What do I need to Become an NVQ Assessor?
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!
September 21, 2021 @ 8:09 am
Hi. I currently work in a job centre and would like to offer NVQ’s / courses to our customers. I hold a HND in Business & Management, a BA in Marketing and a MSc in Digital Media. What would be the steps I need to take to be recognised as a Trainer / teacher to be able to host courses within the Job centre?
Many Thanks, Ray
September 21, 2021 @ 10:08 am
Hi Ray,
Thank you for your enquiry. I’ve just sent you across an email in regards to your question. Please check your spam/junk folder if you can’t see this in your inbox 🙂
Kind Regards
Katie
Brooks and Kirk
May 17, 2021 @ 9:40 pm
I am looking to become an NVQ assessor in cookery and hospitality. I have 12 + years experience as chef and hospita)lity area. I have degree in culinary art, also (BA) in hospitality I would be interested to know my next steps. I look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards Ivo
May 19, 2021 @ 9:52 am
Hi Ivo,
Thanks for getting in touch we have emailed you all the information you should need but please feel free to call us on 01205 805155 if you have any further questions. Steve
March 9, 2021 @ 12:20 am
Hi Please could you send me some information and course prices on being a trainer and assessor in the electrical installations industry.
I have 5 years experience in the role and nvq level 3 in BS7671 18th edition wiring regulations and 2391-52 Initial and Periodic Inspection and Testing of Electrical Installations.
Many thanks Chris
March 9, 2021 @ 9:36 am
Hi Chris,
Thank you for your enquiry. Our course advisor Ellie has sent you across an email in regards to your comment. Please check your spam/junk folder if you can’t see this in your inbox.
Alternatively, if you’d rather have a chat about this over the phone, please give us a call on 01205 805 155.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Kind Regards
Katie
Brooks and Kirk
October 29, 2020 @ 10:33 pm
Is there a nvq for bathroom/ kitchen fitting or home improvement?
October 30, 2020 @ 12:50 pm
Hi Lee,
Thank you for your comment.
My colleague, Ellie has just sent you some information via email in regards to your query. If you have any further questions, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Sam
Brooks and Kirk
July 31, 2020 @ 7:32 am
Good morning
I hold a level 3&5 in leadership and management in health and social care and I would love to train as an assessor. Please could you email me information so I can get started please.
Regards
Tracey
July 31, 2020 @ 9:00 am
Hi Tracey,
Thank you for getting in touch earlier this morning. It sounds like you have the ideal experience to become an assessor, so we would love to help!
I have just sent you over an email with some more information that you should find useful. We look forward to getting you started 🙂
Kind regards,
Sam Sleight
Brooks and Kirk
February 22, 2020 @ 3:10 pm
I am looking to become an NVQ assessor in childcare. I have 30 + years in early years including nursery and the foundation stage. I would be interested to know my next steps.
I look forward to hearing from you.
February 25, 2020 @ 4:28 pm
Hi Claire,
Thank you for your comment and for giving us a bit of background on yourself.
I have just sent you over an email with something that should hopefully help you with figuring out your next steps to becoming an NVQ Assessor in Childcare.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Sam
February 6, 2020 @ 9:15 am
I want to do an assessor course in Pipefitting (A1 and A2) as soon as possible. Currently i am in Saudi Arabia. Can you please tell me from where i can do that?
February 6, 2020 @ 5:38 pm
Hi Areeb,
Thank you for your comment. I have just sent you over some more information by email. As you may have gathered from this post, the A1 and A2 qualifications/units were replaced by the current suite of assessor qualifications in 2010. We can assist you with obtaining the equivalent to the old A1 and A2 qualifications now. Please refer to my email for more information.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Sam
Brooks and Kirk
February 5, 2020 @ 9:43 am
Hi this is the most information I have been able to find and I can now start on a plan. I have 27 years experience in the travel industry and was wondering if you could help put me in touch with someone who can help in this field.
Thank you
February 5, 2020 @ 10:21 am
Hi Amy,
Thank you for your comment. I have just sent you over an email to introduce myself; I will be more than happy to answer any questions or queries you may have.
I look forward to speaking to you.
Kind regards,
Sam
Brooks and Kirk
December 22, 2019 @ 8:04 am
Dear Katie,
i’m already working as assessor in oil and gas industry but i want to be international assessor what type of assessor and level your suggested i will take
December 23, 2019 @ 10:48 am
Hi Hanan,
Thank you for your query, my colleague Sam has just sent you across an email with advice regarding this.
