Recognition of world-class training
KAZ’s ‘City & Guilds Assured’ touch typing course is suitable for both mainstream and neurodivergent individuals
A ‘City & Guilds Assured’ programme offers external recognition and validation from a trusted global brand, providing a mark of learning excellence and credibility.
An ‘Assured’ status is only awarded to programmes that meet City & Guilds strict benchmark standards, demonstrating a commitment to quality training.
An ‘Assured’ status sets a training program apart from its competitors – confirming confidence and reassurance that its training meets best practice standards.
KAZ’s mainstream and neurodiverse touch typing program was noted to have achieved and exceeded the above criteria and is now ‘City & Guilds Assured’.
How does Assured benefit individuals?
Set yourself apart from your peers, provide a competitive edge with your ‘Assured’ online credentials.
Supported by Credly’s Acclaim, ‘Assured’ provides all successful candidates with a co-branded digital credential (certificate and badge), enabling them to showcase their quality skill and achievement externally via the web on social media profiles, CVs and job application forms – equipping them with an extra tool to help gain employment.
How does ‘Assured’ benefit employers?
As an employer, ‘Assured’ allows you to:
Motivate employees
By recognising their success and awarding them digital certification from a world recognised body.
Attract, recruit and retain talent
Demonstrate to your current, future employees and supply chain, your investment in the highest quality training.
Competitive advantage
Shine a light on exceptional in-house training by tapping into 140 years of expertise. Show your supply chain, end customers and investors that your training is best in class.
How does the course work?
The KAZ touch typing program – ‘City & Guilds Assured’ has been designed for individuals aged 15 years plus, or 14 years of age for invigilated environments.
The program consists of KAZ’s award-winning Accelerated Learning course, plus a ‘NEW’ City & Guilds assessment module, comprising a ‘Multiple Choice Paper’ and a ‘Typing Test’.
Program Duration
The program is licensed for one year and is ‘on-demand’ (i.e. the learner can access the course online at any time and progress through the course at their own pace).
Typically, the program takes just 90 minutes to teach the A-Z keys and approximately 4 hours to cover the whole keyboard – all of which can be divided and learned in short modules.
After completing the first four modules, learners should undertake daily practise on the fifth module – KAZ SpeedBuilder, to develop speed and accuracy and aim to consistently attain 35 words/minute and 80% accuracy (‘City & Guilds’ pass mark). How long this will take will vary depending on how much time individual learners dedicate to daily practise. Where possible, we recommend an hour’s practise a day, over a period of a few weeks, unless the learner is already proficient.
Unique Preference Screen
The inclusive and multi-sensory program teaches typing skills whilst minimising visual disturbances using a unique ‘preference screen’, developed with advice and guidance from the Dyslexia Research Trust. This opening screen offers learners a choice of preferences, tailoring the course for maximum visibility comfort.
Preferences include:
Choice of coloured background/filter screens – for reducing white screen glare
Choice of 2 specific DRT research-based background/filter colours – for steadying letter movement and blurring (the program has been specially adapted to replicate as best possible the effect of these coloured filters)
Choice of dyslexic friendly typefaces (including 2 licensed dyslexic fonts) – for ease of reading
Choice of font colour – for contrast from background screen colour
Choice of font size – for optimum visibility comfort and to minimize fusing and crowding of letters
Choice of Keyboard – for optimum visibility comfort
Once the learner has selected their preferences and can read the sample text comfortably, their options are ‘Saved’ and applied throughout the course, tailoring it for maximum visibility comfort.
The program also provides an ‘Audio Descriptive’ version, including ‘speaking keys’ and spoken instruction for visually impaired learners and a ‘Text Only’ version with written/visual instruction for the hearing impaired.
Program Structure and Delivery Method
The KAZ program uses a unique Accelerated Learning teaching method. Incorporating both ‘muscle memory’ and ‘brain balance’, it engages the major senses of sight, sound and touch simultaneously, radically enhancing memory retention and recall – which is why it is so effective.
Using specific combinations and progressions of just 11 words in 5 scientifically structured phrases, the method trains the fingers on both hands to work symmetrically and simultaneously – a direct result of both hemispheres of the brain working at the same time –‘brain balance’. No other typing tutor works in this way.
The program consists of 6 modules:
Flying Start – (Introduces the course, the navigational tool, teaches correct posture whilst sitting at a computer and the meaning, causes, signs, symptoms and preventative measures of Repetitive Strain Injury)
The Basics – (Teaches the A-Z keys using 5 scientifically structured and trademarked phrases)
Just Do It – (Offers additional exercises to reinforces the A-Z keys and build muscle memory)
And The Rest – (Teaches the punctuation keys)
SpeedBuilder – (Offers daily practise – increasing speed and accuracy)
City & Guilds Assessment – (Consists of a Multiple Choice Paper and a typing test)
The learner should work through the first four modules in sequence. They should progress through the program at their own pace and return to any module of the course, at any time, should they wish to refresh.
On completing the first four modules, they should then commence the fifth module – KAZ ‘SpeedBuilder’ and practise until they consistently achieve 35 words/minute and accuracy of 80% (City & Guild’s pass mark).
Once they are ready, they should commence the final module – ‘City & Guilds Assessment’, where they will be presented with a multiple-choice paper and a typing test.
Program Assessment
The assessment’s objective is to evaluate the learner’s knowledge on what they have been taught throughout the program and consists of:
Multiple choice paper – consisting of 15 questions, evenly covering three different areas – ‘Correct Posture’ – when sitting at a computer, ‘Repetitive Strain Injury’ – meaning, causes, signs, symptoms and preventative measures and ‘Touch Typing Technique.’
Typing Test – (Recording speed and accuracy).
A City & Guilds pass will be attained when the candidate achieves the following scores:
Words/minute – 35
Accuracy – 80%
Multiple-choice score – 80% (12/15)
Should the candidate be unsuccessful in attaining their ‘City & Guilds’ on their first attempt, they may try again by pressing the ‘RE-SIT’ button. Although they may re-sit immediately, we recommend they wait 24 hours and re-visit the ‘Flying Start’ and / or the KAZ ‘SpeedBuilder’ module.
On successfully passing the course, candidates will automatically receive a congratulatory message. Once verification has been completed, they will be emailed a co-branded digital certificate and badge, to showcase their quality skill externally via the web – i.e. social media profiles, C.V.’s and job application forms. The badge may take up to 28 days to be emailed, as it is dependent on the City & Guilds processing department.
With its new ‘City & Guilds Assured’ status, KAZ hopes to equip all successful candidates, both mainstream and neurodivergent with a globally recognised credential they can use to help gain employment.