Planning Your New Career

The start of the New Year is upon us, 2023. This is a great time to start new trends and habits, as well as be the best version of yourself. We’ve all probably done some new years resolutions and then not stuck to them! But that needs to change. After the last few years we’ve all had, there needs to be a priority for yourself. Whether that means a wage increase, more time for family or a new job. People are taking more time than ever to think about what they want in life and what they want at work. So why not do it for yourself and change your career path?

There are a few reasons why someone wouldn’t or is reluctant to change their job or career. These are because of your assumptions, and uncertainties and that you have no non-negotiables.

Assumptions

If you have assumptions about your career, you need to question them. If you’ve stayed in a job you no longer enjoy, you need to find out why that is. Additionally, if you’re only staying there because you think others won’t employ you, then you need to question that. Or if you think you’re too old for a change in career. You should question all these assumptions and prove them wrong.

Uncertainty

You may be finding it hard to decide whether to change jobs. This feeling of uncertainty is often why it’s difficult to make the final decision. No one is ever certain of the outcome, you need to decide if you should embrace the uncertainty or allow it to stop you from moving forward. What’s the worst that can happen? You can move to another employer who is just as bad as the old one or it can be 100 times better than any. However, you’ll never know unless you try.

There are risks when it comes to most things in life and you need to decide whether you should take the risk or stay in a job you don’t enjoy and become burnt out because of it.

Non-Negotiable

Often times people don’t want to change careers because they don’t have any non-negotiables. You need to think about the things you’re not willing to compromise on. These will start to make your work-life balance better and you’ll have more time for yourself. They can range from:

• Flexible working hours,
• Short commute/decreased commute time,
• Opportunities/training to be able to develop yourself,
• Company values you can relate to.

If you’re wanting to make the change, you need to work these out and keep them at the forefront when you are looking to change career.

Assessing

What if you like your sector, just not the current employer/job role? Well if you like what you do and want some career progression and better pay, then becoming an assessor is for you. You take your skills and knowledge in your subject area and give them to the next generation.

All you need is occupational competence and the CAVA qualification. This is the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement. Made up of three units, this is the most comprehensive Assessor qualification and you become a fully qualified assessor. We do other Assessor qualifications, you can have a look at them here on our website.

Already an Assessor?

If you’re already an assessor, there are many things you can do to progress and make yourself and your CV look better. You can complete some CPD. If you want to know more about or become an End-Point Assessor, then you can take our EPA course. This is a 6-hour verified CPD course. The purpose of the course is to give trainees or qualified assessors a clear understanding of how the principles and practices of assessment in EPA differ from traditional vocational assessment.

You could also take the Education and Training course (AET). It tends to go hand in hand with the Assessor course. The AET course or Level 3 Award in Education and Training, is if you want to teach learners in a classroom setting such as workshops or online environments. This is the qualification you need to take the first steps into teaching. It also makes you look like a more desirable candidate when you’re looking for jobs. The course gives you an insight into the roles and responsibilities of being a teacher in the Further Education sector. You will also learn how to plan and deliver teaching sessions.

IQA

If you’re looking to take part in the standardisation and quality assurance of assessments then becoming an IQA is the career for you. There are a few different qualifications you can take, and it all depends on what you want to do. We have the Lead IQA. Level 4 Certificate in Leading the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice. This is the most highly regarded IQA qualification. It allows you to provide quality assurance of assessments and lead the whole quality assurance process.

Then there is the Level 4 Award in the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice. This allows you to provide quality assurance of assessments and assessment decisions. However, it doesn’t qualify you to lead and manage the whole process.

Finally, we have the Level 4 Award in Understanding the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice. This is the most basic IQA qualification. It provides the theory behind internal quality assurance but doesn’t qualify you to practice it. However, it is a great piece of CPD for managers and assessors who want to know a bit more about quality assurance and what happens.

Becoming an IQA also increases your salary, so why wouldn’t you want to earn more? If you want to know more about the courses, you can see them here on the website.

How we can help

Think about all the options you have in front of you and which one you think will be the best. You can make a pros and cons list to help you make your decision or to map out the ones that will be better for you in the long term. If we have encouraged you to go into any of the courses we provide, you can send us an email at training@brooksandkirk.ac.uk or you can call us at the office on 01205 805 155 and our course advisor team would be happy to help.