Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all our valued customers, readers and visitors, we thank you all for the contribution and support in 2009. I want to believe as you are reading article that you have dreams for 2010 and you have set goals with practical step by step plans that will help you achieve those goals.  But perhaps you haven’t done so; I will advice to do so as soon as possible, give your actions a definite direction by setting your goals and plans, and then work out your plans. It is important to ensure that your goals and plans include your professional or career development because this has a direct effect on your life especially if you desire an  increase in income for 2010 or a change in your lifestyle for the years ahead. To add value to one’s life most often requires a conscious effort and a deliberate action taken.

My word to you in this New Year is that if you have commenced any of the NVQ courses; make up your mind to complete it. If you are contemplating on enrolling on an NVQ course in 2010, stop hesitating, take action and just add it to your to do list for the year and make it work. “Wisdom is the principal thing and with whatever you get, have understanding with it”; be your best in 2010.

If you have not written out your personal or professional development plan for this year, do it today. Make sure you do so. Write out what your achievements were last year and what you hope to accomplish this year. Do researches on the internet on how to achieve these or simply discuss with your line manager as soon as possible so you can set your professional development plan for 2010.

I will encourage you to visit NVQMadeSimple.com as often as you can or simply bookmark this website and subscribe to our post update.  You will be kept abreast of quality and valuable information, a lot of exciting Career and income opportunities will soon be posted on this website.

NVQ Assessments becoming Simpler in 2010!

• Are you an NVQ Assessor and you are feeling like giving up your profession?
• Are you feeling stressed about the whole NVQ Assessment process?
• Are you getting fed up of dealing with loads of paper work?
• Are you struggling to meet your set targets and completions for your learners?

NVQMadeSimple.com has a goal to support both learners and NVQ Assessors in 2010 to ensure you are successful in achieving your own goals. 

Look forward to exciting articles and products that will make NVQ Assessment simpler and achievable for you. We wish you all the best in 2010 and your career pursuit will be accomplished.

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What is APL/APEL?

APL means Assessment or Accreditation of Prior Learning. This should be proved by either a certificate of attendance or by records signed by the tutor or an authorised person at work but not necessarily from an awarding institution.  It could be a work based learning course or in house training session at work, whereby you were given a certificate of attendance which might state the content of the training or learning outcome.

It does not necessarily require that you have undertaken a formal assessment like a test at the end of the training; this is what is referred to as informal learning.

APEL means Assessment or Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning. This does not necessarily refer to courses you have attended but could be learning and experience that has taken place over a period of time within the sphere of your work life, social life or domestic life that is relevant to your NVQ.

Generally mature students have acquired a range of expertise, skills and knowledge gathered from their job role, the community and their personal life experience. Using APEL as a method of assessment provides you with the opportunity to have your previous experience assessed and included in your NVQ.

Benefits of using APL/APEL

• It may mean that you do not have to repeat aspects of your NVQ units which you are already familiar with and have evidence to show for it.
• It may help to speed up your rate of study and complete your NVQ earlier than you may have thought, although this can be as time consuming as completing a workbook if you are unable to freely express yourself and complete the requirements for your APEL/ APL assessment.
• It’s a good reflection exercise to help you develop the ability to think about all you have done in the past that adds up to your competence and a free expression of how you have developed yourself professionally and personally.

 How do I know if I have “relevant” learning?

• You will need to ensure that any informal training or experience you wish to claim evidence of competence for is relevant to the units within your NVQ. This means it should address the unit, elements and the knowledge specification to a broad extent.
• You need to be able to judge and reference the evidence as similar to the standards within the units of the NVQ and also ensure the level is similar to the NVQ level you are working towards.
• You need to be able to demonstrate your experience or acquired learning.This could be through work products that you can show your assessor.

How do I provide Evidence using APL/APEL?

