Who are the AIM Provider Consortium?
The AIM Provider Consortium has over 10 years of experience working with schools and training providers in the Leicester and Leicestershire area and are currently developing a wider network across a range of regions. We work in conjunction with AIM but are an independent consortium with the aim of supporting your role as a centre.
Who are the SDSA?
The School Development Support Agency (SDSA) is based in Leicester and has developed as a not-for-profit organisation supporting schools and children’s services for 20 years. In the current landscape we are now finding that our contribution to supporting the school-led improvement system is more relevant than ever before. Our work is mainly based in the East Midlands but is being spread further afield. The SDSA has a proven track record of contributing to positive outcomes for children and young people. We support individual or groups of schools to work collaboratively, building professional partnerships leading to sustainable improvement. With this in mind, we feel that the qualifications that AIM offers are important for those students who are not quite at GCSE level. Working with AIM, we would like to support the schools and learners to achieve their maximum potential. Please click here to learn more about SDSA.
What are the benefits of joining the Consortium?
Here are just a few of the benefits of joining the AIM Provider Consortium:
- We provide a ‘one stop’ shop for the delivery, verification and certification of AIM qualifications.
- Flexibility - ‘On demand’ DCV (external verification) service means that learners can be credited with unit achievement quickly.
- We can provide an Internal Verification service for Centres who need it – especially small Centres
- Cost effective - the cost of membership is in line with the cost of individual AIM Centre Approval associated costs
- Opportunities for sharing good practice, successful assessment vehicles and networking.
How do I become a member of the Consortium?
To talk to one of the team about becoming a member, please email nicole.dishington@sdsa.net.
How do I become a centre?
To become a member, please email nicole.dishington@sdsa.net. Please note you do not need to gain centre approval from AIM to join the Consortium.
Who can be a member/centre?
Any educational organisation providing AIM qualifications to a group of learners, no matter how big or small.
What are the costs of joining the Consortium?
There is a cost to joining the Consortium. The AIM Provider Consortium offers two different packages depending on the level of support you would like to receive from the Consortium. This usually depends on the size of your centre and the capacity of staff delivering and assessing these qualifications. Please click here to find out more.
How long will my membership last?
Membership to the Consortium is renewed annually from the point of joining. We can accommodate new members at any point during the year.
Can I change which package I buy into each time I renew my membership?
Yes. You can do this at the end of each annual cycle. Should you wish to change within the membership period, please contact Bill Leivers using the email address billleivers@sky.com.
Do you have any testimonials from centres about being part of the Consortium?
Yes! Please click here to see what our centres say about AIM as an alternative curriculum and why they joined the AIM Provider Consortium.
Do I need to upload my centre policies?
No. Centre policies are not to the uploaded to the website but it is important to send these across to sonia.dayal@sdsa.net who will keep these on record. This is a mandatory requirement when becoming a member of the AIM Provider Consortium.
As a centre, do we have to Internally Verify (IV) our own work?
It often depends on the centres staffing capacity as to whether you choose to IV learner’s assessment or not. Some of our centres choose to undertake this process within their centre, others choose the Consortium package which includes a dedicated IV lead from the AIM Provider Consortium who is assigned to be your centre’s IV.
How to I register for the members’ area?
To access the members’ areas you must already be a member of the AIM Provider Consortium. As a member of the Consortium, you will receive log in details to the members’ area to access help and support from other members of the Consortium and Consortium leads.
How do I access other centre resources?
It is part of the quality assurance process to check and sign off assessment booklets created by centres. Once these have been approved, with permission of the author, they will be automatically uploaded to the secure members’ area of the website for members to use/tweak should they wish to run the same or similar unit.
How do I upload a resource?
If you would like to upload a resource to the members’ area, please email sonia.dayal@sdsa.net
Can I amend a resource to suit my learners?
Yes. All resources uploaded to the website can be amended to suit your learners ability/learning style. If you wish to use the document as it is, this is also fine.
Is there a charge to use resources from the website?
No. All resources are shared and gifted by Consortium members. These available on the website free of charge to members and can only be access by members.
How do I contact the Direct Claims Verifier (DCV)?
Bill Leivers is the AIM Provider Consortium DCV. Please email billleivers@sky.com.
How do I contact the Internal Verifiers (IV)?
Nicole Dishington and Sonia Dayal are IV’s for the Consortium. You can contact them via email nicole.dishington@sdsa.net or sonia.dayal@sdsa.net. The DCV can also IV.