Career Opportunities

Man writing note with laptop in background

5 Reasons To Take an Assessor Qualification

, 0

If you have been pondering over the idea of taking an Assessor qualification, but you just aren’t sure if it is the right move, this blog could be just what you need. Many people turn to assessing because they want to help train others and watch them achieve their potential. It is an extremely rewarding career path, but let’s have a look into some of the other reasons you should choose to take an Assessor qualification.

Professional Development

Yes, we harp on about keeping your CPD (Continued Professional Development) record up to date quite a bit, but for good reason – it is important! When you work in assessment, you build up a range of skills, particularly time management and communication skills. Add these new skills to your CV! It is also a good opportunity to identify any gaps you have in your knowledge, and any steps you need to take in order to become an even better Assessor.

Flexible Working

Becoming an Assessor will give you more flexibility and freedom when it comes to both location and working hours. Life as a freelance Assessor will give you the work-life balance that you have always dreamed of. Whether you are returning to work after having a child, or are looking for a different career path, consider assessing. You can set your own schedule, and only work part-time if you like.

You Fancy A Change

Sometimes we get to a certain age and just decide that the office 9-5 isn’t for us. Very few people actually do something about it though. If you have spent all those years stuck in an office, you might just need a change. You can stay in a sector that you know and understand, but just take a slightly different direction and Assess within that area.

Career Progression

Of course moving up the pay scale is a huge motivator for anyone to become an Assessor. If you are aiming for a promotion, taking an Assessor qualification will certainly help you. Whether you already work in management, or are looking to become a freelancer, the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement is the qualification for you.

Meeting New People

One of the main reasons lots of people turn to assessing is because they get to meet such a variety of people. Being an Assessor definitely isn’t a lonely job! You get to assess students from all different paths of life, and within a variety of different job roles. One morning you could be assessing someone at a construction site, and in the afternoon you could be in a classroom. It is an extremely rewarding role, as you watch and help your students progress through their qualifications.

If you would like any more information on how to become an Assessor, why not give our team a call on 01205 805 155 and they will be more than happy to assist you.

train others

Train Others… Get a Pay Rise and Become an NVQ Assessor

0

Becoming an NVQ Assessor is a really popular career path. It gives you freedom and flexibility that a 9-5 job simply won’t offer, and you could also see yourself getting a pay rise in the not-so-distant future too. Rather than going through the usual motions of climbing your career ladder by becoming a manager, an Assessor qualification could be the step you need to take.

Are you currently working in the health & social care, beauty therapy, or construction industry? Are you either looking for a pay rise or are unable to carry out the physical demands of the job now? Here is why becoming an NVQ Assessor could be the right choice for you.

You are already training others

Without realising it, you could already be passing your skills and knowledge onto your peers. It may be that you are keeping an eye on the new apprentices, or overseeing other members of staff. If this is the case, why not complete the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) so you can become an official Assessor.

You want to add value

A great way to progress within any organisation is to build upon your skills and qualifications. The need for in-house Assessors is definitely on the rise. It’s a great way to save businesses money too! By becoming an Assessor yourself, you will not only keep training costs down, but you will help your employer save time too. Training others whilst continuing to do your day job means that you would definitely be in a position to negotiate a pay rise!

Assessing within the workplace

You may be in a position where you have been through the NVQ apprenticeship stages and gained all the relevant qualifications. Why not use all of your skills and knowledge to guide others through the process? Assessments at work can be very daunting; especially when you have someone standing over your shoulder whilst you carry out your role. Use your experience to support others through the assessments.

If your colleagues take NVQs, you could convince your employer that you can carry out the workplace assessments, meaning they don’t have to hire someone else in. Again saving the business money. You will need the Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence In A Work Environment (ACWE) qualification if you choose to go down that route.

You have the full package

We have talked about occupational competency and how even if you don’t have a qualification, if you have enough work experience you may be able to assess within your chosen sector. Of course you are slightly limited without a qualification, so having CAVA under your belt as well is always advisable.

Why not put all those years of experience to good use though and Assess learners in the sector that you have years of training in? Top up your experience with an Assessor qualification and you are good to go!

For any further help on becoming an NVQ Assessor, our team are always at the end of the phone to help – 01205 805 155.

ultimate guide part 3

The Ultimate Guide to Becoming an Assessor | Part 3

, , , 0

We hope you are enjoying this mini-series! Here’s a link back to Part 1 of the Ultimate Guide to Becoming an NVQ Assessor in case you missed it. Today in the final chapter we are going to look at assessing at different levels, and taking a deeper look into what occupational competence is.