• Start by getting your curriculum vitae (CV), your job description, all your training certificates (of attendance or formal tests you completed during the training), supervision or appraisal reports or statements from employers and any work products.
• Write a personal statement outlining the relevance of your learning experience to the NVQ units (APEL). There is no set format for this personal statement. See how you can write one in the article “Why health and social care as a career?” although you need to work in agreement with your NVQ assessor on what to be covered.
• Reflect on your training in the past 2-5 years, select the relevant certificate you wish to include in your portfolio to use towards your NVQ, on each of these trainings write about:

1. How you did the training?
2. Why it was necessary?
3. What you learnt?
4. How it has been of benefit in your job?

Note:  APL is not complete if you do not write a reflective account on each of your training certificates to ensure it meets the standards within your NVQ. This means if you just insert copies of training certificates into your portfolio without any reflections it would not be used as a method of assessment. Read article on “How to write a good reflective Account for your NVQ”

Below is a list of common areas of training and their respective NVQ Units that have similar standards which you can use to reference your reflection.

• Basic communication skills training– HSC21
• Advanced communication skills training – HSC31 and HSC369
• Report writing skills training – HSC21 and HSC31
• Basic Life Support & Emergency First Aid training – HSC22 and HSC32
• Health and Safety and Fire training -HSC22 and HSC32
• Moving and handling training – HSC223 and HSC360
• Medication Awareness training – HSC221 and HSC375
• Safeguarding Adults (formerly known as POVA) training – HSC24 and HSC35
• Understanding Mental Health Difficulties training – HSC336
• Handling challenging behavior training – HSC336 and  HSC337
• Food hygiene training – HSC213 and HSC214
• Pressure Area Care training – HSC217 and HSC358
• Care Planning and Review training – HSC328

As an Assessor I tend to encourage my candidates to start with the unit – HSC23, HSC33 and HSC43 – “Reflecting on your development and Practice”, this will give candidates the opportunity to use APL/APEL as a method of assessment for a range of units before they get cumbersome with workbooks and other assignments. So dear reader, if you are an NVQ candidate, find out from your assessor how you can use your previous experience or training certificates to provide evidence for your units, you will be surprised to know that you can get credits for your NVQ and this will reduce the workbooks or assignments you need to complete.

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NVQ 3 Health and Social Care

The benefits of the NVQ 3 Care has been covered in previous articles, however today I would like to present to you the different units within this course particularly the mandatory units, these are HSC31,HSC32, HSC33 and HSC35 and how you can complete them using our products and services, SEE WHAT’LL YOU GET

HSC31-Promote effective communication for and about individuals

As a health and Social Care worker you would know that a lot of your work thrives on effective communication. This unit is about how you support individuals to communicate with you and with others by using their preferred method of communication. Some of the individuals you work with may have difficulties communicating their needs; you need to show how you find out about these difficulties and your role in resolving or reporting it. This unit also covers the importance of reporting and record keeping. You will need to look into the policies, procedures within your organisation and legislation that determines how you carry out your work in relation to communicating sensitive and complex issues to individuals.

Note that the difference between HSC21 and HSC31 is that the scope you are considering at level 3 is not only simple day to day communication but difficult, complex and sensitive communications this could be distressing, traumatic, frightening, threatening issues the individual needs to discuss with you or you with them. Your reflective account needs show to this.

There are 19 knowledge requirements within this unit and you will need to show that you are informed about them all and you understand the applications likewise. There are 4 elements within HSC31 which are also known as the performance criteria which you generally would use as a guide when reflecting on practice. This is the only unit that has 4 elements.

The Elements are:

HSC31a - Identify ways to communicate effectively

HSC31b - Communicate effectively on difficult, complex and sensitive issues

HSC31c - Support individuals to communicate

HSC31d - Update and maintain records and reports

Unit HSC31 happens to be the only unit with 4 elements a, b, c & d. You will observe that most units would have 3 elements a, b, & c or rather just 2 elements a & b. A useful point to take note of, for the purpose of the NVQ is that the first element of most units is always a preparation stage of an activity (a). The second element is the actual carrying out of the activity (b) and the last element is the review stage of the activity (c). The fourth element in HSC31 is (d) and is purely about how you update and maintain records and reports at work.

To provide evidence of competence for unit HSC31 you need to follow the assessment plan you have agreed with your Assessor. You might be asked to complete a set of written Questions, obtain a witness testimony or write a reflective account, there are other ways of gathering evidence for your NVQ but it’s been widely noticed that NVQ candidates tend to require support in these 3 areas.

