Practical guides
Building your portfolio while you study
Every submitted output is a potential piece. A portfolio is built as the programme goes, not at the end: three chosen and presented pieces beat ten archived assignments. Here is the method for selecting and presenting them.
What a portfolio shows
A portfolio shows what you can produce, where the award attests what you have validated. The two complement each other: the award carries a public verification link an employer opens without an account, and the portfolio shows the substance. The year-long project naturally forms its centrepiece, because it is complete and has an audience.
- The project run end to end, with its baseline and its result
- Two short outputs, chosen for their variety
- A method note: how you go about things
- The verification link of your award
Building your portfolio in five moves
- 01
Archive as you go
Every submitted output goes into a single folder, with its date and its brief. Reconstructing later costs three times as much.
- 02
Select three pieces
The most complete, the most recent, the most different. Three pieces get read; ten get closed.
- 03
Write the context of each
Five lines: the problem, what you did, the result. Without context, an output cannot be read.
- 04
Put the project first
It is complete and it has a real audience. It is the piece that best shows what you can run.
- 05
Add the verification link
It opens the title, the date and the validated skills, with no account. Proof accompanies demonstration.
Three pieces, three roles
| Piece | What it demonstrates | What goes with it |
|---|---|---|
| The year-long project | Your ability to run a complete piece of work | The baseline and the result achieved |
| A technical output | A precise skill, exercised | The module brief and its constraints |
| An analytical output | How you reason and argue | The five lines of context |
The material available
- modules described in the catalogue
- 181
- pieces make a readable portfolio
- 3
- items issued at the end of the path
- 4
Each with its expected output.
Portfolio questions
Can I publish work drawn from my employer?
Check what you are free to show, and otherwise present the method rather than the data: the problem, the approach, the type of result. A clearly set-out method demonstrates as much as a full deliverable.
When should I start my portfolio?
From the first submitted output. Archiving as you go takes seconds per piece, whereas reconstructing at the end means tracking down briefs, versions and dates.
Does the portfolio stand in for the award?
The two play distinct, reinforcing roles: the award attests validated skills and is publicly verifiable, the portfolio shows the output. An employer opens the verification link, then reads the pieces.
Explore next
- Getting your certificateGetting your award at IHETC: descriptive supplement, public verification link, sharing with an employer and keeping the documents.
- Having your award verifiedPassing your IHETC award to an employer: public verification address, displayed content, descriptive supplement and use in a job application.
- Continuing after a titleContinuing after an IHETC professional title: four levels, 72 titles, complementary certifications and the move to a long-form programme.
- Straight after schoolApplying to IHETC right after secondary school: documents to gather, remote interview, reasoned decision within ten working days, access from enrolment.
- Changing careerChanging career with IHETC: making your experience count, choosing a professional title, applying in six steps and training while keeping your income.
- While employedApplying to IHETC without leaving your job: steps outside office hours, interview at a slot you choose, paces compatible with employment.