What level can I assess after I have qualified?

If we had a pound for every time we were asked this question, let’s just say we wouldn’t be here. We would be setting sail in the sunny Mediterranean on our very own ship. Now isn’t that an idea?!

Back to being a bit more serious; the quick and easy answer to that question is that you can assess at any level you are occupationally competent to. Unfortunately, the answer isn’t quite as simple as that though. Firstly, you will need to have a look at the qualification specification of the specific awarding body. This will provide all the information you need to know about the qualification, including the ‘Requirements for Assessors’ who are delivering the course.

Do I need to be qualified to be occupationally competent?

In many qualification specifications, there is nothing to say that you must hold the respective qualification in order to assess it. It all depends on how occupational competence is defined by the awarding body. The learning provider themselves will determine whether an Assessor has sufficient occupational competence.

Things can start to get a bit confusing regarding being unqualified though. According to a specification, you may be eligible to assess the qualification; but any provider or college could deem you ineligible to assess the qualification for them. That is what makes this a really hard question to answer. The only way you can truly find out is by getting in touch with the learning provider directly.

Lots of experience, no qualification

For those who have been working in their sector for years and years, this is also a tricky one. Particularly if you don’t have any qualifications to back up your occupational competency. If you are both qualified and experienced in the field you are wanting to assess in, there will be plenty of job prospects for you. If, for example, you have 10 years of experience in a specific area but no qualifications, again it is best speaking with the individual training organisation.

We hope this has helped to clear things up a bit for you. It is a very confusing topic though; so if you would like some more clarification please give our team a call on 01205 805 155. We will be more than happy to run through your individual circumstances with you.

ultimate guide p1

The Ultimate Guide to Becoming an Assessor | Part 1

, , , 0

In this blog series we are going to look in detail at the Assessor role, the history of Assessor training, and assessing at different levels. By the end of the series, we hope that you will have a clear understanding of the role, and be ready to start training for your new assessing career.

What does an Assessor do?

Becoming an NVQ Assessor is an extremely rewarding role, but as you may have discovered there are a lot of things to get your head around first. We want to make this less daunting for you, so let’s first look at the role of an assessor.

The main purpose of an Assessor is to observe learners in their workplace, providing support and guidance throughout their apprenticeship. You will be responsible for collecting evidence and assessing their abilities in order to help them gain their qualification.

Some of the tasks you will be responsible for as an NVQ Assessor will include:

  • Plan and deliver NVQ training programmes and workshops
  • Examine candidates’ portfolios of evidence
  • Provide feedback and offer advice if the standards are not met
  • Attend meetings with other assessors
  • Keep records of candidates’ progress, according to the requirements of the NVQ awarding bodies.

You will be the main contact for your learner, and will build a strong working relationship with them. For many people, this is the best part of the job.

Who becomes an NVQ Assessor?

We have talked about this in quite a bit of detail in our ‘Who becomes an NVQ Assessor’ blog, but we will touch on this now. This is actually quite a common question we are asked by learners, so we carried out our own research. We found that our students fell into 5 main categories:

  1. The Battle Weary – when the physical aspect of the job gets too much, but you want to stay working within the industry.
  2. The Work-Life Balancers – many of our past learners trained to become an NVQ Assessor in order to gain a better work-life balance. Whether they needed more time to look after their children, or just simply wanted more flexibility with their schedule.
  3. The Knowledge Givers – some people are destined to become teachers, and this group of learners said that they wanted to share all of their knowledge to others.
  4. The Career Changers – this is pretty self-explanatory. This group of learners fancied a change in career and many were getting bored in their current role.
  5. The Second Incomers – this group of learners were money-incentivised. They wanted an extra stream of income, without giving up the day job.

How to become an NVQ Assessor

A quick Google search of ‘how to become an NVQ Assessor’ can leave you feeling very confused indeed. Let’s break this down for you. The two main things you need are: occupational competence and an appropriate Assessor qualification. Occupational competence needs to be in the industry you are wanting to assess in. This can be evidenced by qualifications and experience of working in a relevant role.

The most highly regarded Assessor qualification is the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA). This qualification would make you a fully qualified Assessor, able to assess a learner’s occupational competence within a workplace. Upon completion of this course, you would be able to assess learners completing NVQs and Apprenticeships. Of course you must also have sufficient occupational competence too.

