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If you have already either achieved the Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence In A Work Environment (ACWE) or the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) you will be very familiar with exactly what assessing an individual’s competency in a workplace entails. However, for those looking to assess others in their place of work but aren’t yet qualified to do so, the ACWE may just be the best course you have never heard of (providing you haven’t heard of it, of course). Let’s have a deeper look into what the course involves and whether it would be suitable for you.

Where will you be assessing learners?

Just by taking a quick look through our website, you will see that we offer a whole range of different Assessor qualifications. Choosing the right one for your needs may seem daunting, which is why we are always on hand to help. Let’s focus on the ACWE for now, just to keep things less confusing!

Basically, if you plan on only assessing people ‘on-the-job’, then the Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence in the Workplace is the qualification that you need. The course consists of two main units:

1. Understanding Principles and Practices of Assessment
2. Assess Occupational Competence in the Work Environment

Unit 1

The first unit is entirely knowledge-based and will give you all the theory that you need in order to understand the responsibilities of an Assessor. This is completed entirely online within our virtual learning environment. Don’t worry though, our tutors will be on hand to guide you through the tasks.

Here’s a taste of a few of the topics you will cover as part of your first unit:

• Understanding and Adapting Assessment Methods
• The Assessor’s Responsibilities when Planning an Assessment
• Risks Associated with Assessment
• Use of Technology in Assessment
• Making Assessment Decisions and Providing Constructive Feedback

Unit 2

The second unit requires you to carry out 2 assessments, on 2 separate learners. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have access to learners though. Here at Brooks and Kirk, we are the only Assessor training provider who can guarantee access to learners for your ACWE course, no matter what sector you are in.

Within this unit, you actually get to start planning and carrying out real-life assessments. You will be guided through different techniques you can use to assess your learners, including:

• Observation of performance in the workplace
• Examining products of work
• Learner discussions
• Witness testimony
• Reviewing learner statements

Once you have completed the Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence In A Work Environment, you will be able to carry out assessments of candidates in their own workplace. However, if you are wanting to assess learners in both their workplace and their learning environments, we would advise that you have a look at the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA). The CAVA is the only qualification that would ‘fully-qualify’ you as an assessor.

Good luck with whatever your next step may be. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about the job of an assessor, any one of the courses we offer or anything assessing related for that matter!

There are lots of different types of Assessor qualifications, and it can be hard to work out which is the right one for you. The requirements for Assessor roles are extremely varied depending on both the employer and the qualification itself. However, there are two main things you need in order to become an Assessor:

1. Occupational Competence
2. An Assessor Qualification

We have already looked at Occupational Competence in detail, so we wanted to spend some time explaining each of the Assessor qualifications that we offer.

Assessor Qualifications

If you have been assessing for some time, you will be familiar with the traditional course names. For those who are new to assessing, let’s explore these quickly (we won’t bore you with the history too much we promise).

In the 90s if you wanted to train to become an assessor, you would complete the D32 and D33 units. In 2001, these were replaced by the A1 and A2 Awards. Then fast-forward to 2010, and the A1 and A2 Awards were replaced by ‘TAQA‘ (Training Assessment and Quality Assurance).

Current Assessor Qualifications

So now you have an understanding of the foundations, let’s take a look at the modern-day qualifications in more detail.

Within the TAQA suite, there are 4 different assessor qualifications. These qualifications are made up of one, a combination of, or all 3 of the following units:

• Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment – Unit 1
• Assess Occupational Competence in the Work Environment – Unit 2
• Assess Vocational Skills, Knowledge and Understanding – Unit 3.

Now let’s run through what each qualification involves.

Level 3 Award in Understanding the Principles & Practices of Assessment (UPPA)

As you have probably already worked out from the information above, this qualification is a standalone unit (Unit 1 from the list). It is a knowledge-based unit which covers all of the theory behind vocational assessment.

This qualification won’t actually allow you to carry out any assessments. It is more for a qualified assessor to complete in order to update their CPD record.

Level 3 Award in Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement (AVRA)

This qualification is a step up from UPPA as it will allow you to carry out some assessments. These assessments must only take place outside of the workplace. This course covers Units 1 and 3, so you can still assess the vocational knowledge, skills and understanding. You would only be able to assess learnings in learning environments though, such as classrooms, workshops and online systems.

Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence in the Work Environment (ACWE)

This essentially allows you to do the opposite of what the AVRA does. With this qualification, you would only be able to assess learners within a work environment. You have probably guessed this already, but this qualification covers Units 1 and 2. This course is ideal for people who are looking to become in-house assessors for a company that they currently work with.

Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA)

This is like the ‘holy grail’ of Assessor qualifications. CAVA qualifies you to carry out all forms of assessment mentioned above, as it covers all of the units. This is the only course that will make you a fully-qualified Assessor. Most Assessor vacancies will stipulate that the candidate is either holding or working towards CAVA or the ACWE. To give yourself the best possible chance when you are up against other candidates, having a CAVA qualification will certainly look more appealing.

Which assessor qualification is for me?

If you still need some help deciding, you may find this video from our Head of Marketing, Sam, useful!

We hope this has helped you to choose the right Assessor qualification for you. If you would like any more help or advice please give our team a call on 01205 805 155.

There’s no doubt that training for a new role/career can be costly; both in terms of money and time. That’s why it’s important to make sure you’re choosing the right Assessor Qualification from the start. Not only will this save you a considerable amount of money in the long run, it will also qualify you for that role or assessor job you want, even sooner.

Making the right choice will depend entirely on your career goals and what you want to be able to assess. At Brooks and Kirk, we offer a range of courses suitable for the trained Assessor looking to refresh their knowledge, all the way through to experienced individuals looking to become qualified as assessors for the first time.

What are my options?

The first step in choosing the right Assessor Qualification is knowing exactly what options are available to you and where these qualifications could lead.

You’ll see on our site that we offer four Level 3 qualifications – Does this mean they all do the same thing?

Not quite! Although all of our qualifications represent a high standard of training, each one equips learners for a different end goal.

What’s your end goal?

People undertake training for a number of different reasons. For example, some people are looking to update their knowledge after being in one role for a long time. Others may be working within an industry but are looking to sidestep into a new position. Then there are those who want a completely new career and are looking to become qualified in areas they’ve never worked before.

In the rest of this article, we’ll take a look at different learner goals and explain which Assessor Qualification is right for each one.

1.     I want to update my knowledge

If you’re already a trained Assessor who is simply looking to refresh their knowledge or learn about updates in the industry, then you will need our Level 3 Award in Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment (UPPA) – Unit 1.

This course does not qualify a learner to become a trained Assessor. Its purpose is to upskill people who are already working in an Assessor role. Perfect for those looking to keep their skills sharp!

2.     I want to be a classroom assessor

If you’re looking to become an Assessor exclusively in a classroom, workshop, or virtual setting, then you need the Level 3 Award in Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement (AVRA) – Units 1 & 3.

This award will qualify you to assess learners in a classroom setting but is not suitable for people who want to assess in a workplace environment.

3.     I want to assess on the job

If you want to become an Assessor of occupational competency – i.e. you want to make sure people are doing their jobs right! – then you’ll want to take the Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence in the Work Environment (ACWE) – Units 1 & 2.

So on the flip side, this award will qualify you to assess in a workplace environment only. You won’t be qualified as a classroom Assessor upon completion of the course.

4.     I want to do it all

If you’re looking to dive in the deep end and become an all-around Assessor who can work both in the classroom and on-the-job, then you will want to take the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) – Units 1,2 & 3. On completion of this certification, you will be a fully qualified assessor. This is our only certificate that ensures you are fully-qualified in every setting.

Reading the fine print

It’s important when choosing the right Assessor Qualification that you’re aware of which awards actually qualify you for your desired role, and which are unaccredited training. At Brooks and Kirk, all of our awards are part of the NVQ Framework and are nationally recognised. You can choose to receive your certification from City and Guilds, Pearson Edexcel or Industry Qualifications.

Are you sure? What about A1, D32, D33 or the TAQA?

Okay, so a really brief history lesson for you here… The D32/33 awards were replaced by the A1 awards, which were later replaced by a suite of qualifications that is often referred to as ‘TAQA’ in 2010. If you still feel like you are a little bamboozled by all of these acronyms, assessor qualifications run-through should help.

But most importantly, don’t worry – we offer the most up-to-date qualifications!

I have a full-time job. What are my options for studying?

Over 70% of the trainee assessors we currently have on-programme are fitting their study around a full-time job. This is made possible by Brooks and Kirk’s completely unique delivery model.

Exactly what your course will involve depends on which assessor qualification you choose. That being said, even if you were to enrol onto the most prestigious of the lot – the CAVA, you would only be required to attend one day. You will be able to complete the rest of your course online, entirely at your own pace.

Still not sure?

If you’re still not sure what’s right for you, then there’s no need to worry. Our expert team is available to help and make sure you’re getting exactly the training you need.

