The Future of Assessor Qualifications
You may not be aware, but earlier this year there was a survey carried out across Awarding Bodies. This was regarding the update of Assessor and Quality Assurance qualifications. Looking back, it feels like it wasn’t that long ago when the A1 award was replaced by the following suite of Assessor qualifications:
- CAVA – Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement
- ACWE – Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence In A Work Environment
- AVRA – Level 3 Award in Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement
- UPPA – Level 3 Award in Understanding the Principles & Practices of Assessment
But it was 11 years ago now!
The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) has announced that following this survey, these qualifications (along with the quality assurance qualifications) are extended with the aim of being reviewed in 2024.
So why are we telling you this?
The pandemic has caused so much disruption within the vocation training industry. From carrying out assessments via Zoom, to social distancing and the rise of online learning. Any changes within the Assessor industry at this moment in time could have a huge impact on both learners and Assessors alike.
If you are currently working towards your Assessor or Quality Assurance qualifications then there will be no change to your current studying. If you’re one of those people who are waiting for a standard update before commencing your new qualification, you could be waiting a while! Best to get enrolled on that Assessor course sooner rather than later.
Teacher Training Qualifications
After becoming a qualified Assessor and gaining the CAVA qualification, many Assessors then go onto the Level 3 Award in Education and Training (AET). These two qualifications work so well together. If you are looking to teach adult learners as well as assess them, you will need both qualifications. For anyone looking to work in an educational environment, or with an Apprenticeship Training Provider, both qualifications will be required.
Now there is a planned update for teacher training qualifications (mainly the AET) in 2024. This then makes sense as to why the Assessor qualification update has been pushed back to the same year. This means that all qualifications can be reviewed in line with each other, and any new versions of the qualifications will be released at the same time. Removing any confusion about changing standards in the interim.
T-Levels
If you are a regular reader of our blogs, you will have noticed that this year the education industry had a bit of an overhaul. T-Levels were introduced. These are qualifications that are equivalent to 3 A Levels. T-Levels are 2-year courses that have been developed in collaboration with employers and businesses alike. Not only does the content of these courses meet the needs of the industry in which learners will be working; they also help to prepare them for the world of work or further studying.
To add an overhaul of both Assessor and quality assurance qualifications at the same time as T-Levels would have left the industry in a bit of a state, particularly as these courses are still undergoing standardisation to ensure fair and consistent grading. We must admit it was a relief when we heard Assessor qualifications are going to stay as they are for now!
Observations
One big change in the world of assessment during the pandemic was that the EFT allowed observations to be carried out virtually if necessary. If possible, the priority was to arrange an in-person observation. But, of course in some cases, this just simply wasn’t possible. Live remote observations are permitted provided all of the participants are present; the person assessing the candidate Assessor, the candidate Assessor and the learner. Recordings of the live remote observation have to be stored securely. They also need to be readily available for IQA and EQA purposes.
It is worth noting that these mitigation measures are subject to be reviewed in January 2022. You know, when we all thought the pandemic would be over! So we will be sure to update you with the latest news on this as soon as we have it.
Summary
We hope this blog has helped to put your mind at ease slightly. All Assessor and quality assurance qualifications will be staying as they are for the foreseeable future. If you have any questions regarding any of the qualifications we have mentioned, please give us a call on 01205 805155.
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.