Next in the series

It really is quite simple becoming an NVQ Assessor, sometimes it is just a case of finding the right article that explains it clearly for you (which we hope this has!). Take a look at the next blog in the series (The Ultimate Guide to Becoming an Assessor Part 2) where we will look at the history of Assessor training. If you have any questions in the meantime please feel free to call us on 01205 805 155.

what happens once im a qualified assessor

What Happens Once I’m A Qualified Assessor?

, , 0

In our recent blog, we explained the levels you can assess up to after completing your Assessor qualification. If you are recently qualified, congratulations on passing the course – all those months of hard work have finally paid off and you can enter the big wide world of assessing. That may seem a little daunting to some of you, so let’s explore the options available to you now you are fully qualified.

Become A Freelance Assessor

Many people choose to go down the career path of an assessor in order to have flexibility in their work. Life as a freelance assessor is completely different to the usual 9-5 and you have to be an extremely motivated person in order to make it work.

One thing you need to be aware of is that you can’t just go assessing on your own once you are qualified. ‘Freelance’ in this instance means that you will be working on your own, but under the umbrella of a college providing the paperwork.

Freelance positions may just involve holiday cover to begin with, but sometimes it is just a case of getting your foot in the door with a training company. You never know, you could be called upon again when they go through a busy period. Another great place for newly qualified assessors is LinkedIn. Start building up your network, posting about your experience and skills and you could well find yourself head-hunted.

Set Yourself Up As A Training Provider

Setting up your own business is an extremely challenging thing to do, but it can also be very rewarding. Let’s assume you aren’t fresh out of being a qualified assessor and you have training experience too (if not, have a look at our Assessor Training page for advice).

In order to start your own accredited training company, you will need to be an approved centre for an awarding body that offers the courses you want to deliver. You need to have financial reserves for this stage, as fees can be anything from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds. The awarding body will also need to visit your centre, so there are lots of requirements you need to pass. We have gone into more detail about this on our starting your own accredited training company page.

If you really are serious about setting yourself up as a training provider, take the time to research this thoroughly, and ask for advice. You can always book a consultation with our industry experts to help set you on the right path to begin with.

Taking Up A Full-Time Position

You may have become a qualified Assessor in order to move up within the company you work for. Employees have a much greater chance of receiving a promotion by taking online courses, so let’s hope your hard work is rewarded. By studying alongside a full-time job, this not only shows commitment to the company you are working for, but also shows initiative.

There are lots of full-time opportunities available to you once you have qualified as an Assessor. You may decide to work specifically for colleges or independent training providers. If you’re more interested in assessing in Apprenticeships, there are two ways you can go about this. Being the ‘on-programme’ Assessor and helping the Apprentice throughout their studies to prepare them for the End-Point Assessment. Alternatively, if you’d rather be assessing the Apprentice at the very end of their Apprenticeship, you may want to look into becoming an Independent End-Point Assessor. 

Undergo Further Training

If you are not quite ready to step back into the world of full-time employment, you could always look at improving your skillset further and undergo more training. Lots of our newly qualified Assessors go onto the Level 3 Award in Education and Training (AET) course as this allows them to qualify as a tutor or trainer. This is the perfect qualification to take if you are wanting to work as an On-Programme Apprenticeship Assessor.

You may have also realised throughout your job search that the IQA Award (Internal Quality Assurance) is often included as a requirement for both traditional assessor and End-Point Assessor roles. There are lots of other benefits of completing your IQA qualification, but the most important advantage is that it will help you to become a highly qualified assessor. If you understand how assessments are quality assured, you can prepare your learners in the best possible way.

So as you can see, there are lots of different opportunities available to you once you have become a qualified Assessor. It really is a case of choosing what suits you best, and taking the time to explore all of the options available to you. If you would like any more help or advice, please feel free to give us a call on 01205 805 155 and we will be more than happy to assist you.

freelance assessor

Life as a Freelance Assessor

, 0

Once you have qualified as an Assessor there are many job prospects and opportunities out there, lucky for you! From being a Work-Based Tutor at one end of the pay scale to a Curriculum Manager at the other end, the world is your oyster. Or if you really fancy a complete career change and don’t feel like heading back to the 9-5, you could always look at freelancing.

Many parents turn to assessing as a career because of the freedom and flexibility that it provides. By going freelance you can create a work routine that suits your lifestyle and commitments.

Things To Consider

If you are going to become a freelance Assessor, motivation and organisation are essential. You may find yourself working for several companies at one time, so you need to be able to stay on top of your workload. You also need to be clear from the outset whether you have to work certain hours for the company, or are in charge of your own diary.

