Different Types of Assessor Roles
There are lots of different career paths available to you once you have qualified as an Assessor, and it can be difficult to choose which route to go down. We wanted to run through the different types of Assessor roles to make this clearer for you.
Firstly, we will assume that you have achieved the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA). This is the only qualification that will allow you to assess in both a learning environment and a workplace.
Now, there are 3 main types of Assessors. On-Programme Assessors, End-Point Assessors and NVQ Assessors.
On-Programme Assessor
An On-Programme Assessor is one of the two Assessor roles involved in an Apprenticeship. They are there throughout the main part of the Apprentice’s journey. It is their role to guide the learner through their qualification, and get their KSBs (Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours) up to the required standards.
On-Programme Assessors work for Training Providers. It’s the responsibility of the On-Programme Assessor to deliver the Apprenticeship training. They will become familiar with the Apprentice and will be on hand to support them throughout the qualification. They take their Apprentice through the Apprenticeship up to the gateway.
Now, just to go over this ‘gateway’ briefly; the gateway is a point towards the end of the Apprenticeship when the employer and the On-Programme Assessor believes the Apprentice has developed the KSBs required. They will have also gathered a portfolio of evidence that proves their competency within their role. It is then the employer, along with the Training Provider, who gives the go-ahead for the Apprentice to move onto the End-Point Assessment (EPA).
End-Point Assessor
Moving onto the End-Point Assessor. This role is also known as the ‘Independent End-Point Assessor (IEPA)’, and this is because the IEPA is separate from the training provider, employer and apprentice. They will have had no prior contact with any of them, and are therefore seen as impartial.
Their role is to ensure the Apprentice has met the apprenticeship standard, and to confirm whether the apprentice is occupationally competent within their role. Independent End-Point Assessors (IEPAs) work for specific organisations who deliver End-Point Assessments, known as End-Point Assessment Organisations (EPAOs).
There are lots of different types of End-Point Assessment Organisations that you could assess for, including universities, training providers, awarding bodies and professional bodies.
NVQ Assessor
So last but certainly not least, we have NVQ Assessors. Now, this is a bit of a generic name given to Assessors who assess NVQ Qualifications, but this type of Assessor can assess any accredited qualifications. There are no ‘On-Programme’ or ‘End-Point’ Assessors involved in NVQ/accredited qualifications. Whilst it is a similar role to On-Programme assessing, there is a major difference.
NVQ Assessors can take their learners right the way through their qualifications. Instead of assessing learners against KSBs as mentioned before, the NVQ Assessor assesses learners against ‘Learning Outcomes’ and ‘Assessment Criterias’. They mainly work for colleges or Independent Training Providers.
So, we hope this has helped to explain the different types of Assessor roles that are open to you once you have qualified. If you have any further questions please feel free to call the team on 01205 805 155 and we will be happy to assist you further.
Steve is a Chartered Manager and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.
He provides Educational Consultancy to the 19+ sector as well as being an Assessor, IQA, EPA and Digital Marketing Professional. When not doing any of these he finds time, every now and then, to write blogs and articles.