Achieving the Internal Verifier Award, unit v1

We are often asked about how someone goes about achieving the Internal Verifier Award Unit V1, so let us explain a few things...

Firstly, a common question relates to organisations that are implementing NVQs and setting up as a centre in their own right. We are constantly told by people who contact us regarding NVQs that "We need to have an Internal Verifier and the criteria says, 'someone needs to be an NVQ Assessor for one year before they can be an Internal Verifier' - so how do we get started as a centre if we don't have an NVQ Assessor and need an Internal Verifier to be a centre? - catch 22!"

Okay, this is actually a simple one to resolve and we have done this on many NVQ implementation contracts since 1992. Yes, the criteria to be an Internal Verifier says they must be an Assessor for at least one year' however, this relates to the achievement of the qualification, i.e. certification.

This means in English that you cannot complete your Internal Verifier Award and be certified until you have been certified as an NVQ Assessor for at least one year. This is where we use the flexibility in the system to help you become a centre.

We start the Internal Verifiers on their qualification and support the process of designing and implementing the NVQ systems, procedures and application to become a centre. Once this is underway, we then start the NVQ Assessors. The NVQ Assessors for the proposed centre will be assessed by our NVQ Assessors and then verified by the centre's Internal Verifiers.

As Internal Verifiers have to be 'competent or certified' to verify and at this time, they are not yet competent, their decisions must be countersigned by a competent Internal Verifier - this can often be one of our Internal Verifiers if your centre is implementing one of the NVQ groups that we are accredited to deliver, i.e. the Learning and Development, Management, Personnel or Health and Safety NVQs - we can also do Customer Service and Business Administration verification as examples.

If you are not implementing one of the NVQ groups that we are accredited to deliver, we are, in most cases, able to source competent verifiers from our contractors and clients who are happy to assist a fledgling centre.

Once the NVQ Assessors have achieved their qualification, then the Internal Verifiers simply wait one year before achieving their qualification. Until competence has been proved, our Internal Verifiers will continue to verifier your verification decisions.

If you are becoming a centre, we have proven 'out of the box solutions' - ready to go.

NVQs and Unit Awards are not strictly time bound so there is no set start date or end date. You can start your qualification at any time.

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 Internal Verification is a learned skill, it is common therefore, for people going through some form of formal training or coaching in order to achieve the Internal Verifier 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 V1 and is an accredited assessor of internal verifier). 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.

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.