Benefits of NVQ Qualifications

More and more industries are developing increasing numbers of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs). People need to know what the NVQ system is, and the effect it may have on them.
At one time, GCSEs, O Levels and GCSEs were jargon: now, like NVQs, they’re common household terms. Over the past few years, many people who work in the health and Social Care industry have gained NVQ certificates and many more are well on their way.
Most jobs, whether in cleaning, security services, office administration, retail and health and social care require practical skills and knowledge? For some jobs, people have to pass exams; for a lot of others, there have been no formal qualifications for people to achieve.
Exam results generally do not tell an employer how competently someone can do a job: they simply measure their ability to remember things and write them down. People go on courses; they return to work, and there’s often little follow-up or assessment of how their training may have helped them to improve their performance, or enjoy their job more. Some supervisors/managers have been known to resent the time ‘wasted’ on a course, when they or their colleagues have had to cover for them.
NVQs are not about going on courses, studying, or passing exams. They are about assessment, to a nationally recognized standard, of how competently someone does the job that their employer pays them to do. At last we have the opportunity for people, who have been doing a good job for years, to be recognized for their competence and achieve a worthwhile qualification.
NVQs tell employers a great deal about you. An NVQ says that you can do a job properly and that you have the knowledge and skills required. Passing an exam or having a job title won’t necessarily prove this. Having an NVQ proves that someone can work to industry standards. Employers and the Trades Unions recognize them. Most people get great personal satisfaction from being recognized for doing something well: an NVQ is proof of achievement, and something to be proud of. It is also evidence to put forward if you change jobs or go for promotion. NVQs are updated regularly and new options added, to keep abreast of improvements in technology and working practices. This means that people can add to their qualifications and have a completely up-to-date record of how competent they are.
How do NVQs Work
All NVQs are part of a ‘framework’ which links the qualifications together. There are five Levels in the framework, starting with Level 1. NVQs in Health and Social Care are available at Levels 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5. Many Care workers work for NVQs at Level 2, as this is the level for which competence can be recognized for different routine activities. An NVQ at Level 3 would be supervisory (i.e. some individual responsibilities ); and so on up to Level 5, which represents a senior level of managing people or processes.
Someone who has a Health and Social Care NVQ Level 2 that includes supporting individuals with personal care needs, for example, would be qualified to a similar level of skill as a person with NVQ Level 2 in hairdressing, retail, or business administration.
The main difference between NVQs and academic qualifications is that people don’t have to attend formal training courses to achieve their qualifications. NVQs are based on standards, which someone can work towards at their own pace (indeed, many people within the care industry may already have achieved the required standards for certain NVQs). You don’t have to start at Level 1, either: you can start working towards whichever Level is right for your present skills and abilities.
Each NVQ consists of a number of units: in health and social care.
At Level 2, these are…
To develop effective communication skills
To maintain health and safety at work
To develop and improve practice
To develop skills which is used to recognize abuse and protect vulnerable adults
The units are split into elements, which describe a small aspect of the job and the conditions under which it must be done. All the elements must be achieved for the national standard to be met. When all the elements for a unit and all the units for the NVQ are achieved, a certificate is awarded , it’s quite simple and straight forward , expect a follow up post soon……