* Please note that this NVQ has been re-accredited from 1 September 2007 until 31 August 2010 - click here for more details and frequently asked questions regarding the automatic approval process.

Edexcel are the only Awarding Body currently accredited by QCA to offer the Level 3 NVQ in Achieving Excellence in Sports Performance.

This qualification offers the first opportunity for elite and potentially elite athletes/participants to get a proper recognition of the skills, knowledge and understanding they are developing/gaining in their quest for excellence.

This framework is only accessible to 4 categories of individuals (see below) and any interested parties should contact Stephen Mitchell at SkillsActive (the SSC for Active Leisure and Learning) before proceeding any further with developments around the delivery of, contracting for, or partnership working involved in the NVQ and/or full AASE framework. The categories are:

• full time contracted individuals at professional clubs
• full time athletes receiving support from the lottery world class programme or identified by their respective National Governing Body
• talented young people in an 'academy environment' not yet offered full time terms
• those young people who are part of the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS)