers, or anyone involved in giving guidance.

Perfect for anyone looking to gain employment in an advising role, build confidence in offering advice and guidance professionally, add a nationally recognised qualification to their CV or work towards a promotion.

This is also a great opportunity for employers looking to upskill their team, improving communication, compliance, and service delivery across their organisation. This course can be studied flexibly around the needs of the business.

Course Details

Flexible course length


Could be fully funded


Nationally recognised NCFE qualification


Learn at your own pace, anytime, anywhere


Dedicated tutor for support and feedback

Course Content

Mandatory Units

Unit 1: Information, advice or guidance in practice
During this unit, you will learn topics including:

  • The distinction between information, advice and guidance
  • Ways of meeting information, advice or guidance requirements of clients
  • The boundaries of your role in meeting information, advice or guidance requirements of clients
  • Accurate record-keeping to fulfil good practice guidelines

Unit 2: Developing interaction skills for information, advice or guidance
During this unit, you will learn topics including:

  •  How to interact with clients
  • The importance of effective communication skills in the delivery of information, advice or guidance
  • How your own values, beliefs and attitudes may affect interactions with clients
  • The importance of confidentiality and impartiality in interactions with clients
  • Your own skills and development needs

Optional Units

Unit 3: Signposting and referral in information, advice or guidance
During this unit, you will learn topics including:

  • Understanding when it is appropriate to signpost or refer clients to other agencies
  • The difference between signposting and referral
  • Good practice when referring or signposting clients
  • How to monitor and evaluate client referrals to other agencies

Unit 4: Information, advice or guidance - context
During this unit, you will learn topics including:

  • Understanding the information, advice or guidance needs of a specific group of clients
  • How to explore choices and options with a specific group of clients
  • How to enable clients to challenge discriminatory behaviour and practice
  • The barriers which may prevent clients from accessing information, advice or guidance services

Unit 5: Skills for advice providers
During this unit, you will learn topics including:

  • The role of social policy in advice work
  • The purpose and process of an advice interview
  • How to support a client to plan and take action
  • How to negotiate effectively on a client’s behalf
  • How to use information resources to meet client requirements

Unit 6: Benefits advice work - practice
During this unit, you will learn topics including:

  • The main categories of welfare benefits
  • The key features of the benefits system
  • How to claim appropriate benefits or funds

Unit 7: Managing information
During this unit, you will learn topics including:

  • The range of resources available to clients in a specific organisation
  • Media that can be used to provide information for clients in own organisation
  • How systems for storage and retrieval of information operate in own organisation

Unit 8: Specialist advice work in practice – housing
During this unit, you will learn topics including:

  • The information needs and legal rights relevant to housing advice
  • The factors to consider when advising a client on housing issues
  • Knowing your own skills and development needs

Unit 9: Specialist advice work in practice - debt
During this unit, you will learn topics including:

  • The factors to consider when advising a client on debt issues
  • The types of debt and the strategies used to resolve debt problems
  • Knowing how to identify own skills and development needs

Unit 10: Specialist advice work in practice – employment
During this unit, you will learn topics including:

  • The legal rights and systems which support employment advice provision
  • The factors to consider when advising a client on employment issues
  • Knowing your own skills and development needs

Unit 11: Specialist advice work in practice – refugee, immigrant or asylum seeker
During this unit, you will learn topics including:

  • The legal rights and status of refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers
  • The factors to consider when advising a client on refugee, immigrant or asylum seeker issues
  • Knowing your own skills and development needs

Unit 12: Information, advice or guidance in schools and colleges
During this unit, you will learn topics including:

  • The national requirements for information, advice or guidance provision in a school or college
  • The components of information, advice and guidance provision in a school or college
  • Your own responsibilities in relation to information, advice or guidance practice within a school or college
  • Knowing your own skills and development needs

Unit 13: Information, advice or guidance work with groups
During this unit, you will learn topics including:

  • The role of group work in information, advice or guidance
  • The factors which can influence the effectiveness of information, advice or guidance group sessions
  • Plan, conduct and evaluate information, advice or guidance sessions
  • The skills required to establish cooperative working relationships within information, advice or guidance group sessions

Unit 14: Operating within networks to support information, advice or guidance
During this unit, you will learn topics including:

  • The role of networks in supporting information, advice or guidance work
  • The need for networks to operate within Codes of Practice and Principles
  • The different roles within networks

Enquire Today

Could be fully funded – Enquire today to find out if you could study this course for FREE!

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