Nvq

[LadyLimerik]

I recently saw an article saying that you could get an NVQ in horse care at a stable not too close by. I was wondering if anyone could tell me about Horsey NVQs ie are they useful, how much they cost, what you do for them, etc. I don't really know much about NVQs in general. Any advice appreciated.

[Yann]

NVQ's (National Vocational Qualifications) are work based qualifications which are available in most lines of work to demonstrate levels of experience and competence. As far as horsey ones go, they are aimed at people working on yards, and as I understand it have some equivalence with the BHS 1, 2, and 3 stages.

I'm doing a level one at the moment, purely as a means of learning more about looking after horses and general stable management. Level one is fairly basic and aimed at establishing competence to assist in the care of horses on a yard, level two is a bit more detailed and there are more specialist modules. The fees where I'm doing it are about £110 for the course.

Best thing I've done in ages - instead of just being someone who turned up for an hour a week, then disappeared again, I now know everyone on the yard, spend many happy hours helping out round the horses, and have been able to take on my first share happy that I've some idea of how to look after him when it's my turn:)

[Spooky]

I left school at 16 so I could do an NVQ in Horse care.
At first I thought it would be a really good experience, learning how to ride and look after horses and getting paid for it at the same time.
In the end I had to leave after only 4 months because I didnt feel I was learning enough, we only had 1 lesson every other saturday and was expected to know how to muck out a horse properly without being shown how, then getting moaned at for not doing it properly :(
I felt like I was Cheap Labour (the yard owner got paid a certain amount of money for taking on a couple of working pupils , whilst a Training centre was paying me)
Maybe I was just too young for it at the time, but it wasnt all it was cracked up to be.
Sorry to sound negative, and I hope that if you do decide to go for it, you enjoy it :)

[H & Bailey]

When I left school they had just introduced the nvq qualifications for horses and we originally started our training in bhs stages but were swapped onto NVQs If i remember correctly there are 13 stable management and horse care units and 1 equitation unit if you pass all these it is an equivalent to bhs stage 2.
I was on a training scheme (cheap labour) and did the course through equi study which do home learning courses.It consisted of on the job experience and assessors to examine you and mark of your abilitys.Courses where you had to go away to a residential place where you sat through talks and seminars and visits to different sides to the industry ie studs farms driving yards.and then you did your exams at an appointed bhs school.Their address can be found in the back of horsey magazines.If you are intersted why not pop along to the riding school to find out more.if you wanna pm me you can

[Mehitabel]

i did my nvqs a few years ago, and since then i've been head girl of a yard, and trained several students through their exams, some of them up to AI. you can do them off your own back, or go o a scheme where you work at a yard and get your training and exams free. the scheme my students are on, they go to college every other monday, and work the rest of the time. i preefer the nvqs to stages, because it isn't an exam at the end, it's continual assessment over the course of time. you have a file full of assessments that your yard manager signs off as and when you are ready, all with associated projects. eg assessment - "apply and remove horse clothing" is putting on and removing rugs and bandages, and the project is about the various types of rugs and bandages, and when you use them etc. the standard is equivalent to the stages, but you have to be efficient and practical as well, not just know the theory. (not that i'm saying everyone who's done stages is inefficient, but i've had students who'd done stage 2 and found it very hard to get on with things). when you've done all your assessments, you go to see the external verifier, who looks through your file, reads your projcts and picks a random thing for you to do for him. level 2 is regarded as eqialent to a gcse, and level 3 to an a-level.

[LadyLimerik]

Thanks for all your advice. I am currently doing an NVQ at work and it is terribly boring because it is all office related. But this one sounds like it could be very useful. I don't work at a yard currently but maybe having the NVQ qualifications would help. The one I saw advertised is a once a week thing. Provided I can get there and it isnt too expensive I think i'll have a go. thanks again.

[Dice]

Most of the people working at my riding school are doing an NVQ course - although the majority only turn up fo one day a week when they close the school and do their 'stuff'. As mentioned, the ones who work there do 5 days a week, get paid - even if it's a nominal amount, so it is a lot like work experince.

[belle]

I am doing an nvq level 2 after completing level 1 last June. I am working at a yard and have to go to college once a week. I really enjoy the course, although I much prefer the yard work to the college stuff.

[nirikina]

To those of you doing NVQs at the moment, can I ask how much you get paid?

I did an NVQ level 1 a few years ago. I worked 4 days a week and went to college 1 day a week (boring). I was paid £50 per week plus £4 per week towards travel expenses.

I was lucky in being able to complete the course in 8 months because I sure couldn't live on £50 a week for any longer than that.

[belle]

I am paid £40 per week plus all travel expenses.

[Yann]

Crikey! Is that legal? I thought everyone was entitled to the minimum wage these days? What hours do you have to work to get that wage?

Working round horses for a living certainly seems to be for love rather than money, even qualified instructors only seem to get a pittance.

[Mehitabel]

the minimum wage thing doesn't apply to students on the nvq scheme because you're getting your training in work time and all your exams free. the scheme i was on, we got exams, steel toe cap boots, body protectors, travel to college, riding and road safety and first aid courses free.
having said that, my boss was very good and gave us extra money depending on how we worked - we got bonuses over the summer holidays and things like that. officially, i worked 40 hours a week, unofficially, 8 - 6 in the week in summer and 7 - 5 on saturday. not to mention 4am starts every weekend through the show season. i got an awful lot of experience in return though.
now i'm all qualified and experienced, and couldn't live on the wage i was getting, which was comparable with people in the same position at other yards, and have had to leave to find a job i can live on.