Get in touch with us today and talk us through your career goals. We’ll make sure you choose the right Assessor Qualification to get you where you want to be.

Who knew one question could have so many answers! Trying to find out what you need to become an NVQ Assessor can be hard work. Especially when every job vacancy and training provider says differently. But that hard work ends here… If you want to find out how to become an NVQ Assessor, all you need to do is read on.

How to Become an NVQ Assessor?

What you need to become an NVQ assessor will vary based on the prospective employer and the qualification you are looking to assess. However, generally speaking, to become an NVQ Assessor, you need two things. These are occupational competence and the appropriate assessor qualification.

In addition to that, any assessor jobs that state assessment experience is required, will also likely require you to have an up to date CPD record.

Just in case you would prefer a more visual answer to that question.

We hope that has helped! So that’s all you need from us, surely? If only…

Unfortunately, it’s not that straight forward for everyone. So let’s break that answer down into two parts and take a look at each part in more detail.

Occupational Competence

It almost goes without saying, but you need to be experienced in the field that you are looking to assess in. Experience of working within a certain industry and any qualifications or courses you have completed whilst working in that industry can both be used to evidence your level of occupational competence. Obviously, for anyone that has been working in in a certain role for over 5 years and has either achieved a level 3 or 5 NVQ, there shouldn’t be any issues with being able to provide prospective employers with occupational competence evidence. In fact, it would make sense for you to skip to the second part of the process for becoming an NVQ assessor; and that is finding the appropriate assessor qualification.

If, on the other hand, you think you may be short on experience or qualifications; then you’ve got more to learn.

What does Occupational Competence look like?

The most important form of occupational competence is undoubtedly experience of working within relevant job roles. And yes, ideally, you should have qualifications to back up that experience. However, if you haven’t, not to worry. As this isn’t always a necessity.

At this point, you may be thinking;

“Hold on! Are you sure? When I type ‘How to Become an NVQ Assessor?’ into Google and search assessor jobs, everyone says that I need at least a Level 3 NVQ?“

So, I want to clarify something quickly. No, you don’t HAVE to hold an NVQ, BTEC or even a degree to be eligible for an assessor job. Granted, a lot (but not all) of assessor job vacancies do say that you need a qualification. But that is because it is down to the individual employer to decide what they require their assessors to have to be deemed ‘occupationally competent’. You see, all that learning providers need to be concerned with is ensuring their assessors meet the requirements set out by the relevant awarding body (City and Guilds, Pearson Edexcel, Highfield etc).

The problem is, most awarding bodies’ qualification specifications have incredibly subjective requirements for assessors. They say things like;

Assessors must:

“have substantial operational experience that is current and appropriate to the unit(s) of NVQ/SVQ they are intending to assess.”

“be capable of carrying out the full requirements within the competency units they are assessing. This occupational competence should be maintained annually through clearly demonstrable continuing learning and professional development.”

Soooooo, in terms of requirements; what does that tell you exactly? Not a great deal! I have quoted those straight from specifications for the Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Hairdressing and Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Construction respectively. As you can see, it is pretty much left down to the training provider or college to decide what is acceptable. This means that whilst one training provider might decide that you’re not occupationally competent, another might say that you are.

A general rule of thumb

Hopefully this has helped you to see the answer to; ‘How to become an NVQ assessor’ isn’t as simple as you may have first thought! But, we want to give you some kind of idea as to where you stand with being able to become an assessor. So, if you have:

• Picked up at least 2 years experience working in a certain industry;
• A good command of the English language and ideally have some form of Maths and English qualifications (GCSEs or Functional Skills);
• Undertaken accredited vocationally related training;

… Then you will be deemed occupationally competent by most employers. So all that’s left for you to do before you can start applying for assessor jobs is to complete the appropriate assessor qualification.

Assessor Qualifications

Ahh now, this part is far easier to advise on. You just need to get an assessor course under your belt and you are good to go. Presumably, we just need to take a look at the qualification(s) that all of the assessor jobs are asking for? So, for the purpose of this post, I searched ‘assessor jobs’ online and looked at the first 5 that I came across. Here are all of the terms I came across referring to the required assessor qualification:

• D32/33
• D Units
• A1/A2
• A1 Award
• TAQA
• CAVA
• Formal Assessing Qualification
• Assessor Award

*Sigh

Where do I start with this! Unfortunately, as you have probably witnessed for yourself, trying to find the name of the assessor qualification you need can be an absolute nightmare. But it doesn’t need to be; I’m going to explain what A1, D32/33 and TAQA all mean. But first, I am going to clearly talk you through the current assessor qualifications, so that you know which assessor qualification you need to become an NVQ Assessor.

