Reskill Yourself in Lockdown
There is no better time than the present to brush up on your skills. With many businesses feeling the pinch, workforces are being streamlined and training budgets are being cut. You need to make yourself as indispensable as you possibly can. Investing in reskilling or upskilling yourself could be the best decision you make this year, allowing you to adapt during this ‘new normal’.
Distance Learning
Over the past few months, businesses and employees alike have had a crash course in operating remotely, using online platforms. The great thing about this is that the skills you have learnt in order to adapt are easily transferable to e-learning. If you are considering reskilling yourself, you need to look at your individual style of learning, as well as your schedule. It isn’t worth enrolling in a distance learning course where the majority of the lessons are during the week if you are still working full time.
One of the benefits of studying with Brooks and Kirk is the level of flexibility that we offer. You can work on your Assessor qualification in your own time, around your daily commitments. Whilst our tutors are always on hand to support you, there are no specific deadlines that you have to meet. You are able to study at a pace that suits your lifestyle.
Training to become an Assessor
Becoming an NVQ Assessor is one of the most rewarding things you can do. However, moving into a completely new career can be a very daunting thought. That is why here at Brooks and Kirk we are on hand to support and help you through the process. We are always available to answer any questions that you may have.
The role of an Assessor is to observe learners in their workplace, provide support, gather evidence, and assess their abilities. Ultimately, helping them to gain their desired apprenticeship. Motivation is very important if you are looking to become an Assessor, as you need to keep your learners on track. If you are enthusiastic about what you do, you are more likely to inspire your learners to do well.
If you are considering becoming an Assessor you will need two key things: occupational competence, and a relevant qualification. We always advise people to study the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement as this would enable you to assess learners in all learning environments. CAVA is the most comprehensive Assessor qualification, and is the only course that will fully qualify you as an Assessor.
AET/IQA
If you are already a qualified Assessor there are still plenty of other ways in which you can reskill yourself. Firstly, there is the Level 3 Award in Education and Training (AET) which is often a good qualification to study alongside CAVA. This is because assessing and teaching go hand-in-hand. If you are already qualified to teach, adding an Assessor qualification to your portfolio is only going to boost your skills further. Some awarding bodies won’t actually allow you to assess their qualifications unless you are studying towards CAVA, so the two go well together.
The career opportunities are endless if you have both the AET and CAVA qualifications. You will have the ‘full package’ and therefore will be a very attractive prospect for potential employers. Qualified Assessors are often brought in on an ad-hoc basis, so by having this skill you could save businesses a lot of money.
Then there is also an IQA qualification that you can go on to study. An Internal Quality Assurer spot-checks the work of Assessors, ensuring that all assessments are marked to the same standards. This is a perfect career move for an already qualified Assessor as you would essentially be assessing the Assessor! Therefore if you have already been an Assessor, you will know the ins-and-outs of the job. The course you will need to take in order to become a fully qualified IQA is the Level 4 Certificate in Leading the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practices.
If you would like any more information about the courses we have mentioned today, please contact our team on 01205 805 155. Kick-start your new career today with the variety of courses that are on offer at Brooks and Kirk.
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.
