Transcript Slide 1

IRRV N/SVQ Assessment Centre Forum
Date: 10th April 2008 – Keele University
Time: 11.00am – 4.00pm approx
Agenda
1. Mr Bob Trahern IRRV (IRRV President)
Opening address
2. Mr Allan Traynor (IRRV Council member IRRV
Qualifications Strategy & past President)
3. Mr David Magor OBE (IRRV CEO)
IRRV future and developments
4. IRRV External Verifiers
External Verification (IRRV EVs)
5. Guest speakers
Lunch 1pm approx.
6. Observation pro forma for LT/HCTB (Workshop)
7. Changes to the NOS (EVs)
8. IRRV on-line centre admin (LF)
9. New IRRV approved N/SVQ assessment centres/EVs (LF)
10. New policies/support documentation (IRRV)
Mr Bob Trahern IRRV
IRRV President
Opening address
Mr Allan Traynor IRRV
IRRV Council member
& past President
Qualifications Strategy
Mr David Magor OBE
IRRV CEO
IRRV future and developments
IRRV EVs
External Verification
IRRV
Developing Candidates’ Knowledge
Judith Johnson
External Verifier
Students v Candidates
• Students
– Course material
– Dedicated Trainer
– All theory little practical
• Candidates
– Dedicated Assessor
– Proof they can do the job
– Less ‘structured’ learning
The Standards
• Requirement for Knowledge and
Understanding
• Many common areas
• Sources of learning material
What do you offer candidates?
• Do you ACTIVELY guide candidates to
learning material
• Best Practice
– Structured learning scheme to cover areas of
knowledge and understanding may include
• In house training
• College assistance
• eLearning – eg Euclidian
Monitoring results
• How do you evaluate the learning?
– Tests at the end of the course
• Does this relate the learning to the standards?
• Does the assessor review the learning?
– Question and answer session with assessor
– Product evidence incorporating the learning
– Observation
Areas with the Standards
• Legal Framework
– Data protection
– Freedom of Information
– Health and Safety
– Equal Opportunities
• Communication
– Effective communication
– Customer Service
Standardised Learning
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IRRV suite of programmes
Covers many of the common areas
Focused
Learning can be monitored
Web-based and accessible
Professional Development
Equality and Diversity
Data Protection
The Statutory Framework
A working knowledge of:
4 Statute law affecting benefits
a) Social Security Administration Act
b) Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act
c) Local Government Finance Act
d) Child Support, Pensions, and Social Security Act
e) Tax Credits Act
f) Welfare Reform and Pensions Act
g) Immigration and Asylum Act
h) Housing Act
i) Data Protection Act
j) Freedom of Information Act
Health & Safety
Freedom of Information
Any questions?
Theresa McAuley
Paul Dalling
Guest Speakers
Theresa McAuley BSc IRRV Dip RSA
Managing Director and Head of Centre
Eagle NVQs
The Menu
• Background
• The “Bees in my Bonnet”
• The Building Blocks for a successful NVQ
Project
• What I look for in a good candidate portfolio
• Sampling
• Electronic Portfolios
• The Future
Theresa McAuley. Eagle NVQs.
Background
• Disclaimer – the views expressed in this
presentation are entirely mine
• Theresa McAuley
– A varied career – missionary, dinner lady,
Mum
– 1988 – Shepway District Council as a Finance
Trainee – IRRV course in London
– Head of Revenues and Benefits from 1997 –
2003
– Training company 2003 to 2007 – became IV
A Stroll Down Memory Lane
• “When I were a Lad” etc. – a naïve,
teenage view of the world.
• Educational Selection – the 11 +
• - Grammar Schools
• Passed exams – became “professionals” – did well in life
• - Technical Schools
• “Good with their hands” – trades – apprenticeships – could do well
in life
• - Secondary Moderns
• Did not pass exams – did not learn trades – “the rest”
The Ensuing Educational
Turmoil
• What goes around comes around
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Comprehensives etc.
The increasing cost of further and higher education
The demise of the traditional apprenticeship
The general skills shortage
And in the Meantime, back at the
Workplace
• Early 1980s - the “Birth” of the NVQ
• Needed to address: – Identify the skills that were needed
– Increase training/re-training opportunities
– Provide a qualifications framework to ensure
formal recognition of the skills acquired
Early NVQs
• 1986 –
– National Council for Vocational Qualifications
– (NCVQ)
– Industry Lead Bodies (ILBs)
– Awarding Bodies – City and Guilds, BTec. Etc.
Early NVQs
• 1990s Reforms: – NCVQ became Qualifications and Curriculum
Authority (QCA)
– ILBs became NTOs – National Training
Organisations – later reformed as Sector
Skills Councils
Building Blocks for a Successful
NVQ Project
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Candidate Selection
Employer Commitment
Existing In-house Resources
Realistic Timescales
Health Warnings
Building Blocks
• Candidate Selection: – Both candidate and employer should read the
IRRV Standards carefully and ask the question
– can the candidate reasonably be expected to
achieve them in their current role?
– Can the team offer opportunities to extend the
range and variety of the candidate’s work to
enable them to meet all the standards?
– Does the candidate have the required high level
of personal commitment?
Building Blocks
• Employer Commitment: – It is more than just paying the bill!
– Will the candidate be allowed “work time” for
their NVQ?
– Can additional opportunities to develop be
offered?
