Day in the Life of an Assessor

Today we are catching up with Lesley who left her teaching role within the public sector in order to become a workplace and vocational assessor.

Assessing is an increasingly growing field which can help guide learners through a specific learning process, help improve job prospects and can even define careers.

Anyone who is interested in becoming a level 3 qualified assessor should read on to see what Lesley does on a typical working day.

08:00 - Preparation and Travel

So it’s 8 AM and I’m about to get the train towards Manchester where I will be visiting a network rail site. The aim is to meet Brian who is a senior rail technician and responsible for over 20 members of staff.

The train journey itself is roughly two hours which enables me to get on with some paperwork. I have my own tracking documents that will be pivotal in Brian's observation, alongside all the paperwork he will need to complete the final stages of his qualification.

11:00 - Meet and Brief

Luckily the site is quite close to the train station and I am soon checking in with reception. Health and safety is a priority and despite not being directly near live rails I go through an induction and given protective and high vis clothing.

Brian calmly waits for me to complete this and then we have a chat about his course so far, He explains the first two classroom days went well and he was pleased all the written work was completed in that time. I ask him if he needs any help and look through his portfolio of evidence.

11:30 Workplace assessment

So the main point of today is that I am on hand to observe Brian carry out two assessments on two different learners. The two learners are Gary and Luke who are working on an internal program designed to give them the skills required to maintain electrical equipment on the rail network.

The assessments take place in a training area of a large workspace. Brian briefs the whole group well and explains that he is hoping to see the classroom skills shine through in a mock workplace environment. It is encouraging to see Brian using his assessing tracking documents to good effect, whilst at the same time maintaining good concentration in the given tasks.

Later on I then see Brain give verbal feedback to both learners, which includes constructive feedback on how they can improve.

13:00 - Session concludes and time to go

The session concludes with myself and Brian sitting down with his portfolio of evidence. Most parts are now complete and we can add todays documents into the folder. Brian knows exactly what he needs to do to finish the course.

Overall Brian is developing his assessing skills which will play a crucial role in helping learners like Gary and Luke progress in their careers. Just over a week later his work was finished, marked and he was awarded the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement.

I’m now going to a well known high street salon to meet Jessica who is studying towards an NVQ in hairdressing. I like my job meeting new people and helping them to develop skills that can make a difference to other people's lives.