5 Responses

1. NVQ’s as part of a total T&D Strategy
   Hi Isobel,

   I operate a training and consulting company and one arm deals with NVQs. I shall be more than happy to answer any questions which you may have regarding your situation.

   Best wishes
   Sherwyn
   sherwyn@hitouch.cjb.net

2. Training & Development – NVQs
   You don’t say if you’re looking at the T&D NVQs for your t&d people, but they are a good place to start. It’s easy to get bogged down in the detail, but if you can avoid that, you might find that some group work (facilitated by someone who understands both what you do and the NVQs), could be beneficial. You could use the NVQs to:
   1. Discuss what national standards are and how the team’s work compares to them.
   2. Identify areas of current good practice, improvement or new development.
   3. Identify development needs for the team.
   4. Map out any areas of overlap (or areas that aren’t covered at all).
   If you use first of all the NVQ unit titles and then the element titles to decide what people already do, more or less, then you will be able to decide which levels or units to examine in groups. The standards are really useful to compare current practice with ‘best’ practice. Once you’ve done this, you may find that the NVQs are or aren’t the best thing for people in the team and begin to discuss how to develop people to meet their needs in relation to business needs.

3. Cost
   You should consider asking an assessment centre that has some experience of your work area, you will find that people who have done it are more aware of the issues and are more helpful. Visit the QCA web site for further information of workshops. This is a less costly way of setting up and running the programme than bringing in a consultant.

4. NVQ for training community
   hi Isobel. the NVQ framework and awards for trainers within it are essential . I am an independent consultant who has both undertaken these myself ( NVQ level 4 HRD), D32, D33, D34, D36 and have also advised on these for staff within organisations – to be implemented strategically.
   If you are interested, email me and we could discuss. The “pitfalls” can be avoided if you get the best advice for your needs. The “benefits” are great and can only become more important.

5. contact
   Please contact me about SVQ vs ‘Exams’ as training techniques and transferability. Also about difficulty of attaning status to deliver SVQ/NVQ.