– Is the Manager/Team Leader prepared to take
an interest?
– Is this qualification a considered part of the
candidate’s overall development?
Building Blocks
• Consider In-House Resources
– Existing resources
– Developing Resources
– Realistic Timescales
– A Health Warning
What I look for in a good NVQ
Portfolio
• Set out clearly and so easy for me to
“navigate” around
• Correct Paperwork and Procedures
• A Range of Methods of Assessment
• A Range of types of evidence – wellreferenced to the Standards
• Sampling
A “good” NVQ portfolio is • Set out clearly and easy for me to
“navigate” my way around: – Candidate details – name, local authority,
IRRV candidate registration number, unit
number – ie am I looking at the right portfolio
to start with?
– Can I find my way to follow the assessment
process from start to finish in a logical order?
– Is the Evidence clearly presented?
A “good” NVQ Portfolio has • Procedures and “Paperwork” in Place
– Has a full induction process been carried out?
– Has an Assessment Plan been developed and
agreed?
– Have Reviews and feedback sessions taken
place – adequately recorded?
– Have all documents been signed and dated?
• Achievement records, cross-reference sheets etc.
A “good” NVQ portfolio shows • Use of a good range of Assessment
Methods, including
– Observation of the Candidate
– Q&A for K&U
– Narratives/Story Boards
– Product Evidence
– Simulation – rare!
– Professional Discussion
Observation of the Candidate by
the Assessor
• This is a very effective and productive
method of assessing practical
competence:
– Plan in advance – consider all units
– Agree what is to be observed and when
– Use a checklist as a reminder
– Include Q&A as appropriate
– Summarise at the end and advise the
candidate of what the next stage will be
Questions and Answers for
Knowledge and Understanding
• Establish that the candidate understands
fully why they do what they do.
• Written questions can be left with the
candidate to progress in their own time –
except CDA
• Verbal questions and answers need to be
correctly recorded
Narrative/Story Boards
• No longer a major part of a candidate
portfolio, but can still be very useful
• As IV, can I “see” that the candidate is
“talking” about what he/she actually does?
– I do not want to know what “the Council”
does, or “the Business Rates Officer “
does – it is not their NVQ!
• Should be well-structured and wellreferenced to the standards
Professional Discussion
• Close to final summative assessment
• Most standards covered by other means–
the “gaps” identified
• Assessor to provide the candidate with
advance notice of what is to be covered
• The discussion should be recorded in
audio or visual form.
Evidence
• Vast numbers of photocopies of Council
policies and blank forms just tell me the
candidate can operate the photocopier!
• Can I see that the candidate produced the
work product – names, dates, initials etc.
• Witness statements – who is this witness?
When did they prepare and sign the
statement? What does it prove?
Sampling for Internal
Verification
• I vary my approach:
• All candidates, all assessors, all units to
be sampled
– It keeps me interested
– It keeps my assessors “on their toes”
– Helps to ensure a balance between vigilance
and trust
– Maintains professional pride
Electronic/On-line NVQs
• An interesting and flexible method of
delivering NVQ assessment and
verification
• Available on-line 24 hours each day
• Can reduce number of on-site visits BUT
• Cannot, in my view, replace face to face
assessor to candidate meetings entirely
• Open to discussion …..
The Future
• No, it is not Orange!
• In Our Hands – Working Together
• Marketing the IRRV NVQ
– DWP Funding “gone”
– Connect to other funding – Train to Gain?
– Consider the “Added Value” of the IRRV NVQ
to local authorities – see it from the
Manager’s/Budget holder’s point of view.
Any questions?
Paul Dalling VOA
Teaching NVQ candidates knowledge
and understanding
with reference to accelerated learning
techniques.
Agenda
Lunch 1pm approx.
6. Observation pro forma for LT/HCTB (Workshop)
7. Changes to the NOS (EVs)
8. IRRV on-line centre admin (LF)
9. New IRRV approved N/SVQ Centres/EVs (LF)
10. New policies/support documentation (IRRV)
Observations Pro-forma
Changes to the NOS
Impression and Image Theme
• Make customer service personal
• Go the extra mile in customer service
• Deal with customers in writing or using ICT
• Use customer service as a competitive
tool
• Organise the promotion of services or
products to customers
Delivery Theme
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Deliver customer service on your customers' premises
Recognise diversity when delivering customer service
Deliver customer service using service partnerships
Organise the delivery of reliable customer service
(existing U1053846)
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Improve the customer relationship (existing U1053847)
Make customer service personal
Go the extra mile in customer service
Deal with customers in writing or using ICT
Use customer service as a competitive tool
Organise the promotion of services or products to
customers
Handling Problems Theme
• Monitor and solve customer service problems
(existing U1053851)
• Apply risk assessment to customer service
• Process customer service complaints
Development and Improvement Theme
• Optional - Theme
• Work with others to improve customer service
(existing U1053850)
• Promote continuous improvement in customer
service
• Develop your own and others' customer service
skills
• Lead a team to improve customer service
• Gather, analyse and interpret customer
feedback
IRRV on-line Centre Admin
Demo
New IRRV centres
AGMA (Greater Manchester)
LB Barking & Dagenham
Bradford, Calderdale &
Kirklees
Cardiff
LB Harrow
South Aryshire
Any questions?
Next Forums
Possible dates and venues
Yorkshire/North September
London November