NVQs are achieved through a combination of training and assessment, which can take place in several ways. You will be assigned an assessor who will meet with you regularly and support you through your NVQ.

Your assessor may want to observe you working to see how you perform in your job. Afterwards your assessor will give you feedback on what they have observed you do. They may also ask you questions to check your underpinning knowledge and to show that you understand your policies and procedures and your job role.

You may be given projects or assignments to complete to help you demonstrate other aspects of underpinning knowledge. Your assessor may have a discussion with you about how you do you work and record this or may ask you to write a reflective account on relevant aspects of your work.

Your may obtain witness testimonies from supervisors or colleagues to show evidence that you may not have been able to demonstrate to your assessor through observation.

The most common method of achieving an NVQ is preparing a portfolio of evidence; your assessor who will give you guidance and support to gather the evidence you need.

You will be expected to participate in a formal review with your assessor every 8 to 12 weeks to help you identify and review progress made and to check you are happy with the programme and support provided and agree an action plan to help you achieve your award. Ideally your manager should also participate in the review so they can help identity any support you may need from them and so they are aware of how you are progressing.

There is no pass or fail in NVQ; you are either “competent” or “not yet competent”. Your assessor will help you identify what is needed to prove your competence. This may be through attending a training course or thorough further supervision and instruction from your supervisor at work. Your assessment will continue after your training needs have been met until you are able to prove you are “competent”.

If you are unhappy with your assessor’s decisions for any reason then you can instigate the appeals procedure or if you are unhappy with the support provided you can instigate the complaints procedure. You will have a copy of this in your portfolio so you know what actions to take.

You will also be assigned an internal verifier who checks the quality of your assessors work and they may want to look at your portfolio of evidence to sample evidence assessed or may want to speak to you to check how well you are being supported to achieve your qualification. 

The internal verifier will sign off completed units if they are happy that the assessment has been carried out correctly.

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