Our resource for mandatory units HSC31, HSC32, HSC33 & HSC35 is a fully loaded package with specimen answers/explanations to the 19 knowledge requirement and a guide for your reflective accounts. Complete your Unit HSC31 and the remaining 3 mandatory units with ease, Grab Your Copy Now.

HSC32- Promote, monitor and maintain health, safety and security in the working environment.

There is a slight difference between how you provide evidence for this unit at NVQ Level 2 compared to NVQ Level 3. The words “promote, monitor and maintain”, as a senior social care worker you need to show that you keep the environment and individuals’ safe and encourage others to keep the environment safe and secured and you monitor the activities done that they are in line with the organisations policies and procedures for health and safety. Your Assessor will expect you to show competence that you are able to minimise risks arising from emergencies.

There are 18 knowledge requirements and 3 elements of performance requirements within this unit and you will need to show that you are informed about them all and you understand how to apply them at work. They are:

HSC32a - Monitor and maintain the safety and security in the working environment.

HSC32b - Promote health and safety in the working environment.

HSC32c - Minimise risks arising from emergencies

Our resource package on the mandatory units could be of great help to you in answering your questions without delay. You will be on time with submission of your assignments and you would have added a lot of knowledge and understanding on this unit. If you are still in doubt of how to answer a particular question your package comes with free access to an exclusive online support. Having troubles with Legislation or you don’t seem to know the connection with your organisation’s policies and procedures and this unit. Ask your questions and an assessor will supports you within 24hrs. Ready to buy go here now

HSC33- Reflect on and develop your practice

To develop your career in health and social care, you’ll need to continually improve your knowledge and skills. The art of reflection is a good tool to assess your competence and skills and thereby discover the areas you need development. This unit will help you to identify where to access information and support, relating to knowledge and best practice and enhance your continuing personal and professional development needs.

There are 11 knowledge requirements and 2 elements of performance requirements within this unit and you will need to show that you are informed about them all and you understand the applications likewise. They are:

HSC33a - Reflect on your own practice

HSC33b - Take action to enhance your practice

Your assessor may want you to write about your supervision/appraisal session with your manager or reflect on some training sessions and write about how and why you had to attend, what you learnt and how you are applying it at work. Your competence will also be judged based on your understanding of all the knowledge specification.

HSC35 - Promote choice, well-being and protection of all individuals.

There are 23 knowledge requirements and 3 elements of performance requirement within this unit and you will need to show that you are informed about them all and you understand the applications likewise. They are:

HSC35a - Develop supportive relationships that promote the choice and independence.

HSC35b - Respect the diversity and difference of individuals and key people.

HSC35c - Contribute to the protection of all individuals.

You will need to show your understanding of legislation and organisational policies and procedures, Theories and practice. Your assessor will agree a plan with you on how to show your competence and this would involve you covering all the 23 knowledge specification and the performance criteria.

When you purchase a copy of our NVQ 3 Mandatory Units resource package, you can ask for additional guidance through our online support centre for free, so buy now with confidence.

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The benefits of the NVQ 2 Care has been covered in previous articles, however today I would like to present to you the different units within this course particularly the mandatory units, these are HSC21, HSC22, HSC23 and HSC24 and how you can complete them using our products and services, SEE WHAT YOU WILL GET

HSC21 – Communicate with and complete records for individuals

There are 14 knowledge requirements within this unit and you will need to show that you are informed about them all and you understand the applications likewise.

HSC21a – Work with individuals and others to identify the best forms of communication

HSC21b – Listen and respond to individuals’ questions and concerns

HSC21c – Communicate with individuals

HSC21d – Access and update records and reports

This unit helps you understand how to find out about individuals communication and language needs, where to get support to assist service users to use their preferred communication method and how to pass on information and records about changes in the needs of individuals.

There are legislations you need to be aware of with regards to accessing records and using them and you will need to be familiar with your organisations policies and procedures with regards to communicating with individuals and completing records.  All support required can be obtained from our unique resource.

