This course is eligible for Part Time Undergraduate SAAS funding. If you are successful in getting this funding please contact us to book your place on the course. If not please use the Book Now button above to secure your place on the course.
The PDA Award (Distance Learning) in Employment Law will develop the relevant specialist competencies required by employers to allow you to undertake specialist paralegal support roles within the legal profession or in a legal context within a variety of businesses, the public sector or financial organisations, e.g. within HR teams, Citizens Advice Bureaux, Local Authority legal teams and commercial in-house legal teams.
It will also allow you to demonstrate a minimum level of professional competence in order to qualify for registration as a paralegal within the Law Society of Scotland Registered Paralegal Scheme.
Employment law is an area which has been affected by the ongoing effects of the current economic recession has meant an increase in clients seeking advice and assistance in this sector, both as employers and employees.
Legal firms, particularly those in the top 10 in Scotland, have recognised the increase in those seeking advice in this specialist area, and the continuing changes in law being applied, and have increased their specialist resource to meet this demand.
A sign of the increased growth in this market is the formation of specialist ‘stand-alone’ commercial companies offering legal advice on employment law issues.
This qualification is central to ensuring that you have the in-depth knowledge and skills to do so. This is an area of work which involves a high level of documentation and where often work has to be carried out to tight deadlines, particularly where a tribunal hearing is involved.
The sector has indicated that there are particular areas in which paralegals can be invaluable, such as:
- Dealing with witnesses and taking statements.
- Assisting with responses to tribunal orders and ensuring compliance.
- Collating documents and preparation of productions.
- Assisting at case management discussions, pre-hearing reviews and attendance and support at full hearings.
- Assistance with completion of questionnaires in relation to potential breaches of Equalities legislation.
Working within the context of employment law you will have direct contact with clients and other parties. Often a solicitor can spend a considerable amount of time out of the office in meetings or at tribunals/court, and when this happens the paralegal can be a contact for clients.
The PDA will also ensure that you have the skills and knowledge to act correctly at the level of responsibility given by your employer, and also to apply for registration with the Law Society of Scotland to highlight their competence in this field. Clients (both employers and employees) can be in stressful situations and need advice and action as a matter of urgency.
It is, therefore, essential that those carrying out the work are properly trained and have the skills and knowledge to do so correctly. Just as important is the fact that they should be aware of the consequences arising when work is not carried out correctly.
This is also an area of legal work where any conflict of interest and also confidentiality is paramount, and this is something of which students can be made aware under the Ethics section of the Unit Essential Skills for Paralegals.
This course is an SQA level 8 course of study and is, therefore, a qualifying 32 SCQF credit course of study. The course costs £300 and can be covered completely by the SAAS Part Time Fee Grant. Conditions of the funding are that you must have an individual income of £25,000 a year or less, including bonuses and overtime.
Please note: If you receive full-time support from SAAS as a student on any other course, you'll not be eligible to apply for the part-time fee grant.