NVQ is an acronym for National Vocational Qualification. NVQ Qualifications and courses relates to people who work in a particular occupation e.g. Health and Social Care, hairdressing, plumbing etc. NVQs are not about going on courses, studying, or passing exams. They are about assessment to a nationally recognized standard. It provides an opportunity for people, who have been doing a good job for years, to be recognized for their competence and achieve a worthwhile qualification.
NVQs are based on national standards for various occupations. The standard specifies and describes how a competent person in a job should function in carrying out the job. This makes it possible for you to evaluate and compare your skills and knowledge in relevance to these standards as you progress through the units within the course.
NVQ is applicable to you whether you just want to improve on your already acquired skills or you just wish to start building your skills afresh. Since the qualifications are nationally recognised, it tells employers a great deal about you. Having this qualification says that you can do a job properly and that you have the knowledge and skills required. Passing an exam or having a job title won’t necessarily prove this. It also proves that you can work to industry standards, it is a proof of achievement and something to be proud of. It is also evidence to put forward if you change jobs or go for promotion.
How NVQs Work
All NVQs are part of a ‘framework’ which links the qualifications together. This framework has about 5 levels ranging from level 1 through to level 5. This framework shows distinctive types of qualifications, each level demands different levels of Job responsibility.
Level 1 covers routine activities. A lot of people work at Level 2, as this is the level for which competence can be recognized for different individual responsibilities. At Level 3, it would require some supervisory responsibility while Level 4 covers management responsibilities and Level 5 represents a senior level of managing people or processes.
Available Courses
A vast number of subjects exist and a choice can be made from the various options based on the areas of interest or Job roles. A few example of subjects are: Beauty Therapy, Building & Allied Trades, Child Care & Early Education, Electrician, Hairdressing, Health & Social Care, Business Administration, Hospitality & Catering, Motor Vehicle, Plumbing, Secretarial & Office Skills, Sport & Recreation, Tourism & Leisure etc.
The people involved in NVQ processes are: the candidate, qualified assessor, internal verifier, external verifier and the awarding body (City and guilds, OCR, Edexcel).
Assessment Process
PLAN: The candidate will meet with the assessor to discuss how to gather evidence fo each unit.
COLLECT: The candidate will gather evidence to proof competence on the unit.
JUDGE: The candidate will give the evidence to the assessor to Judge against the performance criteria
DECIDE: The assessor will give feedback and makes decision whether the candidate have proved competent or not.
Types of Evidence for Assessment
In order to achieve the required units, the candidate must produce evidence to prove that he/she is competent in each unit. The candidate will meet the assessor regularly to discuss and agree on the evidence to produce.
There are 3 main groups of evidence collection:
- Observation in your work place
- Supplementary: training certificates, reflective accounts, case studies, completed work products, reports, supervision records/appraisals.
- Knowledge Evidence: Oral question, written questions, Professional discussions, Simulations
Basically there is no constrained time limit to when an NVQ must be completed; it usually depends on the pace the candidates choose to operate. However, many candidates take about 1 year to complete Level 1 and Level 2, and about two years from Level 3 upwards. We have also seen candidates completing Level 2 or Level 3 within 6 months, it’s entirely flexible to suit candidate’s needs.
If you are interested in any of the Courses, click here to fill our enquiry form for more information.