There are 18 knowledge requirements and 3 elements of performance requirements within this unit and you will need to show that you are informed about them all and you understand how to apply them at work.

HSC22a – Carry out health and safety checks before you begin work activities

HSC22b – Ensure your actions support health and safety in the place you work

HSC22c – Take actions to deal with emergencies.

At work you are responsible for your health and safety and the safety of the individuals you work with. Your employer must have informed you about what you need to do to maintain health and safety. For example wearing protective clothing, using equipment provided by employers at work. You are expected to be a role model at work and have knowledge of how to deal with emergencies if they arise. This unit will refresh your understanding of the health and safety principles and help you to cover any gaps in your knowledge.  You will be able to answer your questions and your reflective accounts when you get yourself a coy of the Mandatory Level 2 units.

HSC23 – Develop your knowledge and practice

There are 12 knowledge requirements and 2 elements of performance requirements within this unit and you will need to show that you are informed about them all and you understand how to apply them at work.

HSC23a – Evaluate your work

HSC23b – Use new improved skills and knowledge in your work  

It is a legal requirement that you improve on your knowledge and practice as a care worker. You have a responsibility to keep your skills and knowledge up to date by:  

• Attending training courses
• In-house training
• Taking qualifications e.g. NVQ

Learning is an ongoing process therefore you don’t need to wait for your manager to send you on training you can keep your skills and knowledge up to date by:

• Talking to work colleagues
• Searching the internet
• Listening to the radio
• Reading newspapers, magazines and professional journals
• Watching the news
• Talking to your manager

This unit will enable you to see ways of creating new skills and improving on existing ones. Get the resource to answer any questions you may need support with.

HSC24 – Ensure your own actions support the care, protection  and well-being of individuals

There are 21 knowledge requirements and 3 elements of performance requirements within this unit and you will need to show that you are informed about them all and you understand how to apply them at work.

HSC24a – Relate to and support individuals in a way they choose

HSC24b – Treat individuals with respect and dignity

HSC24c – Assist in the protection of individuals

Almost everything you will have to do to support individuals at work should involve their rights, preferences and choice. The individuals you work with ought to be treated with respects and dignity. Remember they are not your children. Every individual has a right to be protected from harm, danger and abuse. If you have attended previous training on Protection of Vulnerable Adults now known as Safeguarding Adults you will have understanding of why abuse happens, different types of abuse and what actions to take if you do suspect abuse.

You will need to provide evidence that you are able to safeguard individuals at work. Give answers or explanations to the knowledge criteria of this unit.

Our package NVQ 2 mandatory units resource package will support you to answer any questions set by your assessor around the knowledge criteria on HSC21, HSC22, HSC23, HSC24 and you will get a guide to how to write your reflective accounts. A detailed example is included in the package and best of all you get free online support from an NVQ Assessor if you need to ask further questions, grab your copy now

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In Part 1 of this article I analysed the NVQ Health and Social Care courses available to move you to the next level in your career as a Health or Care Worker and what you need to do to get a job within the Health and social Care sector if you are currently working elsewhere.

This post is a continuation but in a further upward and forward direction which is at management level or within the teaching sector.

If you have been working within the Health and Social Care sector for some years it might be time to take another step further in the right direction. What do you enjoy doing at work? Within the period of working as a care worker have you had to mentor other staff members and show them what to do? Are you currently carrying out the responsibilities of a manager at work but do not have qualifications to show for it? You should go ahead gathering evidence to prove yourself competent of working as a manager by acquiring NVQ Level 4 Health and Social Care and the Leadership and management course.

This course also comprises of 4 mandatory units and some optional units which you will make your choice in reference to your skill scan. Our products are coming out soon for NVQ Level 4, watch out for it.

You can complete this course within 6 – 12months and the rewards are great. You can do a Google search on Health and Social Care jobs as managers and see if the pay package is worth your while.

