Below are testimonials from previous and current SVQ candidates relating to different aspects of the process:

Initial Concerns:

“My only concern I suppose was fitting it in with my home life but my assessor  made it very clear that this will take x  amount of time. I knew what was expected of me.” (Christopher, 34)

“My assessor was good at identifying the work I needed to complete and highlighting any areas I needed to focus on,  which I found particularly helpful given time constrains in my home life. The support meetings were regular and my assessor was able to keep me motivated.” (Ann, 46)

Results:

“It improves your confidence in your work because you know your own practice and you know how to deal with a human being rather than just a situation in a workbook.” (Samantha, 31)

“I feel like I’ve learned a lot, it’s reminded me of a lot of things that I’d maybe forgotten about in my practice and it’s made me improve on areas.” (Lauren, 34)

“My assessor, having been in my profession herself, knows a lot about the job that I do and can reflect on in my award.” (Lauren, 33)

“It does make you reflect on your work practice and then you basically implement that back into your workplace, you reflect everyday in this kind of job.” (Samantha, 31)

“When you were doing your practice and then writing it up and receiving feedback it definitely makes it clear and makes you think about what you could improve on.” (William, 19)

Induction:

“You were given a lot of opportunity to go through the units, to see how they were laid out and how they would work. There was the opportunity to write a piece and then to have it critiqued at the end.” (Christopher, 34)

“They explained it really well. They gave you information which told you what their expectations were of you, what your expectations should be of them, what they were going to deliver and what your input had to be.” (Matthew, 26)

Support Meetings:

“I’ve come a long way I can feel it myself – going from being very worried and anxious. It was maybe the first week of doing the support meetings and getting into the work – I felt ‘What was I worried about?’” (Lauren, 34)

“They’re really supportive and they give you a descriptive set of outcomes, like for each meeting. You know exactly what you need to do.” (Matthew, 26)

“SVQ feels like you’re well supported and you’ve got somebody who’s always rooting for you and encouraging you to keep going.” (Lauren, 33)

“For me, having an SVQ assessor to help you and guide you in the right direction was a big help to me. When I was working with my Assessor he would tell me when I’d written too much, when I needed to be more to the point.” (William, 19)

Observations:

“The observations went really smoothly but I think that’s because of the good working relationship, and being comfortable with your assessor.” (Samantha, 31)

Candidate Testimonials:

Tracey Boyle, Senior Home Help

Paula Crooks, Night Shift Supervisor

 

Ann McAdam, Carronbank House

“In this field of work, many of the employees have not had the opportunity to gain formal qualifications but have instead worked their way though the different stages of care work.  By working through a vocational award; being able to explain in a structured way your knowledge and experience give carers and managers the opportunity to become qualified to a level which is recognised professionally.  In turn, this is helping to create a professional workforce which creates an environment where Service Users are absolutely at the centre of what we try to achieve.”

Sarah Haxton, Burnbrae 

“I suppose having completed my SVQs and being in this position helps the home run and function a lot better as I’m realistic. I’m out there a lot, overseeing the practice – advising, encouraging and guiding, partly because I’ve had that throughout my career. My SVQs influence my practice, I use the knowledge and lead by example. It amazes you how much knowledge you have from working on the floor and within this service, how it relates to the theory side and the work you’re doing. It makes sense and goes hand in hand. In my experience it makes you and your staff think, throughout all parts of the job, because things that you learned in the SVQ come into it.”

In the last two Qualification Verification Reports produced by the SQA, high confidence was identified in the maintenance of SQA standards regarding the centre’s resources, candidate support and internal assessment and verification.

Examples of good practice include…

‘Standardisation was identified in last year’s report and continues to be an area of strength.’ (May 2019)
‘Assessor and Internal Verifier monitoring takes place on a regular basis with robust feedback recorded.’ (March 2019)
‘Team working was excellent and clearly benefits the candidates.’ (April 2018)