NVQ Units

NVQs are made up of Units of Competence. Units can be brought together to make a full NVQ or achieved individually, as a Unit Award, or in small groups to make Mini Awards, i.e. the Assessor Award has two Units, A1 and A2. Below is not a finite list of all the Units used in NVQs, but a representation of the most commonly used or required by business or individuals.

Learning and Development Units:
- A1;
- A2;
- L8;
- L20;
- V1;

Unit L20 - Support Competence Achieved in the Workplace

UNIT OVERVIEW

This unit is appropriate for you if your role involves:

identifying opportunities to develop and assess competence in the workplace

The activities you are likely to be involved in:

agreeing work patterns which give staff members opportunities to develop and show their competence
agreeing which aspects of competence can be assessed in the workplace
identifying opportunities for assessing competence in the workplace
watching staff members perform tasks in the workplace
asking questions to make sure staff members understand what they are doing and why
giving staff members guidance and feedback on their performance and identifying any training or development they need

What the unit covers:

1 assessing performance in the workplace against agreed standards
2 giving staff members support in the workplace and feedback on their performance

Preferred methods of assessment for this unit:

The minimum evidence that you need to provide for this unit is listed in the Evidence requirements section. Evidence will be assessed using one or more of the following assessment methods:

observation
examination of evidence
questioning

For example, your record of how you support staff members in the workplace and assess their competence takes the form of an observation (see Evidence requirements) and your assessor may ask some questions about your observation.

Element L20.1 - Assess performance in the workplace against agreed standards

Performance criteria

You must be able to do the following:

a) agree with staff members which tasks you will need to see them perform in the workplace
b) agree with staff members how and when you will watch them perform their work activities to compare their performance with the agreed standards
c) give staff members advice on how to collect appropriate evidence from the workplace
d) identify who may be involved in or affected by your assessments and agree arrangements with them
e) watch the staff member's performance safely and identify where they have met the agreed standards
f) ask questions to check staff members' knowledge and understanding of workplace activities
g) ensure that the evidence you consider meets the required necessary standards and comes from staff members' own work
h) decide if you are prepared to confirm that the staff member's performance meets relevant parts of the agreed standards
i) identify gaps in evidence of competence, and how these may be filled in the workplace
j) keep the records of your assessments safe and pass them on by following agreed procedures

Element L20.2 - Give staff members support in the workplace and feedback on their performance

Performance criteria

You must be able to do the following:

a) make sure that the staff member understands your assessment decision
b) choose an appropriate time and place to give feedback to the staff member
c) give staff members clear and useful feedback on their performance as soon as possible after your assessment
d) be constructive and encouraging when giving feedback
e) tell staff members how they can improve their performance if necessary
f) identify and agree any further training or development staff members need before completing your assessment process
g) if you and the staff member cannot agree on your assessment of their competence, refer the matter to the appropriate person
h) record the follow-up action and the next steps you and the staff member have agreed on