NVQ Assessor

What is the work like?

NVQ assessors work with candidates to help them meet the occupational standards (competences) needed to gain National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs).

An assessor will first identify what a new NVQ candidate knows and is able to do. This enables any further underpinning knowledge and skills that the candidate needs to gain to be agreed. An individual action plan is produced and the assessor monitors the candidate's progress against this, whilst advising and supporting him or her throughout the period of learning and assessment.

Occupational competences are assessed in a number of ways. These include:

• observing candidates in their workplace
• questioning candidates on a one-to-one basis to assess their knowledge and to gauge how they would deal with non-standard situations
• monitoring and recording candidates' progress, which may involve examining portfolios containing evidence of a candidate's knowledge, understanding and vocational competence (depending on the nature of the candidate's work, the evidence might be paper based, in the form of electronic or audio-visual records or as a product that a candidate has made).

NVQ assessors:

• examine and evaluate candidates' portfolios of evidence
• observe, evaluate and record candidates' performance and sign off units as they are completed
• give candidates detailed feedback after an assessment and provide any necessary support and advice
• keep detailed records of candidates' progress and pass on relevant information to the NVQ awarding bodies.

Assessors usually work with a number of candidates at the same time. They often work as part of a team alongside an internal verifier (IV). Assessors also liaise regularly with line managers and training staff within workplaces to keep them informed of the progress of their candidates.

Some assessors are self-employed, working on a freelance basis. Some are employed as teachers or trainers, and plan and deliver NVQ training as an additional element of their work. A large number are employed in commerce or industry in roles, such as care workers, pharmacy technicians or retail supervisors, and undertake assessment of employees as part of a wider role.

Hours and environment

Full-time NVQ assessors may work up to 40 hours a week. Part-time work and job sharing may be possible. Freelance assessors work on the basis of an hourly rate.

Assessors must be prepared to carry out assessments in a candidate's workplace and be able to fit in with that candidate's normal working hours. This may involve evening and weekend work.

Salary and other benefits

These figures are only a guide, as actual rates of pay may vary, depending on the employer and where people live.

• Starting salaries for full-time assessors range from £16,000 to £22,000 a year.
• With experience, assessors can earn £26,000 a year or more.
• At senior levels, full-time assessors with additional activities, such as training or verifying, may earn up to £35,000 a year.
• Teachers and trainers who carry out NVQ assessment within a broader role are likely to start on around £20,000 to £25,000 a year and could progress to approximately £33,000 a year.

Skills and personal qualities

NVQ assessors must:

• have recent experience in the occupational area they assess, have held a post within the last two years for a minimum of one year and performed the activities defined in the occupational standards as an experienced practitioner
• be able to demonstrate recent professional development
• be well organised
• have the confidence to visit a diverse range of workplaces and to work with candidates.

NVQ assessors should:

• have strong speaking, listening and writing skills
• be able to encourage and motivate candidates
• be able to work both independently and in a team
• have good judgement in assessing performance against agreed standards
• be patient and supportive.

Interests

It is important to:

• enjoy working with people
• have an interest in promoting education and training
• have a commitment to maintaining professional practice.

Getting in

NVQ assessors are employed throughout the UK in a range of organisations, including colleges, training providers and companies of all sizes.

Assessors are employed across the whole NVQ framework, which is classified into the following areas:

• tending animals, plants and land
• extracting and providing natural resources
• constructing
• engineering
• manufacturing
• transport
• providing goods and services
• providing health, social and protective services
• providing business services
• communicating
• developing and extending knowledge and skill.

Jobs are advertised in local and national newspapers, by recruitment agencies and in training publications such as People Management. Vacancies can also be found on the websites of The Institute of Assessors and Verifiers at www.iavltd.co.uk and The Times Educational Supplement at www.tesjobs.co.uk

Entry routes

In addition to having recent experience in the occupational area they wish to assess, individuals often require a vocational qualification relevant to the occupational area. Teachers or trainers who also work as assessors may be required to possess a recognised teaching qualification or Learning and Development Award.

As assessors may work with children or vulnerable adults, applicants to this type of work may need to undergo checks through the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).

Training

Depending on the context in which they work, assessors must gain one or both of the following Level 3 in-service qualifications:

• Certificate in Assessing Candidates using a Range of Methods (A1)
• Certificate in Assessing Candidates' Performance through Observation (A2).

Candidates for either of these qualifications must be able to oversee the work of NVQ candidates, either in their own workplace or at an assessment centre, but are not allowed to do formal assessments until fully qualified. Courses for A1 and A2 certificates typically take six months to a year to complete and are offered by many colleges of further education and private training organisations. To gain these certificates, candidates must build up a portfolio of evidence and have their own practical skills assessed in the workplace.

Some course providers will only accept experienced professionals who have been put forward by their employers and who are qualified to between Level 2 and Level 4, or equivalent, in their selected occupational area. Others require candidates to be members of an accredited NVQ centre's assessment team.

Once they have gained the A1 or A2 award, assessors may join The Institute of Assessors and Internal Verifiers (IAV) as associate members. When they have worked as an assessor for at least 12 months, they can apply for licentiate membership and be added to the IAV's National Register. Licentiates who have been qualified for five years can apply for fellowship status.

Assessors must undertake continuing professional development (CPD) to keep up to date with developments in their occupational sector and in assessment practice. They can do this in a variety of ways, such as attending workshops and courses.

Getting on

Assessors can broaden their area of responsibility by becoming an IV or an external verifier (EV).

IVs work with a team of assessors in an approved assessment centre. The IV is responsible for ensuring the quality of the team's assessments and assessment process within the centre. IVs must gain the V1 Level 4 Unit: Conduct Internal Quality Assurance of the Assessment Process, which takes 12 to 18 months to complete.

EVs work for awarding bodies and monitor the work of approved assessment centres. They must gain the V2 Level 4 Unit: Conduct External Quality Assurance of the Assessment Process.

Further information

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), 151 The Broadway, London SW19 1JQ. 020 8612 6208. Website: www.cipd.co.uk

City & Guilds, 1 Giltspur Street, London EC1A 9DD. 020 7294 2800. Website: www.city-and-guilds.co.uk

ENTO, 4th Floor, Kimberley House, 47 Vaughan Way, Leicester LE1 4SG. 0116 251 7979. Website: www.ento.co.uk

The Institute of Assessors and Internal Verifiers, PO Box 148, Wirral CH62 7WB. 01925 485786. Website: www.iavltd.co.uk

Lifelong Learning UK, 8^th Floor, Centurion House, 24 Monument Street, London EC3R 8AQ. Information and Advice Service: 0300 303 1877. Website: www.lluk.org/ias.htm

Further reading

Excellence in Assessment and Verification - ENTO

Excellence in Initial Assessment - ENTO

The NVQ Assessor and Verifier Handbook - Kogan Page

Magazines/journals

People Management

(Some may be priced)

April 2010

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