Kind Regards
Katie
Brooks and Kirk
December 10, 2019 @ 3:39 pm
Hi I am interested in becoming an NVQ assessor in the beauty skin care industry, please can you send me some info on this.
December 19, 2019 @ 9:45 am
Hi Fran,
We have sent you some information to your email – if you can’t see this in your inbox please check your spam/junk folder! 🙂
Kind Regards
Katie
Brooks and Kirk
November 18, 2019 @ 7:09 pm
Hi,
Thanks for the great explanation, could list to me the training institutes in UAE that provide assessor course in Training and coaching.
November 19, 2019 @ 4:15 pm
Hi Jamal,
Thanks for the kind comment! My colleague Sam has sent you an email regarding your query. Please check your spam/junk folder if you can’t see this in your inbox 🙂
Kind Regards
Katie
Brooks and Kirk
November 4, 2019 @ 5:30 pm
Hi there,
I’ve previously been discouraged from feedback received from college tutors. Not fully “Qualified Electrician”…..you have the theory but not the verified practical portfolio work. You’ve got the “Gas Portfolio Work” but not the classroom theory to be a “Qualified Gas
Engineeer” . I am Napit registered to safely complete Electrical and Gas Safe tocomplete gas work Could I become an Assessor?
November 5, 2019 @ 11:41 am
Hi there,
Thank you for your query, sorry to hear you have been discouraged. I have sent you an email in regards to your query.
Kind Regards
Katie
Brooks and Kirk
October 11, 2019 @ 8:56 am
I am looking to become a childcare NVQ assessor. I have 15+ years experience as a Foundation stage Nursery teacher. ( Qualifications include: Ba hons / PGCE early years QTS). Please can you advise how I could get started. Many Thanks
October 14, 2019 @ 12:31 pm
Hi Helen,
My colleague Molly has sent you an email in regards to your questions. If you can’t see this email please check your spam/junk folder!
Kind Regards
Katie
Brooks and Kirk
September 30, 2019 @ 2:13 pm
Hi, I am looking to become a beauty assessor. Is this industry running apprenticeships? Seems to be totally different to the hairdressing industry. I have been qualified for 15 yrs nvq 2 and 3 and run my business from home. Do I have to be affiliated with a college or salon or can I start independently? Where do I start? Sorry so many questions. Help is appreciated.
October 8, 2019 @ 1:38 pm
Hi Michelle,
My colleague Molly has sent you an email with answers to your questions – please check your spam/junk folder if you can’t see it in your inbox.
Kind Regards
Katie
Brooks and Kirk
September 26, 2019 @ 8:33 pm
Hi
I’m a qualified Social Worker with 20 years predominantly in child protection and fostering.
Which areas could I be an apprenticeship Assessor?
Thanks
T
September 27, 2019 @ 3:52 pm
Hi Teri,
My colleague Molly has sent you across an email answering your question.
Please check your spam/junk folder just in case the email has slipped in there!
Kind Regards
Katie
Brooks and Kirk
September 18, 2019 @ 9:00 am
Hi There, im looking to gain NVQ Assessor in the geotechnical drilling industry, i have 4 x NVQ lvl2, NEBOSH NGC1 and 25yrs in the industry. Could you hellp with which training is suitable please
John
September 27, 2019 @ 4:00 pm
Hi John,
I’ve just sent you across an email with information on the suitable training. Please check your spam/junk folder if you can’t see it in your inbox!
Kind Regards
Katie
Brooks and Kirk
September 11, 2019 @ 9:57 pm
Great article. What assessor qualification would I need to assess early years/childhood courses and training?
September 3, 2019 @ 12:03 pm
What would I need to become an NVQ assessor in the Hair and Beauty industry?.
September 4, 2019 @ 8:42 am
Hi Harriet,
Thank you for your question. My colleague Molly has just sent you an email in regards to your query, please check your spam/junk folder if you can’t see it in your inbox!
Kind Regards
Katie
Brooks and Kirk
May 31, 2019 @ 2:33 am
This was a very good information session for me,please forward me the institutions i can engage to start with my NVQ assessor in the electrical field.
May 31, 2019 @ 11:32 am
Hello,
Thank you for leaving your comment. I have sent you an email about working as an NVQ Assessor in the Electrical field. Please check your spam/junk folder if you can’t see my email in your inbox.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind Regards
Katie
November 5, 2020 @ 9:41 am
Hi
Please could you send me some information on being a trainer and assessor in the electrical installations industry
Thank you
November 5, 2020 @ 3:39 pm
Hi Muztaba,
Thank you for your comment.
I have just sent you over an email in response to your query.
I hope this helps and we look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Sam
Brook and Kirk