On the other hand if you would be interested in the assessing role or the teaching role, this is a rewarding role to pursue as well. I am an NVQ Assessor and I believe we are changing lives and supporting others to get a hold of their career and future.  Reflect on the role of your assessor if you are already taking an NVQ course. Would you like to take up such a role? Don’t be discouraged if you think you did not get enough support from your assessor or your assessor looked disorganised. There are standards of good assessment practice to follow. You would be made aware of these when you go through the A1 Award course.  If you have started we have a resource package that you can purchase for support, go here for more information

You might be curious to know how much your job will be worth when you step up to the challenge of becoming an NVQ Assessor , I will leave that to you to browse the internet and get a hold of this information and reset your goals for 2009. This course can also be completed within 6 – 12months. You will be required to assess NVQ 2 candidates as the major part of this course is practical rather than theoretical. Our unique online support is available to you when you purchase our resource on the A1 Award.

There you can ask any question to help you carry through your course, click here to purchase now.

If you are already an NVQ Assessor and you are undertaking teaching roles like delivering of underpinning knowledge sessions you will be required to have the PTTLS Award by 2010 in order to keep teaching. However you do not need this course if you are purely undertaking assessing roles only.

My advice is that things change all the time in our career, no knowledge gained is useless when you take additional courses, so go for City & Guilds PTTLS 7303 course titled- Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector.

This course is available in most colleges or training centres and you can complete this course within 3 months or less. This course will allow you start a teaching career as you can apply for lecturing jobs within the adult education once you have completed it. However, this course does not qualify you to work with individuals within the nursery, primary or secondary school level. It qualifies you to teach within the Further Education Sector.

We have PTTLS 7303 package tailor-made to support you through the 7 Assignments you will need to submit and also a guide to your journals and reflective writing. This package has examples of written assignments, journals, reflective accounts, scheme of work, micro teaching aids. Although written from a Health and Social Care background  but I find the principles to be the same across other fields therefore it is a good resource to use even if  you desire to teach within other fields as the questions and answers are teaching related and not particularly health and social care related, grab your copy here now.

Are you wondering if this will make a difference to how much you can earn now? Do your research and you will be amazed.

“Nothing really changes until you do something to change your situation. Apply for courses to take you to the next level in your career now. All things are possible if you believe you can do it!”

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Whatever your current situation, whether you are seeking promotion, looking to change career, desiring a new job, taking your first steps into teaching or management, the Health and Social Care sector has something to offer you.

If you have been looking for a job, full time or part time to raise income for your family or build a career around your children, there is room for you in health and social care, the job loss within this sector is very low.

What exactly do I need to do?

You will also need to decide the kind of environment – hospitals, care homes, individual homes or education and training.

Once you have made your decision, consider where you are now and what you need to do to get to where you want to be. In most cases your experience and training will count and you need to get both but for some it is how to package their existing experience and training to get the job they desire – You need to improve on areas such as CV writing and interview skills.

Here is a breakdown of courses that you can do to move to the next level.  

 NVQ Health and Social Care Level 1– This is usually a two weeks training that introduces you to the principles of Health and Social Care. You do not need to be in employment to do this training as it is meant to give you a fundamental understanding of the role of a care worker or support worker. This is the first building block if you are new to Health and Social Care. This course comprises of a one week workshop experience and the second week is a practical experience within a health and social care environment. Afterwards you receive a certificate of attendance. Some of the topics usually covered are: 

• Basic nursing procedures
• Communication
• Health and Safety at Work
• Moving and handling procedures
• Incontinence care
• First Aid
• Infection Control
• Basic food hygiene
• Safeguarding and protecting individuals
• Confidentiality
• Report writing

Most employers will require you present certificates of attendance for some mandatory training in healthcare such as Manual Handling Training, First Aid Training & Basic Food Hygiene. By Law, when you get a job your employer would organise an induction which would provide you with information specific to your role.

Pay rates for this level range from £5 – £8 per hour depending on the employer 

NVQ Level 2   –  This is the ideal level for you if you are working in Health and Social Care, providing support to professionals, carrying out clinical care, health or personal care to individuals in a hospital or community- based healthcare setting. It really doesn’t matter if you are new to the job you can enrol on this course. These days if you have been working without an NVQ or other qualification you will be advised by your employer to consider enrolling on NVQ 2 as you may not be allowed to keep your job from the year 2010. Many other employers would only offer jobs to care workers with a minimum of NVQ 2.

