November 29, 2023
Assessor Courses in the UK: Your Ultimate Guide
Anybody interested in becoming an assessor, or existing assessors requiring an official assessor qualification to continue their current role, will see that there is a baffling variety of qualifications available. Here’s your straightforward guide to assessor courses in the UK and how to pick the right one for you.
What does an Assessor do?
Before exploring the courses, it’s important to grasp what an assessor actually does. An assessor’s role is to check that people meet the required standards in their specific field. They evaluate learners through various methods, including observations, questioning, and reviewing work products. This role demands a thorough understanding of the subject itself as well as any relevant occupational standards and assessment criteria.
Which Assessor course do you need?
When deciding which assessor course to take, think about your needs and ask yourself what sort of assessing you want to do. If you’re already assessing, the question should be, “What sort of assessing am I doing?”. This answer will help you pick the right course and thus boost your career prospects.
Level 3 Award in Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment
If you don’t do any assessing in your current role, but you are required to get an assessor qualification, a theory-based course, like the Level 3 Award in Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment (UPPA), should be suitable for your needs. As it’s a theory-only course, it covers all the background theories about assessment, but you don’t have to carry out any practical activities to pass. This level 3 qualification is a great foundation that will teach you all the processes and procedures that assessors are involved with as well as familiarise yourself with the jargon involved. Even better, it consists of just one unit, which forms the basis of all the other longer and more complex assessor qualifications mentioned below. So, if your role changes or you’re looking to upskill in the future, you’ll already have the first unit under your belt.
Level 3 Award in Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement
If you will be assessing people on training courses or at colleges and adult education centres, then your best option is the Level 3 Award in Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement. This qualification is ideal for those who assess skills, knowledge, and understanding in environments like workshops, classrooms, or virtual learning platforms. It consists of two units, the first covering all the theory and background knowledge needed for assessing and the second covering the practical skills of assessing people in these areas.
Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence in the Work Environment
If you’re planning to assess people “on the job”, i.e. at their workplace, to make sure they can carry out tasks to the correct standards, then course for you is the Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence in the Work Environment. This qualification is suitable for assessors who carry out in-house assessments for their organisation or students on NVQ or SVQ courses. This two-unit qualification designed for workplace assessing covers the essential theory but also gives you the skills and ability to assess in the workplace. It’s widely considered the direct replacement for the older qualification commonly called A1 Assessor, which it has now superseded. So, if you’re into workplace assessing or have been told you need to get your “A1” (you’d be surprised how many job specs, HR documents and policies still use the old term), then this is the qualification for you.
Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA)
If you’re assessing people both on courses and in the workplace, there’s the all-singing, all-dancing Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) course. The Level 3 CAVA course is considered as the ultimate assessor qualification because it covers everything mentioned above – the theory, assessing people on courses/in learning environments and assessing in the workplace. As a three-unit award, it’s longer and costs slightly more than the other assessor courses we’ve mentioned, but you get the best and most versatile assessor qualification available in the UK. With a CAVA qualification, you can assess in practically any situation and for any type of candidate. There’s also the added advantage that its simple and easy-to-pronounce acronym, “CAVA”, makes it widely talked about and very recognisable to people in education, training and assessing.
Ready to start your Assessor qualification?
Now that you know the best assessor qualification for your needs, the next step is to book via our website. Once you’ve started your course, you can jump straight to spreading the word that you’re due to become a qualified assessor. You can update your CV to reflect that you’re on the course, using words such as “currently working towards” and “anticipated completion date”. If you’re still unsure of the best assessor training course for your needs, contact our friendly team online or call us on 0800 688 9020 for help and advice on choosing the correct course for you.
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