Another thing to think about is pay. There are lots of different options when it comes to freelance assessing. You can be paid per hour, per learner, per visit, or per assignment marked. If you work as a freelance Independent Assessor, you can also assess other parts of an apprenticeship such as an NVQ. This opens up a lot of opportunities and gives you the option of a more varied role.

As a freelancer, you will also be responsible for filing your own invoices and self-assessment for Tax and National Insurance. It is always a good idea to speak to a local accountant to help you out with this!

Where To Find Freelance Positions

Some freelance positions are short-term, and are just required for holiday or maternity cover, but others can be longer-term. The caseload for assessors tends to fluctuate, so you may just be called upon when a company goes through a busy period.

The best place to find positions like these are on LinkedIn, which is a very important place for newly qualified assessors. LinkedIn is a platform for professionals to network and connect with the right people in your industry. There are also lots of LinkedIn Groups specific to NVQ assessors, where you can receive notifications of relevant job vacancies.

A Day In The Life

We have recently posted a blog called ‘A Day In The Life of a Childcare Assessor’ so you can gain a real insight into what freelance assessing involves. It means that you can really see whether becoming a freelance assessor is going to be the right decision for you. For example, if you are not a fan of driving and being away from home for a few hours each day, you may want to look at full-time positions instead.

We hope this has been useful for you, and if you are interested in becoming a freelance assessor, the best course for you to enrol on is the Level 3 Certificate In Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA). We are always at the end of the phone if you would like any other help, so give us a call on 01205 805 155.

what qualification do i need to become an assessor

What Qualification Do I Need To Become An Assessor?

, , 0

So, you have decided to go down the career path of becoming an assessor – good for you! Now you are probably thinking, do I have the right qualifications to become an assessor? Whilst you would think this is a relatively simple question, the answer isn’t quite so straightforward.

The requirements to become an Assessor vary from qualification to qualification. It also actually depends on the organisation themselves too. The role of an assessor is to observe learners in their workplace and assess their abilities to enable them to gain their qualifications. Therefore, it goes without saying that you should not only hold an assessor qualification, but you should be competent within the sector you are assessing in.

What Do I Need?

In most cases, you will need the following:

  1. Occupational Competence
  2. An Assessor Qualification

As we have already mentioned, the occupational competence side is fairly self-explanatory. The Assessor qualification is the harder part. In total, there are 4 different Assessor qualifications, which consist of at least 1 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)

We will be sharing with you a more in-depth look into the specific assessor qualifications at a later stage, but for now, the one you need to know about is CAVA. The Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) is the only qualification that gives you all of the units listed above. This means that once you have completed the course you will be qualified to do all forms of assessment.

Looking For New Jobs

One thing to bear in mind is that most assessor vacancies you come across will require you to either hold or be working towards the CAVA. So if you are new to assessing, this qualification is the best choice to help you secure a new job as an assessor.

If you would like any further information on the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement please contact us.

assess

What Level Can I Assess Up To?

, 0

Let’s play a quick game… What do you think one of our most frequently asked questions is? No cheating and looking at our FAQs section!

Did you guess it? What gave it away, the title of this blog? Well done if you got the correct answer. The question we are always asked is what level can you assess up to, following the completion of an assessor qualification. As you can imagine, there are several factors that this answer depends on: your experience, qualifications, and guidance set out by the awarding body. Not to mention your employer’s individual policies too.

You need to be Occupationally Competent

What we mean here is that you need to ‘know your stuff’. You should have vast experience working within the occupation you want to assess learners in. The short answer is that you can assess and level that you are deemed to be occupationally competent. We need to have a look into this in more detail though.

The most important thing to be aware of is that you need to meet the requirements set out in the awarding organisation’s qualification documents. The awarding body matters when you choose a training provider, and it is important that you take the time to read through the full specifications before choosing your qualification. It will include everything you need to know, including the ‘Requirements for Assessors’. This is specific information regarding what level you can assess up to.

Not Qualified but Occupationally Competent

The hard thing to determine is what classes as ‘occupationally competent’. If you take a look at some of the specifications, you will notice they don’t require you to hold the respective qualification in order to assess it. So essentially, you could assess learners taking the Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Hairdressing without having the qualification yourself. Of course you would need to show evidence of occupational competence in this particular field though.

That is why the question ‘what level can I assess up to?’ is such a hard one to answer. At the end of the day, it really comes down to the individual training provider or college. They are the only ones who can decide the requirements for their own assessors.