This course comprises of 4 mandatory units and 2 optional units based on a skill scan. The mandatory units are:  

 HSC 21- Communication and record keeping

 HSC 22- Health and Safety at Work

 HSC 23 – Develop your practice

 HSC 24 – Protection of Individuals

You will be allowed to choose your 2 optional units from a list based on your skills and job role. This is a very interesting course and you will find it easy if you have been working according to your organisational policies and procedures.  Having NVQ 2 Adults would qualify you to work with all groups of adults although you may need to attend trainings in specialised areas coupled with your existing experience, for example if you currently work with the elderly and wish to work with individuals with learning disability, your NVQ 2 adults is relevant except that you will need some additional training which are short courses.

Pay rates for this level range from £6.50 – £10 depending on the employer

If you are interested in enrolling for this course, please fill the enquiry form below this article.

NVQ Level 3  – At Level 3, the Health and Social Care NVQ has two pathways: “Adults” and “Children and Young People”.  This qualification is designed for workers delivering care and support often without direct supervision or probably working on their own in an individual’s own home.

Common job roles that would qualify you to do the NVQ 3 are senior care workers, team leaders, domiciliary care workers, homecare organisers and community support workers.

You will be required to complete 4 mandatory units and 4 optional units based on a skills scan. The mandatory units are:

HSC 31 – Promoting Communication

HSC 32 – Promoting Health and Safety

HSC 33 – Reflect on and develop your Practice

HSC 34/ HSC 35 – Protecting children (HSC34) or Adults (HSC35)

You will be allowed to choose your 4 optional units from a list based on your skills and job role. This is also a very interesting course and you will find it easy if you have been practising within health and social care. 

If you are interested in enrolling for this course, please fill the enquiry form below this article.

  In the next article I will write about progression unto management and teaching roles which requires you achieve qualifications at Level 3 or Level 4. Do you want to know what the A1 Award is about? Or you have noticed our most visited page PTTLS 7303 and you are wondering what this course is about. Stay tuned and look out for the next article. 

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• How to write a good reflective account for your NVQ (14)
• Level 2 Care (0)

In times like this we could all do with some extra income or a pay rise. The question you should be asking yourself is how do I increase my income?

I have often heard care workers say I have been working for this organisation for the past 5years or more but they have not increased my salary, these employers must be so greedy and mean…, so they think. Some would say their agency has got lots of contract and therefore they should be making a lot of money why can’t they just increase our wages.

Well I suggest you give this scenario a thought – If you employed a cleaner or maid to clean your house every weekend and you have always paid her or him £6 per hour and the person has been so trustworthy over a number of years. What do you think your answer would be if the person asked you one day the question “could I have a pay rise”?

Let’s see what you could say – “well I like the way you’ve been doing your work but if you need a pay rise I might have to give you more work or since you have been so good to me and I don’t want you to leave can I add 50p extra or £1 to your hourly rate? This is the likely answer I would have given the person…., how about you?

The truth is if the cleaner decided to go and get some training or an NVQ, all he would do is look for a job that measures up to the experience plus his certificate and get a better pay.

In a nutshell you need to add value to your existing career to attract extra income from an employer or step into a new role by taking on new responsibilities and developing your career. This would surely enhance your income.

Permit me to tell you more about myself, further to the article “Why health and Social Care?” this should explain how to increase your earnings in Health and Social Care.

I used to work as a care worker with Excel Care about 7years ago and was earning £5.50/hr. All I was required to bring to get the job was a certificate of attendance for a two weeks training as a care assistant and attend a one week induction plus shadow an experienced care worker. After a year, I realised even if I added more years of service I was only going to earn an increase of 50p to £1.00 for the same job description.

So I started thinking of the next step. I figured out that with one year of experience I could get a better pay by changing the organisation I worked for so I applied to so many agencies and made up my mind that I was not going to take up any offer below £7.00/hr. The opportunity came and I registered with – Amazing Healthcare Solutions.  I was ready to start earning a better pay until I realised something; when the pay is less you may get lots of hours but when you get paid more you might not get all the hours you require to actually make a good income and this was the tune I had to dance to but not for long.

