Your Journey to Becoming a Qualified Assessor
In the UK there is a high demand for qualified Assessors, so there has never been a better time to start working on achieving that Assessor qualification. There is always a demand within the health and social care industry for Assessors, and this is only going to increase in the current climate. In order to become a qualified Assessor, the first thing you need to do is gain the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA for short).
Let’s have a quick look at the CAVA qualification in more detail, and some of the other distance learning courses that you might want to consider taking too in order to enhance your skills further.
The benefits of the CAVA qualification
Becoming an Assessor is a great opportunity to work with learners on a regular basis, and develop a working relationship as you help them progress through their course. As well as job satisfaction, the salary prospects for becoming a qualified Assessor are not to be dismissed. Salaries can reach as much as £35K!
The main aim of the Level 3 CAVA is to help you understand the underlying principles of assessment. With this knowledge and skills, you will be able to assess vocational skills and occupational competence of your learners. Throughout the course, you will learn and be assessed on a wide range of activities including observations of assessments, discussions and practical tasks. As well as the academic learning side of things, being involved in on-the-job practical experience means that you will be well on your way to setting yourself up for employment.
Other beneficial courses
After you have completed the Level 3 CAVA, Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) courses are the next natural progression. They are a step-up from Assessor courses, so if you are looking to take your career further they are a good choice. Here are some of the main IQA courses which we recommend:
Level 4 Certificate in Leading the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Practices and Processes
The course title is definitely a lengthy one, but this is essentially the lead IQA qualification. It is the most highly regarded of the IQA qualifications, and will give you the skills required to quality assure qualifications. Upon completion, you will be able to manage the entire quality assurance process.
Level 4 Award in the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practices
This qualification consists of two units: Understanding the Principles & Practices of Internally Assuring the Quality of Assessment, and Internally Assure the Quality of Assessment. Both of these units will give you the skills and knowledge required to provide quality assurance of assessments, as well as assessment decisions. The main difference between this qualification and the Level 4 Certificate is that it does not qualify you to be the centre lead or quality nominee.
Level 4 Award in Understanding the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes & Practices
This is the most basic IQA course, and will not qualify you to internally quality assure assessment. It is a theory course that is delivered entirely online, and is great if you are wanting to add to your CPD record.
The benefits of becoming a qualified Assessor
After completing either the CAVA qualification or an IQA course, you will be able to gain employment within an assessment role. As well as progressing your career, there will also be more opportunities for you to take a sideways career move into a different industry. The guiding principles of assessment often remain the same, no matter what the industry.
We touched on career progression too – people often enrolled on the CAVA course are wanting to make their assessment position within a company official. By gaining an Assessor qualification, it can help you climb the career ladder and work towards that next promotion.
We can help you
Here at Brooks and Kirk we provide all of the qualifications that we have discussed within this blog post. We provide high levels of support to all of our learners, and are always on hand to help. If you would like any further information on any of the courses that we provide, feel free to call us on 01205 805 155, or drop us an email – training@brooksandkirk.co.uk.
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.