Experienced but Not Qualified

There is also the grey area where people who have been working in a specific industry for years, but aren’t qualified. In general, we would always advise that you need to be qualified up to the level that you are wanting to assess in. There will be many more job prospects as a qualified assessor so it really is worth becoming qualified in your field.

We hope this has helped to answer the question for you, but we do agree that it is a confusing area. Everyone’s situation is different so there is no right or wrong answer. Feel free to give our expert team a call on 01205 805 155 if you are still unsure.

quality

The Benefits of Completing Your IQA Qualification

, , 0

So, you have probably come across this blog because you are thinking about whether becoming an IQA is the right choice for you. Previously we have run through a typical day in the life of an IQA so you can get an idea of what the role entails. If you are still sitting on the fence about this as a career path, you can also take a taster course (the Level 4 Award in Understanding the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice).

Becoming an Assessor will give you many job prospects, but if you are looking for more career progression, an IQA may be the perfect role for you. There are three main benefits of becoming an IQA which we will run through in more detail throughout this blog.

Financially rewarding

The average salary of an assessor is around £27,000, so for a more qualified person looking to become an IQA you are looking at a salary in the region of £23,000 – £35,000. Not only will you receive more money at the end of the month, but IQAs can become more valuable within the company.

By having this extra qualification you will be able to cover two different roles within the organisation; saving the business money in the long run. You may well be offered a pay rise following the completion of your IQA course.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

We always try to stress the importance of keeping your CPD up to date as an assessor, to expand upon your existing knowledge and skills. Even if you are not sure whether you want to become an IQA, by completing the theory-based IQA qualification you will become a better assessor.

The Level 4 Award in Understanding the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice is a great course to add to your CPD record. An added benefit of this course is that it is completely online. Making it perfect for assessors who spend large proportions of their day visiting learners.

The Quality Assurance Perspective

Even if you are not looking to become a full-time Internal Quality Assurer; completing an IQA course will help you to become a highly qualified assessor. By gaining an insight into how assessments are quality assured, you can pass this knowledge onto your learners. It will also give you the skills to identify any weaker areas of your own assessment practice, and improve these accordingly.

We hope that this has given you a good insight into why an IQA qualification is beneficial to any assessor. Whether you are looking to progress up the career ladder or just become a better assessor, an IQA qualification is a great thing to have on your CV. If you would like any further information please feel free to contact us on 01205 805 155.

social media

How to Get a Job using Social Media

, , 0

The wonderful world of social media. It isn’t something that many people think about when sending in a job application; but perhaps it is about time you did. With over 92% of employers using social media when they are recruiting new members of staff, you need to be careful about your visible information.

Whilst LinkedIn has always been the most popular platform, this is the bare minimum job seekers should be using to enhance their digital profile. You need to be able to demonstrate that you understand the basics of digital communication to a prospective employer. With 81% of employers requiring their workforce to have digital skills, this is more important than ever.

Give the right impression

Did you know that over 54% of employers have found something on a candidate’s social media profile that has caused them not to hire them? But this shouldn’t put you off having an online presence. Here are some top tips on how to show yourself in the best light:

  • Ensure your social media profiles state you are actively job seeking, and use keywords relevant to the type of role you would like
  • Follow relevant companies and individuals in your network
  • Get involved in LinkedIn groups related to your industry
  • Keep your personal updates on separate social media accounts

Following prospective companies on social media is also a great idea as it enables you to stay up to date with any developments within the company. If you attend an interview you will then have an advantage, as you can discuss these topics and show your genuine interest in the company.

What NOT to include on your Social Media

Whilst employers are not going to be browsing through social media with the intent of finding negative information, they can still find your profiles. Employers are unlikely to hire you if they see the following on your social media:

  1. Inappropriate photos and videos
  2. Drug use
  3. Unprofessional screen names
  4. Bad mouthing or sharing confidential information from previous employers
  5. Discrimination
  6. Criminal behaviour

It is important that you still show your true personality, as at the end of the day your prospective employer needs to see the real you. However, maybe censor those ‘lads holiday’ pictures back from your youthful teenage years!

Other considerations

Social media is a great way to build your professional network and grow your online presence. LinkedIn can be a great platform for newly qualified assessors and it allows you to connect with the right people. When you meet people at new events, be sure to send them a connection request on LinkedIn. You never know when a job opportunity may be shared within your network.

Remember that once you have got the job (congratulations by the way!), it doesn’t mean you can rest easy. Maintain your positive image on social media as you don’t want your boss to see any alarming content! 34% of employers have found content on their employee’s profiles that have resulted in a disciplinary, or worse. Don’t let that be you! 

Load More