Achieving the NVQ Assessor Award

We are often asked about how someone goes about achieving the NVQ Assessor Award Unit A1 or Unit A2, so let us explain a few things...

Firstly, a common question relates to someone wanting to achieve both Unit A1 and Unit A2 from the Learning and Development Standards. When you go for the NVQ Assessor Award, you do not achieve both Units or go for both Units. Unit A1 is about "assessing candidates using a range of methods" whilst Unit A2 is about "assessing candidates' performance through observation".

If you achieve Unit A2 you can only assess candidates through observation and nothing else. If you achieve Unit A1 you can assess candidates through a range of methods including observation. The most common Unit is A1. As you might be able to see, Unit A2 is in effect 'wrapped up' inside Unit A1. Units A1 and A2 replaced the old D32 and D33 Units from the previous Training and Development Standards.

A lot of people ask about what qualifications they need in order to start the NVQ Assessor Award, i.e. "I have the PCGE (professional certificate of general education)..." or "I have an NVQ in...", so let us get this straight, you do not need any qualifications before embarking on the NVQ Assessor Award - there are though, certain criteria that must be met or in place in order to achieve the NVQ Assessor Award and these are explained further down this page.

Let us also makes this doubly clear, you do not need any prior qualification to start any NVQ or Unit of NVQ at any Level.

Achieving any NVQ or Unit Award has four key stages:

• Stage 1: Induction to the NVQ/Unit Award, initial assessment and development of the initial assessment plan;
• Stage 2: Training. As NVQs and Unit Awards are based around proving competence to a set of standards, training only needs to happen if a skills gap is identified. A plan for delivering the training needs can then be developed which could include a formal training session, some coaching or other common method. If someone has all the skills in place and just needs to provide the evidence for proving competence, then they could achieve the NVQ or Unit Award without ever having to go through training. Invariably though, as Assessing is a learned skill, it is common therefore, for people going through some form of formal training or coaching in order to achieve the NVQ Assessor Award. The Gill Payne Partnership Ltd can organise this either face-to-face or via distance learning, as required;
• Stage 3: Ongoing Assessment. There will be regular contact and agreed assessment sessions with your assessor (the person at The Gill Payne Partnership Ltd who is assessing you against Unit A1 or A2 and is an accredited assessor of assessors). At these sessions, either face-to-face or remote assessment, your evidence will be checked and a new assessment plan will be agreed and put in place;
• Stage 4: Final Assessment. Final assessment is exactly that, the final assessment of the evidence portfolio to ensure that the standard is met and then can be put forward for verification.

As to the 'course' start date, NVQs and Units of NVQs are not time bound and you can start whenever you like. Some organisations may have preferred induction dates, say three or four times a year. However, at The Gill Payne Partnership Ltd, we can start you when you are ready - as it should be. With our Online NVQ Assessor Award, an individual can really start whenever they want - day or night!

The length of time it takes to complete is entirely down to you - the candidate. If you have to hand, or can provide, the evidence of competence that is required to complete the NVQ Assessor Award, you can achieve in a few months. However, there is a 10 week rule at City and Guilds (the awarding body). The 10 week rule is that you cannot apply for a certificate of competence until you have been registered for the award for 10 weeks. Having said that, the quickest any candidate has achieved their NVQ Assessor Award with us is 6 weeks - although we could not apply for their certificate until the 10 week anniversary of their registration for the NVQ Assessor Award.

In order to achieve the NVQ Assessor Award there needs to be certain criteria in place:

• You have to have access to at least two candidates;
• You have to have a centre through which to process those candidates;
• You need to have the written agreement of an Internal Verifier of the centre through which you are processing your candidates;
• You need to have a copy of the standards that your candidates are working towards;
• You need to have the knowledge, understanding, experience and competence yourself to the correct level, of the area that you are going to assess candidates in;

Why do you need to have two candidates? Well that is because the NVQ Assessor Award standards say that 'you must be observed providing feedback to at least two candidates across three Units'. If you don't have any candidates, you might like to approach local centres or colleges and offer yourself free of charge in exchange for two candidates to assess. These centres and their Internal Verifiers might permit the processing of your candidates as well.

If you need a centre to process candidates on either the Learning and Development, Management, Personnel or Health and Safety NVQs, you can make an approach to us - The Gill Payne Partnership Ltd, as we are a Accredited Centre with City & Guilds and the ILM (Institute of Leadership & Management).

The NVQ Assessor Award is the same award whether you assess Level 5 or Level 3 candidates, or are assessing NVQs in Plumbing and Heating or NVQs in Customer Care. If you achieve your NVQ Assessor Award assessing Management at Level 3, because this is the level and the background of your skills, knowledge and understanding, then you will be restricted to assessing only management candidates and only up to Level 3 - you will not be able to assess anything else Level 4 or Level 5 candidates.

If you need to know more, use our contact form to get in touch and we will try to answer all your questions and queries.