You’ve already landed a job but feel like expanding your qualification and honing your expertise? Obtaining your NVQ levels may be the solution you’re looking for. It’s a great way to enrich your knowledge and skills and start climbing the career ladder. The significant advantage of enrolling in NVQ courses is that you can get valuable practical skills outside the traditional educational environment. By possessing vocational qualifications, you automatically become more appealing to employers and improve your job prospects. In our article, we’ve collected the most important information you may need if you’re interested in getting an NVQ qualification.
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National Vocational Qualifications are practical work-based awards given after completing a broad range of work-related tasks and activities to help you learn to do your job more effectively and efficiently. There are 7 levels of NVQs that are equivalent to traditional educational certifications. Usually, Level 1 and Level 2 NVQ courses take one year to complete, whereas an NVQ Level 3 course lasts two years. Higher levels may take longer; however, this is individual.
NVQs are based on competencies assessed by professionals in their respective fields. The program consists of units, each of which includes practical work. Over time, participants also develop a portfolio with their NVQ assessor.
NVQs are vocational qualifications, however, they may well be equated to such traditional certifications:
Besides the main benefit an NVQ course gives, which is learning and gaining on-the-job experience simultaneously, there are some other perks. For instance, you don’t need academic qualifications to start your National Vocational Qualification. Also, you don’t have to quit work, so you continue earning while learning. Finally, there is no examination at the end of a course, but it proves your practical ability to future employers. Let’s dig deeper and find out what else you can get if you complete an NVQ.
Skills and knowledge are in constant flux. Basic knowledge might be enough to land a job, but to build a career path, you must regularly improve it. If you had no opportunity to obtain higher education qualifications, NVQs might be a decent substitution for those. If you’ve already been working in the field for some time, you don’t need to start training from the entry-level NVQ, as it usually contains knowledge of fundamental principles and basic skills. But if you’re aiming at entering senior management, for instance, you may pick Business and Management among other NVq subjects and start paving the way for a bright career future.
You may be fine with covering routine tasks until you start professional development. An NVQ course may help you figure out what can be improved to achieve better performance. Another problem may be that you possess theoretical knowledge of your subject area but lack experience in practical application. NVQ levels are precisely a perfect combination of learning and practical application of what you’ve learnt.
This is directly connected with the first one, the better your work-based qualification, the higher your earning potential is. Even if your current employer isn’t ready to give you a promotion and a pay rise after you complete training, there are good chances of finding a new workplace with more attractive remuneration.
As we’ve mentioned before, an NVQ consists of 7 levels, each of which is based on national occupational standards. Let’s have a closer look at them.
Level 1 includes an introduction to the area and handling routine tasks by applying basic knowledge into practice.
Level 2 teaches how to deal with more challenging job-related tasks and gives more profound knowledge about the subject. Both teamwork and individual responsibility are required to succeed.
Level 3 still provides guidance; however, the level of independence and task complexity is growing.
Levels 4,5,6,7 imply an in-depth understanding of the field and, therefore, include senior management and staff training. Level 6 is equivalent to an undergraduate degree, while Level 7 is similar to a master’s degree.
Usually, employees can seek assistance at the training centre of their workplace. The process comprises the following steps:
Your workplace normally pays for the course as it’s part of the staff development initiative. If you’ve paid yourself, check out the National Careers Service website to find out if you’re eligible for a refund.
There is a vast array of options to choose from. However, the most sought-after ones are:
NVQs give you professional and academic qualifications equally so obtaining the levels will immensely contribute to your professional development and increase your value in the job market. You are under an assessor’s guidance from beginning to end during the program. They will identify which skills you already possess and which you need to enhance and guide you through demonstrating your work. There are no grades while learning, but the verdict after each unit looks like “competent” or “not yet competent”.
Obtaining an NVQ level is definitely a good idea, it still requires some preparation before enrolling:
So, an NVQ stands for National Vocational Qualification and is equivalent to standard educational certifications. Anybody, including full-time employees, students, part-time employees, or employees doing a work placement, is eligible to enrol in NVQs. The best part about it is that you can learn and earn simultaneously, honing your skills and improving your chances of a higher-ranking position. To learn more about the program and funding, visit the National Careers Service website. To check the variety of courses, go to NVQ courses on reed.co.uk. Start changing your career future right now!
