dieseldave:
mavrick:
baby seal:
The examiner shadows you for a day and records you in your daily duties with a small camcorder asking you stuff as you go. You then had to answer some questions to camera and that was that. If anyone failed I’d question their ability to tie their own shoelaces, you could clump a customer then cause a fatal accident and still pass.
That sounds like a very benefical course to nobody, sounds like the theorists have been let loose again. they really should take the tablets and stay indoors.
Hi Mav,
Problems and rumours arise when people use the wrong words to describe things… 
An NVQ is NOT any kind of course… it’s an assessment.
There’s a world of difference between those two words.
There are no theorists involved, the person carrying out the ASSESSMENT doen’t need a teaching qualification or any knowledge of the subject matter, because they AREN’T TEACHING, but they do need an ASSESSOR’S qualification because they are ASSESSING against set criteria.
Not many people know this, but theoretically… an NVQ assessor could be assessing an LGV driver one day, then a care worker or milkman the next day, and a hairdresser on the following day.
I’ve checked my own qualifications and had a word with those in the know.
I found that, if I took some assessor qualifications, I could assess up to and including NVQ level 3 in many subject areas, but my interest ended at that point only because I have enough of my own work without going away from my core subject and because I wouldn’t fancy getting up at the time needed to go and assess a milkman.

Slightly inaccurate.
The Vocational Qualification assessor does need a basic teaching qualification and of course the Level 3 Assessor Qualification in order to assess Level 2. The assessor also needs vocational qualifactions or experience so it is unlikely they would assess the different vocations you list.
roadhog69:
dieseldave:
I’ve checked my own qualifications and had a word with those in the know.
I found that, if I took some assessor qualifications, I could assess up to and including NVQ level 3 in many subject areas, but my interest ended at that point only because I have enough of my own work without going away from my core subject and because I wouldn’t fancy getting up at the time needed to go and assess a milkman.

Slightly inaccurate.
The Vocational Qualification assessor does need a basic teaching qualification and of course the Level 3 Assessor Qualification in order to assess Level 2. The assessor also needs vocational qualifactions or experience so it is unlikely they would assess the different vocations you list.
Hi roadhog69,
My comment about me assessing a milkman was t-i-c, but you’re correct in what you said.
Who asesses the assesors ?(sorry for the spolling) 
ROG:
NVQ = assessment
DCPC = training
Hmmm… how did the NVQ get DCPC approval 
As already mentioned a few times the NVQ is an assessment - usually over a period of weeks a bit at a time.
The company ‘giving this service away’ get government funding because they are giving adults a qualification so the government can say they help people get qualifications.
Also as already said - no pass or fail but usually training recomendations - more income for them
I have put many drivers through an NVQ. As an employer I gain very little, the driver doesn’t gain much except a piece of paper to say he can do his job - which I already knew.
The funding these people receive is pretty good - rediculous really - and they can then afford to give away a DCPC session for free. This comes out of their own profit and is nothing to do with the NVQ
There is (as far as I know) no governemnt funding for DCPC - I only wish their was as training is usually more beneficial than assessment.
So - if your drivers, or you as a driver want to go through the NVQ then go for it and get DCPC for free.
I have however heard of certain requirements to qualify for the NVQ - something along the lines of english and maths and needing to be at a certain level and maybe even pass a literacy test.
I stuggle to find drivers that want to do this NVQ now
I struggle to get the local NVQ people to actually spend a whole day with the driver - they just want to do a bit here and there which for a tramper is impossible
Anyway - free DCPC is good
Pete
A nice lady from a local (ish) college came to see me today, in relation to our drivers potentially doing an NVQ level 2 in driving goods vehicles (fully funded). And if our drivers do this, they get a day’s driver CPC for free. I realise this is only one day, but still. It’s FREE! 
In relation to the NVQ, I was a bit dubious about our drivers wanting to do this, because I sat the same NVQ a couple of years ago and there was a handwritten folder an inch thick involved.
But the lady from the college said they don’t do it that way anymore, all that is involved in the NVQ is a day out on the road with a person assessing your driving, and they will ask you some questions about your job (how to do this, what to do if that happened, that sort of thing), and they will tape-record your answers. Which saves you from having to write it all down. And by the end of the day, all being well, if you are reasonably competent at your job, you should have done everything you need to do for the NVQ. 
Come on now, that doesn’t sound too hard does it? And you get a free qualification and a free day’s CPC (which you attend at a later date) for giving a person a ride around for the day and a bit of a chat.
If anybody is interested I will tell you which college (Midlands ish based). But if too many people are interested I will only tell the first few people as I want to make sure our lads get signed up first!
Alternatively, it might be worth approaching your local college to see if they have funded courses which are similar.
Sounds like fun. I wonder what grade I’d get if I manage to scare the crap out of the NVQ bloke with my driving 
We’ve put all 300 odd of our drivers through this with Telford College, we all did the NVQ exactly as you described it and got the DCPC for nothing. I think a Government grant or similar is involved somewhere.
Telford eh? That’s not the college we’re looking at. Isn’t it great when they offer you stuff like this for free!
Did the course your dirvers go on all go on tape recording too? It’s a really good idea I thought, I was well impressed. 
manowar:
Sounds like fun. I wonder what grade I’d get if I manage to scare the crap out of the NVQ bloke with my driving 
Sorry, don’t think they grade you. Pass or fail I think. Shame really, my inch thick folder was really quite good I thought.
You might not get the smell out of the cab for weeks though. Or the stains on the seat! 
The examiner shadows you for a day and records you in your daily duties with a small camcorder asking you stuff as you go. You then had to answer some questions to camera and that was that. If anyone failed I’d question their ability to tie their own shoelaces, you could clump a customer then cause a fatal accident and still pass.
baby seal:
The examiner shadows you for a day and records you in your daily duties with a small camcorder asking you stuff as you go. You then had to answer some questions to camera and that was that. If anyone failed I’d question their ability to tie their own shoelaces, you could clump a customer then cause a fatal accident and still pass.

