Assessing learners on beauty courses involves being incredibly organised, but in turn it can be extremely rewarding, explains VTCT quality lead Sonia Robinson

1. Gain as much experience as possible

“After years of working in salons, some specialising in make-up, I wanted to pass on my depth of experience to others. I started applying to FE [further education] colleges and secured an allocation to shadow an assessor, unpaid, for three months. From there, I gained a part-time role and started my training. “Some assessors work full-time in one college, others move around. Often the teacher will also be an assessor but these can be separate roles. When I first started, I was placed in four colleges. That meant a lot of travelling, but I was prepared to do that to showcase my skills and the following year I got more work as a result. “After working for several years as an assessor, I did my internal quality assessor (IQA) training, then I became an external quality assessor (EQA), and eventually in 2018 I became quality lead at VTCT, where I lead a team of roughly 60 EQAs.”

2.You have to be process driven

“Going back into education after years in the industry means taking everything back to basics, and I did find that challenging at first. As an assessor, you’ve always got to work to the National Occupational Standards (NOS). The awarding bodies set the standards and we, as assessors, ensure that learners are meeting them by either completing a competent assessment, or deciding they will be referred and action planned. If they don’t pass, you need to give clear feedback on the areas they need to develop before taking that assessment again. Always be positive and end on a high though.”

3. Being organised is key

“Plan the assessment, prepare, conduct the process and then provide feedback and an action plan: it’s this continuous cycle that you will work with. It can be hard work and very hectic.

“A lot of CPD is required; you have to keep up to date with industry skills so that you’re giving learners the best experience possible. It’s a lot of paperwork, too. You’ve got to make sure your tracking evidence is there – what you record against those standards – because these are things that you in turn will be assessed on. “Standardisation is also important. Sharing good practice with other assessors in your area, and standardising practices locally is a key part of the role.”

4. Be patient with learners

“You’re essentially a coach as well as an assessor, talking to learners and finding out the problem if something didn’t go to plan. What we cannot do is say, ‘You will take that assessment’, because it is always a two-way discussion. You have to make sure that the learner is ready, and you have to feel that they are ready too. “Often, motivation will take a dip throughout the year, especially around Easter. You’ve got to let them know that the end is near, that it is achievable. A lot of encouragement, action planning and one-to-one tutorials are needed.”

5. Strive to make a change

“I enjoy making a difference to learners who never thought it was possible to achieve a qualification. Many go on to become successful business owners, or even run their own training schools. “Years ago, we held a Level 1 course and we expected mostly teenagers to attend, but a group of mature ladies joined. It was so rewarding to see them stick at something and achieve. Giving people that opportunity to perhaps leave a job that makes them unhappy and make a change feels great.”