National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ)
The Modular and Portable Building Specialist Accreditation and Training Centre was conceived to deliver specific NVQs to the sector it represents. To provide recognition to your workforce and to obtain CSCS cards, we will have the best information and services available.
NVQs are vocational qualifications, which are work related and reflect the skills, knowledge, understanding, and competence in respect to specific work areas/occupations. Vocational qualifications originated from the belief that if you can assess an individual and award them a recognised qualification for their efforts, this will help to improve their ethos and attitudes towards safety and working practices on site.
NVQs are derived from National Occupational Standards [NOS]. NOS are statements of the skill, knowledge, and understanding needed in employment that clearly defines the outcome of competent performance in a given trade, occupation, or profession.
How do you go about getting an NVQ?
Earning NVQ levels is really about knowing how to do a job well and safely; as little as two years of on the job experience is often enough to qualify you. Simply select the NVQ that you want to start and complete your application, one of our assessors will contact you on the receipt of the application form to discuss your knowledge and experience.
How we assess learners
All of our learners follow an onsite assessment route, when an assessor will come out with the learner and observe their day to day activities to assess via observation and discussion. Part of the assessors role is to complete a portfolio of evidence on your behalf.
How long will it take and what is your commitment?
It normally takes between two and four months to gather the evidence to complete an NVQ portfolio, which will involve between two and six observational visits as required. In most cases, the timescale is dictated around the availability of the specific work to be assessed.
The benefits to employees completing an NVQ include:
- Achievement of a nationally recognised qualification
- Allow competency in a job role to be demonstrated and recognised
- Can encompass underpinning knowledge and skills alongside competency; combining job knowledge with what can be done in practical situations
- Allow a relatively flexible way of learning which can be tailored to suit the individual
- Recognised by industry and employers as a competence-based qualification
The benefits of NVQs to employers include:
- They provide a useful tool to re-skill staff to relevant national standards
- They demonstrate a commitment to employee development
- They boost the confidence of employees with few or no formal qualifications
- They can help employees understand the business better often resulting in greater productivity and competitiveness
- The employer can help choose the pace, place and way in which employees learn/achieve
- NVQs are mainly assessed in the workplace and therefore employees do not require time off-site for learning/training
- They help businesses demonstrate workforce competence to potential clients