During the induction programme I was so impressed by the information and knowledge passed to us by the manager to carry out our responsibilities as a care worker. I noticed she had to pick some calls in between the session and this immediately sparked a thought within me.

After the session I walked up to the manager to ask if there was any opportunity for me to work voluntarily within the organisation as an office staff. Guess what happened afterwards………

I worked voluntarily a few hours a week for some months along with my position as a care worker , this afforded me some more experience and afterwards I was upgraded to a permanent staff, One year later I was offered a position as a Care Coordinator.

When you add value to someone else’s work, you automatically add value to yourself and that’s what happened to me. I did not automatically get a pay rise but I gained a wealth of experience. I attended all training made available to me until one day my manager said I’ve enrolled you for the A1 award. Sincerely I did not have a clue of what this was all about but as I always believed in adding value to myself, I did the course.

To cut the long story short I completed the course along with an NVQ Level 3 in Care and became a qualified NVQ Assessor. I supported staff within my working place to complete their NVQs and still carried out my normal job responsibilities as a care coordinator.

About a year after, I got my first job as a full time NVQ Assessor which doubled my salary as a care coordinator, and then I understood there is more to come when you keep adding value. I was advised by a friend to do a teaching course and the V1 award and more doors opened……….

If you are wondering how much can be earned as an assessor, it’s between £22,000 and £30,000 or £18ph – £25.

You might be thinking I don’t want to assess NVQs, there are other ways of progressing within the health and Social Care sector but it starts from adding value to yourself first.  Climb the next step NVQ 2, NVQ 3, NVQ 4 or NVQ5 relevant to you. If you don’t have the job role required, you can offer to do some voluntary work to get the experience. If you will enjoy assessing or teaching start with the A1 award, then PTTLS, CTTLS or DTTLS and if you already have these do a search on the next level of your interest and how much you will get paid, you will be surprised.

NVQ Made Simple is here to support you move to the next level. Feel free to ask questions on how to progress in Health and Social Care or leave your comments. We would be glad to read from you too.

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Perhaps your NVQ Assessor or tutor has asked you to obtain a witness testimony as part of your assessment plan to gather evidence of competence for your NVQ (National Vocational Qualification).

Are you wondering…

·         What is this all about?

·         Where do I get this from?

·         Who can I ask to write one for me?

·         Do I need to use some forms?

Well I would like to explain this in today’s article.

Firstly, who is a witness?

Literally, he or she is a person who testifies at a court hearing. As a witness, the person may have seen an accident, witnessed a crime, or be asked to describe the character of someone they know. As a witness they will be asked to answer some questions regarding their knowledge of a case in court.

Well in this case we are certainly not in a court of Law but in a work setting you need to locate someone who testifies in writing about you with regards to your work.

Secondly, what is a testimony?

This is evidence obtained from a witness who has made a statement or declaration of fact.

Using the 2 definitions above you can define

WITNESS TESTIMONY as an account of your work performance, which has been witnessed by another person.

This clearly suggests that you can’t write one for yourself. You need someone who can testify in writing to say what they know about you, what they have seen you do or describe an activity you have carried out which should relate to your job description and also to the performance criteria of the units within your NVQ.

You can get a witness testimony from:

·         Your manager or supervisor

·         Your colleague at work

·         The individuals you work with

·         Your tutors or trainers.

Depending on your training centre’s policy, generally you would be required to obtain the witness testimony on a form given to you and you have to request that they sign what is called a Witness Status List – normally found at the front bits in your portfolio. Anyone who writes out a witness testimony must sign the Witness Status List and then your assessor will judge the evidence provided.

See an example; this is a witness testimony about how you handled an accident at work. Yours might be how you handled a disclosure of abuse from a service user and the words in your form would be different.