Current Assessor Qualifications

There are four current assessor qualifications to choose from. As I don’t like to beat around the bush, I’ll start with the most popular and highly regarded assessor qualification of the bunch…

Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA)

The CAVA is a 3-Unit qualification. In a nutshell, this qualification would make you a fully-qualified assessor. Upon completion of this qualification, you would be qualified to assess a learner’s occupational competence within a workplace. But on top of this, you would also be able to assess vocationally related knowledge and skills in learning environments. These learning environments could include classrooms, online learning systems, workshops and simulated environments, for example.

Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence in the Work Environment (ACWE)

This assessor qualification comprises 2 of the 3 units that are covered in the CAVA. The unit that the ACWE leaves out is the one that would qualify you to assess a learner’s vocational knowledge and skills outside of the work environment. So, if you only are only interested in being able to assess occupational competence, then the Level 3 ACWE will be ideal for you.

Level 3 Award in Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement (AVRA)

Again, this Level 3 Assessor Award is also only 2 of the 3 units from the CAVA. If we were to tell you that the theory-based unit from the 2 aforementioned qualifications appears in all 4 assessor courses, you don’t need to be any Sherlock Holmes to work out what the AVRA is all about… This assessor course would only qualify you to assess a learner’s vocational knowledge and skills in learning environments.

Level 3 Award in Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment (UPPA)

Finally, we have the UPPA. This single-unit assessor qualification does not qualify you to assess learners whatsoever. Given that you are probably reading this because you are looking to become an NVQ assessor, I can assure you that this course isn’t going to be the one for you. Whilst at first it can sound pretty strange and useless as an assessor qualification, the UPPA has its purposes. If you had previously qualified as an assessor and you needed a refresher course to bring your CPD record up to date, this would be the one.

Your Next Step

I appreciate that is a lot to take in, so here’s a brief recap; to become an NVQ assessor, you need to be experienced and ideally, qualified in the area you wish to assess. In addition to this, you will also need to have, or be working towards, the appropriate assessor qualification. This would more than likely be the CAVA or the ACWE.

Now that you know this, what’s your next step? Well, for anyone without an assessor qualification, getting one of the above added to your CV would be your starting point. Alternatively, if you are already a qualified assessor, then you just need to find yourself a job! FE Careers have got hundreds of Assessor Jobs live right now, so that would be your next port of call.

BUT WAIT! Before you go anywhere, there’s one final matter that we haven’t gone over yet. I mentioned earlier about how quite a few assessor jobs say that you need the ‘D32/33’, ‘A1 Award’ or the ‘TAQA’? Well, I still need to address what each of these are so that you don’t think that I have given you useless information. So, without further ado…

Making Sense of Assessor Jobs

Old Assessor Qualifications

I’m not going to bore you to death with a history lesson. After all, you’re not going to be completing an old assessor qualification to become an assessor! But I just want to make sure that you can make sense of all those pesky, confusing assessor vacancies…

D Units – D32/D33

This was the very first assessor qualification.

National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) were created in the 1980s. So, by the time we got to the year 2001, a lot had changed with both the structure of NVQs and the way that they were regulated. This meant that there needed to be a change in the training that assessors received as well. This is where the A1 and A2 qualifications come in.

A1 Award

Although you will often see the ‘A1 Award’ mentioned on job applications, there was actually 2 units you could do. These were:

• A1 – Level 3 Award in ‘Assess candidates using a range of methods’
• A2 – Level 3 Award in ‘Assess candidates’ performance through observation’

Fast forward to 2010 and the introduction of the Qualification Credit Framework (which is no longer in use); this meant that another change was needed. Cue…

The Troublesome ‘TAQA’

The very first thing I will say is, notice how ‘The Troublesome TAQA’ is a sub-heading in itself. And that is because ‘TAQA’ is not a qualification… DER DER DERRRR. I know, it may look like it from what you may have seen on assessor jobs, but it quite simply isn’t.

TAQA stands from Training, Assessment and Quality Assurance. It is the name that is given to the suite of Assessor qualifications I went through earlier (CAVA, ACWE, AVRA, UPPA) and the Internal Quality Assurance qualifications. So, you can do a qualification from within the TAQA suite, but you cannot do ‘a TAQA’.

If you are still slightly confused, you might benefit from having a quick read up on what TAQA is.

Now you know how to become an NVQ Assessor and what assessor jobs are really asking for. Good luck with gaining your assessor qualification and finding your ideal job!