Sounds like we should sign our lads up then. (Though for the record our lads are actually pretty good!) 
There is a work folder to fill out but all the answers are there you just have to look.
Oh, the lady I spoke to didn’t mention that. Maybe your course is a little different. Or maybe she didn’t want to put us off? I won’t mention that to the lads. Get them to sign up first! 
baby seal:
The examiner shadows you for a day and records you in your daily duties with a small camcorder asking you stuff as you go. You then had to answer some questions to camera and that was that. If anyone failed I’d question their ability to tie their own shoelaces, you could clump a customer then cause a fatal accident and still pass.
That sounds like a very benefical course to nobody, sounds like the theorists have been let loose again. they really should take the tablets and stay indoors.
Whats the point in it? Where is the learning part in all this?
The point is you get a qualification to write on your CV, a certificate to pin on the wall, and a day’s free CPC which might otherwise cost you £65 quid or so. You never know, you might learn something too.
But let’s face it, most truckers ‘know it all already’ so they won’t learn anything even if it’s right there in front of them offered on a plate. 
Helen Stevens:
But let’s face it, most truckers ‘know it all already’ so they won’t learn anything even if it’s right there in front of them offered on a plate. 
I was asking for that lol. I’m very much in support of further driver training!
From what i gather from this thread is that someone sits with me all day whilst i go about my duties, is there any studying from books, written work and the like?
I think the fully funded bit is running out, I’m sure it has to be done by the end of September to qualify. Might want to get in quick if you plan on doing it.
Its the same scheme I’m getting my HIAB on for free, the NVQ was the other option.
Saaamon:
Helen Stevens:
But let’s face it, most truckers ‘know it all already’ so they won’t learn anything even if it’s right there in front of them offered on a plate. 
I was asking for that lol. I’m very much in support of further driver training!
From what i gather from this thread is that someone sits with me all day whilst i go about my duties, is there any studying from books, written work and the like?
From what the lady told me, the way they do it, there’s no studying, and no books involved. For the NVQ I don’t think they are really trying to teach you anything. They are assessing if you know how to drive a truck, make a delivery and talk nicely with the customers. Then they are giving you a piece of paper which says you can do it. Most people will pass it with no problem. They ask you some questions, probably things like the speed limits for a truck, how to strap a load, that sort of thing. And they tape record your answers, so you don’t have to write it all down.
Of course when you do the day’s driver CPC they will be trying to teach you something then. And you might learn something, if the course is any good.