Witness Testimony

Candidate’s Name:____________________________________________________________

Witness Name:________________________________________________________________

Date of Incident/Accident:_______________________________________________________

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Looking for help with your NVQ 2, NVQ 3 in health and social care, A1 award or PTTLS 7303 assignments? Perhaps you are not very sure how to go about your NVQ Health and Social Care portfolio requirements. You have met with your assessor he/she has given you an assessment plan and some assignments to do and you feel somehow stuck.  At NVQ Made Simple, the Online Support Centre plus a number of resources available can erase all your worries instantly.

You might be very busy due to family and work commitments but you want to complete your NVQ Award despite this fact, congratulation you are in the right place for the support you require.

 There is no question too small or too big to ask; all you need to do is sign up with our Free Online Support when you have purchased a resource from this site which contains specimen questions and answers already in any package of your choice. If you don’t want to purchase any product in this instance, support only can be paid for. This is a one off charge of £10 (introductory price) for as long as you are on your NVQ, Click here to pay now

After payment register for online support using the link below

www.nvqmadesimple.com/onlinesupportcentre  you will need to choose a username and password you can remember easily as you will need this each time you want to log on to the Support Centre, please allow maximum 24hours after registering for your account to be approved by an administrator, you will get a confirmation email to inform you that your registration has been approved.

Next steps to start getting guidance and support

Once you log on to the support centre successfully, locate the relevant page tab to your award type/level, in addition locate the page tab for the units you want to ask question (if applicable) then finally use the comment section to submit your questions. Our promise (guaranteed) is that within 24hours an experienced assessor will respond and answer your request and this response will be available for you to view on the same page.

What makes us different from other similar service provider?

You might have come across a few others who offer similar services to what we do, but we are different, for these reason:

·         Your answers are supplied by experienced assessors within 24hrs or earlier.

·         You are not left alone to seek answers from your colleagues as would be the case on a forum.

·         You have access to the answers supplied to other learners who have asked questions ahead of you.

·         You have access to an online assessor and if extra support is required you can reach us on phone.

·         We provide 7days a week online support if you have difficulties logging into the centre; which means you are supported all the way through your NVQ.

Contact us by email on product@nvqmadesimple.com for support on logging in.

So don’t wait, why don’t you get started now and you will be right on target to hand in your work to your assessor without the normal worries of how to go about your work. Register today as this amount we request is very introductory and at a reduced price. You don’t want to revisit this site and register when it has become £50!

Best wishes

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A person can start working towards an NVQ even at old age (we know some 65-year-olds who have qualified), and at any time (you don’t start in September, and finish the following June like typical school). You could either do your NVQ in the workplace or at colleges/ training centres, or by studying at home.

Your employer assigns to you a trained assessor, who looks for evidence that you can consistently carry out different jobs to the required standards. Your assessor will observe you at work and ask you some questions, to establish that you know what you are doing and why. There’s no catch and there is no pass or fail, you are simply assessed when you and your assessor think you are ready.

You are expected to gather evidence using a few of the different methods such as:

       Direct observation at work

       Reflective accounts

       Witness testimony

       Work products

       Case study

       Training certificates

       Written oral questioning

NVQs are about meeting standards of competence and it doesn’t really matter how you acquired this competence, “many people say you can’t beat experience” and they may well be right. It is possible to achieve some elements of the NVQ by providing proof of work you have done in the past as long as it shows it your own work. Therefore don’t postpone those thoughts of doing your NVQ, GO FOR IT, you might be able to get it done free of charge depending on eligibility.

Who do I need to contact?

Firstly you need to let your employer know that you are interested in completing an NVQ this is because you will need their support in gathering some of the evidence and it is actually a work based qualification.

Your employer could enrol you on the course with the training provider used by the organisation or you could find a provider yourself.  At NVQ MADE SIMPLE. COM we are committed to supporting learners to enrol on an NVQ level 2 or Level 3 programme especially if you are looking for distance learning NVQs you can enrol with us. We are also very much committed to supporting all learners to complete their NVQ  Level 2, Level 3 & Level 4 even if you are not completing your NVQ through us. This is done through our Online Support Centre which you will be able to access free when you purchase any resources for your NVQ on our website.

For more details leave your comments on this page or contact us by email through abbey@nvqmadesimple.com

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