Mark Priestman has more than 20 years’ experience in the natural stone sector. He plays an active role in the development and delivery of training in this specialist environment. Along with his father, David Priestman, he runs a training consultancy whose mantra is: Qualify the Workforce!
“Why do I need to do a qualification? I've been doing this job for years!”
That’s a statement I heard this week. It was not for the first time I had heard it. It is routine in the world of VQ assessment.
VQs (vocational qualifications) such as the NVQ or its Scottish cousin the SVQ are work-based programmes.
The question was posed by a learner. Sometimes employers pose the same question on behalf of their employees. It comes from a disdain for exams, fear of unfamiliar terminology and, on occasions, low self-esteem developed over the years.
This results in a hefty amount of the VQ assessor’s role being to build self confidence in many of their learners.
When the learner achieves the qualification they feel a sense of satisfaction. And so does the assessor.
So here are some facts about vocational qualifications to ease some of the concerns about them:
(1) There need not be any exams. The assessor needs evidence of the learner’s knowledge of their area of work, but this can be achieved through question and answer sessions or by recording a one-to-one discussion.
(2) VQs are not assessed against a rigid framework of terminology. What is muck or gubbins in one part of the country is simply mortar in another. The VQ is flexible enough to embrace different methods and terminology. And it is a comfort to many a VQ learner to discover they are not being assessed on how well they write sentences or how well they spell. In fact, VQs can fully embrace learning difficulties, if these are present.
(3) The VQ is robust enough to maintain the agreed national occupational standards for the role being assessed. A learner who achieves a VQ should rightly feel proud of their accomplishment. It opens up doors of opportunity, both for them personally and for their employer.
So my message to all employers and learners who feel a tad ‘squeezed’ about the need for a VQ is to seize the opportunity. The whole process is likely to be better supported than they've probably imagined and rewards are usually reaped straightaway.
Other news…
The Construction Skills Certification Scheme is broadcasting the message that time is about up for the 85,000 Construction Related Occupation (CRO) cards issued since October 2015.
CRO cards ceased being issued at the end of March this year. All cards issued since October 2015 expired on 30 September. Stonemasons, paving installers and facade cleaners who currently hold a CRO card can secure a blue Skilled Worker card through the achievement of the respective level 2 VQ.
Please note: Not all CRO cards expired on 30 September. Many thousands do expire soon but CRO cards remain valid until the expiry date shown on the card.
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There has been speculation over the future of the Construction Industry Training Board but three Government Ministers have signed a letter saying they back CITB… as long as it continues its programme of revision.
The letter was signed by the Skills Minister, the Housing Minister and the Industrial Strategy Minister. They say why they support CITB continuing to have levy-raising powers and why employers should back the new levy proposal in the Consensus vote.
The Ministers said: “Having reviewed the options for making sure that the construction industry has the skills it needs, we have concluded that the CITB should be retained.”
The report of the review of Industrial Training Boards is due to be published in full this month (October).
Mark Priestman is a Partner at Priestman Associates LLP, a leading façade preservation project consultancy. From stonemasonry and heritage skills through to Site Supervision and Conservation Management, the partnership is trusted by the leading brands of the sector as an NVQ provider for experienced, upskiller and apprentice workers. Mobile: 07876 687212