Step Up Your Game: Become a Hair Assessor
Making a move to become a hair assessor, also known as an A1 hairdresser, is a natural career path for hairdressers. You may want more time for yourself and a little more money. As a hair assessor, you’ll support, guide and assess the skills of trainee hairdressers trying to achieve their qualifications. This is why we’ve put together this comprehensive guide on how you can become a hairdressing assessor, as all your answers will be in one place!
So what does a hair assessor do?
The Role of a Hair Assessor
If you’re a hairdressing assessor you will be assessing learners undertaking a hairdressing qualification. The role involves you observing, supporting and guiding learners through their qualifications. As an assessor, you must collect evidence from your learners to assess their abilities. As well as ensure they reach the level required to pass the course and gain the appropriate qualification.
Here we have a few examples of some key responsibilities you will do as a hair assessor.
- You’ll observe students’ competency in the workplace
- Give feedback and advice to learners
- Attend standardisation meetings with other assessors
- Plan and deliver training
- Keep records of learners’ progress
These are just a few, there are plenty more responsibilities that you will undertake.
What do you need to become one?
To become a successful hairdressing assessor there are a few things you need. The first is occupational competence. You need active experience working as a hairdresser. This is brilliant for people who want to stay in the industry but take on a more flexible role. You will also need a hairdressing qualification or equivalent. In order to take the apprentices through the qualification.
Additionally, you need interpersonal skills such as being patient, approachable and motivational. To inspire your learners to complete their qualifications to the best of their ability.
What qualifications do I need?
As we mentioned previously, you will need a hairdressing qualification as quite a lot of employers want you to have one or an equivalent. You will also need the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement or CAVA for short. If you see a job advert asking for the A1 Award or even the D32/33, then this is still the CAVA, it replaced those qualifications and is the most up-to-date one.
CAVA
Having the full CAVA qualification allows you to assess learners in the workplace and learning environment. It teaches you how to assess learners using a variety of assessment methods.
Within the CAVA course, there are 3 units.
- Unit 1 – Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment
- Unit 2 – Assess Occupational Competence in the Work Environment
- Unit 3 – Assess Vocational Skills, Knowledge and Understanding
The first unit is all about the knowledge and theory behind being an assessor, the role and the responsibilities. The second unit is all about assessing learners in their work environment, so you will need to observe 2 learners and attend a face-to-face session at one of our centres. Finally, in the third unit, you will be assessing learners in the learning environment. Focusing on their vocational knowledge and understanding.
AET
Additionally, a lot of hairdressing jobs want you to have the Level 3 Award in Education and Training also known as the AET. You may see this be mentioned as the PTTLS, but similarly to the CAVA and A1, the AET is the most up-to-date qualification. Within the AET there are 3 units.
- Unit 1 – Understanding Roles, Responsibilities and Relationships in Education & Training
- Unit 4 – Facilitate Learning and Development in Groups
- Unit 5 – Understanding Assessment in Education and Training
Similar to CAVA the first unit in the AET course is all knowledge-based. You will learn the roles and responsibilities of a tutor/teacher in Further Education. The next unit is the practical session, where you need to conduct a 15 to 20-minute micro-teach. This is also face-to-face so you will have to attend a centre to complete this part of the unit. Finally, the last unit gives you more knowledge and understanding of how assessment is used in education and training.
How can you enrol?
Luckily for you, we offer a course bundle for CAVA and AET! So you get both courses because they go hand in hand. As with all the courses we provide you have the option for a payment plan! So you can make payments which are affordable for you, and if you wish to pay in full that’s also an option!
With the bundle, if you complete all of Unit 1 in CAVA then you’ve already completed half of the first AET unit! As 7 tasks from CAVA course over to AET and vice versa. So whatever course you start first you’ve already completed half of another. Pretty handy!
Our courses are distance learning, so you will complete the majority of your course online, in our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Which can be completed at your own pace and time.
As we mentioned before you will need to complete an observation of 2 learners, now with us you get access to learners at no extra cost! We give you 2 of our learners for the practical session, so you don’t have to faff about finding your own learners, we have them for you.
You can get started as soon as you want! Once you get your login details you can enrol at any time and start whenever you feel like it. If we haven’t enticed you enough and you have some questions about becoming an assessor you can contact our course advisor team at 01205 805 155 and we would be happy to help!