Implementing NVQs/SVQs and becoming a Centre

Our competence to do this type of work

The Gill Payne Partnership Ltd has a wealth of experience of helping organisations set up as NVQ Centres. Just some of the organisations that we have helped include numerous power generating companies, a major frozen food manufacturing company, organisations working in the Care Sector and one in the private sector who offers the Business and Administration qualifications.

We have trained and supported hundreds of NVQ Assessors and Internal Verifiers. We have worked with the NVQ Assessor and Verifier Awards since their inception. In addition, we worked with the forerunners of the Assessor and Verifier qualifications which were awarded by City and Guilds.

Jargon Buster

Thefollowing terms are used on this page:

• A1 refers to the NVQ Assessor Standard – Assess Candidates using a range of methods.
• V1 refers to the Internal Verifier Award – Conduct Internal Quality Assurance of the Assessment Process.
• The Assessor Candidate refers to your organisation’s Assessor who is undergoing development.
• The NVQ Candidate refers to the member of staff going through the NVQ.
• The Internal Verifier Candidates refers to your organisation’s Internal Verifiers who are undergoing development.
• The Assessor is the assessor of the Assessor and Internal Verifier Candidates. The Assessor comes from The Gill Payne Partnership Ltd!
  

How we can help ?

We suggest the following sequence:

Identify what NVQs you intend to offer and who the Centre Coordinator for those qualifications will be

Make Contact with City and Guilds Area Office or other Awarding Body who will oversee the NVQ

They may provide an advisory visit

We work with you to help you to develop the system, policies, procedures and paperwork necessary for Qualifications Approval

Submitted to City and Guilds (or other Awarding Body) for approval (this will involve a visit from C&G or other Awarding Body)

Train the Internal Verifier Candidates (V1 standard)

Pilot group of NVQ Candidates is chosen (suggest at 2 per Assessor)

NVQ Assessors (including Internal Verifiers) are trained (A1 Standard)

Pilot Group of NVQ Candidates are inducted in to the NVQ process

NVQ Assessor Candidates start to assess

Assessment Decisions are countersigned by a Qualified Assessor (which can be provided by The Gill Payne Partnership Ltd) until Assessor Candidates achieve A1

Assessor Candidates are supported by the Internal Verifier Candidates throughout this process

Assessment Decisions are internally verified by Internal Verifier Candidates

Internal Verification Decisions are countersigned by a Qualified Internal Verifier (which can be provided by The Gill Payne Partnership Ltd) until V1 has been achieved

Assessor Candidates are assessed to the A1 standard (when each individual is ready)

Internal Verifier Candidates are assessed to the V1 standard (when each individual is ready)

External Quality assurance by C&G takes place at pre-determined intervals

NVQ Implementation is evaluated

Stage 1 - Obtaining Qualification Approval

Development of the system, policies, procedures and paperwork for the qualifications

We can work with you to help you to complete the City and Guilds QAF.

As part of this, you will need to develop various policies and procedures e.g.

• Assessment and Internal Verification Strategy;
• Internal Verification Policy and Procedures;
• NVQ Equal Opportunities Policy;
• Candidate Appeals Procedure;

You will also need to develop paperwork to support the qualification.

It is strongly recommended that Assessor and Candidate Packs are also developed. These can be used during Inductions and for reference. (Note that the packs can be provided electronically, if preferred).

We already have all of these and will happy to provide them to you as a "Starter for 10". It is highly likely that anything that is developed will be refined as the process starts.

We would work directly with the Internal Verifier Candidates to carry out this stage.

Stage 2 – Internal Verifier Training

Some of this will already be covered during Stage 1 when the process is developed.

Once again, we will work directly with the Internal Verifier Candidates to provide the training.

This should also cover the Assessment Planning process.

Stage 3 – Assessor Training

It is important that the Internal Verifier Candidates are trained within this group. As the session is highly interactive, we would suggest that the maximum number of new Assessor Candidates is 8 in a group.

Stage 4 – Assessment Planning

This process is critical to the achievement of A1 and as a support mechanism for the candidate. Therefore, we need to follow the same process with new Assessor Candidates.

Stage 5 – Assessor Assessment

There are 4 parts to this:

1. As part of this, we will be able to countersign Assessor Candidate’s assessment decisions until the Assessor Candidate achieves A1. Note that each Assessor Candidate will need to work with 2 NVQ Candidates and assess 3 full units of competence. This quantifies the amount of countersigning that will need to be done.
2. Observation of the Assessor Candidate giving feedback to an NVQ Candidate.
   • Please note that we can agree who carries out the Observation. It could be:
     • Whoever countersigns the assessment decisions (from The Gill Payne Partnership Ltd)
   • OR
     • Internal Verifier Candidates. Note that as part of the Assessor Candidate achieving the A1 Award and as part of the Internal Verifier Candidates achieving the V1 Award, the new Assessor Candidates will need to be observed anyway.
3. All assessment decisions made by Assessor Candidates are likely to be subject to 100% internal verification. Thus, the assessments will need to be internally verified by the Internal Verifier Candidates until achievement of A1. In turn, these internal verification decisions will need to be countersigned by a qualified Internal Verifier which can be provided by The Gill Payne Partnership Ltd.
   • Countersigning needs to take place until achievement of V1. In terms of the scope, this means that the Internal Verifier Candidates will need to have their decisions countersigned until 2 Assessor Candidates (each) have achieved A1.
4. Professional Discussion and A1 portfolio assessment, which will be carried out by The Gill Payne Partnership Ltd. This will usually include the time taken to observe the Assessor Candidate giving feedback to the NVQ Candidate.

Stage 6 – Internal Verifier Assessment

Evidence for the Internal Verifier Award will depend on the progress being made by both the A1 Assessor Candidates and the NVQ Candidates, together with approval for the activities from the External Verifier.

Post Training and Additional Support

In addition to the training provided to the Assessor Candidates, additional support will be available through our online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Assessor Candidates will be able to go over the content of their training course again if they feel this will be of benefit.

Also, their will be a discussion forum for the assessor candidates to post topics for discussion and to ask questions in. Using a discussion forum for this means that if one person asks a question, all the other assessors will not only see the question, but know the response. Assessor Candidates can also contribute to the discussion and support process this way, which adds to the 'we are one' feeling.

There are other benefits from utilising the VLE, which can be explained if required. Assessors simply need Internet Access and an Email Address.