NVQ Assessor & End-Point Assessor

By Katherine Little

Published 2nd Jan, 2023 | Blog

There are a few different types of Assessors.

NVQ/SVQ Assessors
On-Programme (OP) Assessors,
End-Point Assessors

There is always confusion between them and people aren’t too sure of the difference. Now, EPA didn’t exist a few years ago, so it is a new process which people often get confused with. So we’re going to go through each one and clarify what they mean.

NVQ and On-Programme

The roles and responsibilities of both NVQ and OP Assessors are fairly the same. When an apprentice completes a vocational qualification, the on-programme Assessor can double as the NVQ Assessor and it’s the same for the NVQ Assessors. So what do they do?

Well, the on-programme assessor supports the apprentice through the on-programme part of the apprenticeship. Where they carry out assessments, as well as training to gather evidence from the apprentice. They are also responsible for making sure that the apprentices meet the standards, and that they are ready for the EPA.

Whereas the NVQ Assessor also carries out training and assessments to help evidence the learning outcomes from the learner’s NVQ qualification, however, they are there to help guide the learner through every part of the apprenticeship.

End-Point Assessors

The roles and responsibilities are completely different to both the NVQ and On-Programme Assessors. An EPA carries out a one-off assessment at the end of the apprenticeship. They should be completely independent to both the apprentice and the learning institution and are referred to as Independent End-Point Assessors or IEPAs, don’t worry we’re going to cover them in another blog post.

The IEPA grades the apprentice based on their performance during their EPA. Which this grade determines the grade the apprentice will receive on their apprenticeship at the end.

It’s vital that the on-programme assessors know about EPA. They won’t be taking the apprentices through the EPA, but having the knowledge of it will help them answer any questions they might have about the EPA in general. They could also help them prepare. They could carry mock assessments to help the learner.

We have also just recently written about choosing the right assessor qualification to help you figure out which pathway you should go down.

If you have any questions please give us an email at hello@nvqassessor.org.uk and we will be happy to answer any and all questions.

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We’ve spoken about choosing the right assessor course for you. But we haven’t gone into detail about some of the specific courses. If you’ve read our previous blog and decided that the Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence in A Work Environment (ACWE) is for you, then read on to find out a bit more information! If you’re just wondering what it even is, then don’t worry we’re going to go through it with you. So what is ACWE?

ACWE is all about assessing learners in their work environment. This is really helpful for practical skills like construction, as you can assess them on the site. It’s also great for health and social care workers as again they can assess learners doing a practical task. This course is for people who only plan on assessing learners on the job. The course is comprised of two main units.

Understanding Principles and Practices of Assessment,
Assess Occupational Competence in the Work Environment.

Unit 1

The first unit is all theory-based and will give you the knowledge that you need in order to understand all the responsibilities of an Assessor. This is unfortunately one of the biggest units because it covers a lot of detail.

Unit 2

The second unit requires you to carry out 2 assessments on 2 separate learners. If you use a training provider like Brooks and Kirk they have a guarantee of access to learners so you don’t have to find them yourself, and it cuts out the middle man. Within this unit, you get to start planning and carrying out real-life assessments. You will be guided through different techniques you can use to assess your learners.

Once you have completed the Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence in a Work Environment, you will be able to carry out assessments of candidates in their own workplace. However, if you want to assess learners in just their learning environment then you would need a completely different course, which we will get to in another blog! In addition, if you want to assess in both areas, then you again will need a different course. If you have any questions please give us an email at hello@nvqassessor.org.uk and we will be happy to answer any and all questions.

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