NVQ COURSES (National Vocational Qualifications)

NVQs available:

BUSINESS START-UP Level 3
EXPLORING ENTERPRISE Level 2
ILM – Introduction to Supervisory Management  - Level 2

TRAINING DETAILS

This Centre is registered with OCR (Oxford and Cambridge Royal Society of Arts) for all the NVQ programmes run by Business Initiative and the Institute of Leadership and Management for the Supervisory courses, run with the Chamber of Commerce.

Your tutor will act as your assessor for the NVQ programme and will help ensure the evidence you collect during the programme is sufficient to meet the standards. Any gaps will be explained and further evidence may be asked for.

The Agency also has someone else to look at your portfolio (file) that we call an Internal Verifier. They also act as a further check on your portfolio and on your Assessor to ensure the standards are maintained within the Centre.

The following staff act as either Assessors or Internal Verifiers for your work:

Theresa Jones
Irene Elliott
Jill Levens

The same member of staff cannot be both Assessor and Verifier for your portfolio).

Role of the Centre Co-ordinator
The Centre Co-ordinator has responsibility for guaranteeing the quality of delivery of the award(s) throughout the organisation and standardisation. The Centre Co-ordinator may also act as the Internal Verifier.

Role of the External Verifier
The External Verifier is appointed and trained by OCR and will make visits to centres to ensure that the national standards are being applied. The Verifier may wish to discuss your progress with you.

THE PROCESS OF ASSESSMENT

The responsibility for the assessment of your achievement is shared between you and your assessor. Your assessment should be a continuous process which needs to be carefully planned and prepared.

To be accredited for the units of competence you need to be assessed on each separate
Unit / Element of Competence you claim to have achieved. Your claim of competence should be supported by sufficient, valid and reliable evidence. This needs to demonstrate that you can now and in the future and without assistance meet all of the requirements of all of the criteria, ie:

• the Performance Criteria
• the Knowledge and Understanding
• the Range Statement

ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES

The evidence of your competence will be derived from your actual performance as a 'Business Planner'. Your assessment should, wherever possible, be carried out in your normal working environment over a period of time.

Your Assessor will use a variety of assessment procedures to ensure a high level of reliability in their judgements. Suitable procedures include:

Observing your performance, as a natural part of your work over time, those activities required for achievement of the performance criteria.

Checking your evidence, ie:
End products (eg your business plan, memos, letters, reports, computer printouts, case notes).
Endorsed photographs.
Video / Audio recordings.

CONTENT OF AWARD for NVQ 3 Business Start-up

The Business Planning programme is divided into a total of 5 Core Units, each Unit is split into a number of smaller parts known as elements, together with underpinning knowledge and understanding. In order to be successful in achieving the Business Planning NVQ each candidate must undertake the 3 core and 3 optional units, listed below:

CORE UNITS

Unit 1

Check how successful your business idea will be

Unit 2

Check your ability to run the business

Unit 3

Check what law and other regulations will affect your business

Unit 4

Work out what money you need to start the business and keep it running

Unit  11

Develop the plan for your business.