Management N/SVQ Strategy Management and Leadership

July 2005 Management Standards Centre (MSC)

1. Purpose of this Document

1.1 The Management Standards Centre (MSC) is the Government recognised standards setting body for management and leadership. This document sets out the overarching assessment strategy for National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) in management and leadership based on the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for management and leadership.

1.2 The primary audience for the document is awarding bodies wishing to offer NVQs and SVQs in management and leadership. Prospective or approved centres, for example, do not need to see this document – they need to see and work with the overall documentation, procedures, systems etc. proposed by their chosen awarding body for operation of the respective NVQ(s)/SVQ(s) in management and leadership. The requirements of the overarching assessment strategy should be embedded in said awarding body documentation, procedures, systems etc.

1.3 The assessment strategy will be available to view on and download from the MSC website (www.management-standards.org).

2. Achieving External Quality Control of Assessment

2.1 The following measures are proposed in terms of achieving external quality control of assessment:

Application of risk management. In recent years, the regulatory authorities and awarding bodies have worked in partnership to develop more sophisticated approaches to identifying and responding to the level of ‘risk’ posed by individual approved centres. The MSC will expect awarding bodies to apply such risk management systems to the awarding of NVQs and SVQs in management and leadership and deploy resources accordingly to tackle identified risks.

The existing Management Awarding Bodies Forum (MABF) will take on a more active role in relation to the ongoing assessment and quality assurance of NVQs and SVQs in management and leadership. Each awarding body will be expected to make every effort to attend the meetings of the MABF, which will be held quarterly, and report on assessment and quality assurance issues identified by approved centres and external verifiers. This will enable the MABF, for example, to identify commonly occurring assessment and quality assurance issues concerning the NVQs and SVQs in management and leadership and agree common solutions.

It is accepted that an awarding body, for various reasons, may not be able to send a representative to a particular MABF meeting. Where an awarding body, however, fails to attend two MABF meetings in succession, the MSC may advise the awarding body chief executive and the regulatory authorities accordingly. Prior to doing so, the MSC would take account of any ongoing dialogue with the respective awarding body on assessment and quality assurance issues.

The regulatory authorities require awarding bodies to ensure that external verifiers participate in standardisation activities/exercises. The MSC would welcome notification from awarding bodies as to when these activities/exercises are due to take place thus enabling MSC officers to attend and observe or, where requested by awarding bodies, contribute to the activities/exercises.

The MSC would welcome notification from awarding bodies as to when events, such as workshops or conferences, are being run for staff from prospective and existing approved centres. This will provide an opportunity for MSC officers to attend and observe or, where requested by awarding bodies, participate in events accordingly.

The MSC website will be expanded to include designated pages and information for staff from approved centres and awarding bodies, including external verifiers. The information will include, for example:

definitions of items within the NOS for management and leadership which have been found, from practice, to require clarification;
answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) in relation to assessment and quality assurance of NVQs and SVQs in management and leadership;
information, including solutions agreed at the MABF, to commonly occurring assessment and quality assurance issues as identified by approved centres and external verifiers;
examples of good practice in the assessment and quality assurance of NVQs and SVQs in management and leadership.

Assessment of NVQs and SVQs in management and leadership will be based on a number of key principles, as follows:

There must be valid evidence from those who report to the candidate and from those to whom the candidate reports (except in cases where the candidate does not report to anyone – for example, they own the organisation);

There must be some assessor observation of the candidate’s performance - this is high quality evidence. It is not acceptable for a candidate to be awarded a NVQ or SVQ based on the NOS for management and leadership, which attests to competent performance in the workplace, if the assessor has never actually observed them undertaking management and leadership functions/activities. The evidence requirements for the units, as developed by the awarding bodies in partnership with the MSC, will identify any instances where observation will be required;

Prior to achievement of the full NVQ or SVQ, there must be an interview between the assessor and the candidate which provides an opportunity to discuss performance and evidence across the suite of completed or soon-to-be completed units. This need not be a face-to-face interview i.e. it could be done over the phone or electronically. Key points from the interview will need to be recorded by the assessor for verification purposes.

The overall package of evidence which a candidate puts forward for the full NVQ or SVQ must satisfy the above principles.

