NVQ's

[XxTraceyxX]

Hey Guys!

As some of you may know i left college at christmas, do you problems with some of my tutors, i have now been offered a place on a course to do NVQ Levels 1 and 2, I have a First diploma horse care all ready.

I was just wondering if any of you have any views on NVQ's should i go ahead and do them? Would it affect the fact i have a First diploma in Horse care? Also would it look good to future employer's??

thanks

XxTJxX

[eml]

NVQ1 is a bit of a waste of time especially since you already have basic knowledge. If you decide to do NVQ2 make sure you do it with the 'Riding and Schooling' option as then it gives you exemptions from BHS exams, or the 'Breeding' option if you are interested in furthering a career in stud work.

As an employer however I have to say that I am more impressed by BHS Stages as a standard.

[Forever Fern]

i nearly did NVQs but i chose the BHS route instead
xXx

[Mehitabel]

i like them as exams, more than stages.
a lot of the assessment is ongoing, so you do need an assessor who knows their onions and is not going to pass you without you being up to standard. i did mine years ago, and did the training to become an assessor, but then didn't do the final bit as it clashed with university and haven't gotten round to doing it since.

what i have found is that some assessors will pass their students when really they ought not to, to get the paperwork (masses of it) ready for the exam, and then the student doesn't work to get themselves up to scratch for the exam.

but done and marked properly, i like them very much as exams - you have to be efficient and actually able to do the job in a working context, which the stages can miss out.

[eml]

I actually agree Mehitabel and used to be an assessor, but these days the criteria appears to be find a way to modify the requirement so that everyone passes within their funding period, hence the new options of exercising, competition groom etc. In theory great until you actually discover what is needed to pass when funding is running out.

I had a student with minor learning/writing difficulties who took two years to complete and we had to keep making special cases to the college to allow her to continue . I wanted to teach her ride and lead, roadsafety etc to meet the requirements of the exercising option as it was clear she would not meet the schooling sylabus in the time the college were allowing. They actually suggested she did competiton groom although her only experience was of the odd day we took her to shows with us as a treat, certainly did not groom on those days. In the end she was taken off to the college training yard (apparently couldn't ride in our training field as it was 'wet' ) and came back after two half day visits saying she had now completed everything. I still would not let her ride one of mine in field let alone ride and lead or go out in traffic

Hence my cynacism

[kirstie]

This is what i'm planning to do as well NVQ 2, never something i planned at all, but i've got to do it, i'm more intersted in BHS stages then NVQ's, but by recieving money i'll just use that to pay for stages, tis very interesting hearing peoples opinions on the NVQ side of things though.