3. Assessment through Performance in the Workplace

3.1 The NVQs and SVQs in management are intended to be assessed using evidence from the workplace i.e. observable performance, physical products of work (such as reports, plans, correspondence etc), witness testimony etc. Such evidence, together with information gained from discussion with and questioning by the assessor, should enable candidates to show that they:

Have achieved all the stated outcomes of effective performance;
Have demonstrated all the behaviours which underpin effective performance;
Possess and are capable of applying all the required items of knowledge and understanding.

4. Assessment by Simulation

4.1 Simulation is not allowed. However where access to assessment is
jeopardised by this, guidance should be sought from the awarding body
who will decide the issue in conjunction with the MSC and the management awarding body forum.

5. Occupational Expertise Requirements for Assessors and Verifiers

5.1Occupational Expertise Requirements for Assessors

5.1.1 In order to be appointed and retained as an assessor for the NVQs/SVQs in management and leadership, individuals must demonstrate that they:

have credible expertise in management and leadership relevant to the level(s) of the NVQs/SVQs they are seeking to assess;

keep themselves up-to-date with developments in management and leadership practice;

have a thorough understanding of the NOS for management and leadership at the level(s) of the NVQs/SVQs they are seeking to assess.

5.1.2 The following questions may be useful to approved centres in appointing and retaining individuals as assessors:

a)What management and leadership posts has the individual held, particularly during the past five years?
b)Have the posts been at or above the ‘level’ of the NVQs/SVQs the individual is seeking to assess?
c)What relevant formal qualifications does the individual possess and how recently were they achieved?
d)How do the individual’s qualifications relate to the ‘level’ of the NVQs/SVQs they are seeking to assess?
e)How has the individual kept themselves up-to-date with developments in management and leadership practice?
f)Is the individual familiar with the NOS for management and leadership at the ‘level’ of the NVQs/SVQs they are seeking to assess?

5.2 Occupational Expertise Requirements for Internal Verifiers

5.2.1 In order to be appointed and retained as an internal verifier for the NVQs/SVQs in management and leadership, individuals must demonstrate that they:

have credible expertise in management and leadership relevant to the level(s) of the NVQs/SVQs they are seeking to internally verify;

keep themselves up-to-date with developments in management and leadership practice;

have a thorough understanding of the NOS for management and leadership at the level(s) of the NVQs/SVQs they are seeking to internally verify.

5.2.2 The following questions may be useful to approved centres in appointing and retaining individuals as internal verifiers:

a)What management and leadership posts has the individual held, particularly during the past five years?
b)Have the posts been at or above the ‘level’ of the NVQs/SVQs the individual is seeking to internally verify?
c)What relevant formal qualifications does the individual possess and how recently were they achieved?
d)How do the individual’s qualifications relate to the ‘level’ of the NVQs/SVQs they are seeking to internally verify?
e)How has the individual kept themselves up-to-date with developments in management and leadership practice?
f)Is the individual familiar with the NOS for management and leadership at the ‘level’ of the NVQs/SVQs they are seeking to internally verify?

5.3 Occupational Expertise Requirements for External Verifiers

5.3.1 In order to be appointed and retained as an external verifier for the NVQs/SVQs in management and leadership, individuals must demonstrate that they:

have credible expertise in management and leadership relevant to the level(s) of the NVQs/SVQs they are seeking to externally verify;

keep themselves up-to-date with developments in management and leadership practice;

have a thorough understanding of the NOS for management and leadership at the level(s) of the NVQs/SVQs they are seeking to externally verify.

5.3.2 The following questions may be useful to awarding bodies in appointing and retaining individuals as external verifiers:

a)What management and leadership posts has the individual held, particularly during the past five years?
b)Have the posts been at or above the ‘level’ of the NVQs/SVQs the individual is seeking to externally verify?
c)What relevant formal qualifications does the individual possess and how recently were they achieved?
d)How do the individual’s qualifications relate to the ‘level’ of the NVQs/SVQs they are seeking to externally verify?
e)How has the individual kept themselves up-to-date with developments in management and leadership practice?
f)Is the individual familiar with the NOS for management and leadership at the ‘level’ of the NVQs/SVQs they are seeking to externally verify?

5.4 Requirements for Competence in Undertaking Assessment and Verification of NVQs and SVQs

5.4.1 In addition to the occupational expertise requirements noted in sections 5.1 – 5.3 above, individuals will also need to meet the requirements for competence in undertaking assessment and verification of NVQs and SVQs as laid down by the regulatory authorities.