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Launch of new online screening system for NVQ candidates

A new online screening system, which can accurately predict the hours of learning required for NVQ candidates before they are ready for their course assessments, has been launched to wide acclaim by Nottingham based learning and development specialists atyourpace Ltd, part of the UNOCO Group.

The screener assesses a candidate’s current knowledge and provides a profile of the gaps in skills and knowledge, from which an individual learning plan can be created. This helps the learner progress through their training at an optimum pace according to their skills and ability, and directs the training where it is needed most. The screener can also be used at any time during the course to measure the effect of training and the distance travelled. It is ideal for use by Train to Gain providers, especially as funding rates are affected by the number of hours of training required for a candidate to complete the course.

The screener, which can be used online or offline, is suitable for any subject, with new ones constantly being added to meet increasing demand. All test results can be printed and stored in a database for future retrieval, and used to provide rigorous evidence for quality assurance and audit. It is a perfect compliment to the atyourpace standardised NVQ portfolios and workbooks which map directly into the screener results.

Launched recently at the BETT Education Show, the screener has already received universal praise from assessors, quality managers, internal and external verifiers, ALI inspectors and auditors. At the show it also created a great deal of interest with visitors from both the UK and overseas including the Royal Navy, the Dutch Education Ministry and the Cayman Islands Ministry of Education.

"The atyourpace NVQ screener is brilliant. We will be able to use it for all our NVQ candidates and have already recommended it to other Train to Gain providers," said Kester Wilkinson of Aspirations Training, a Train to Gain provider.

Caroline Morris, external verifier for Oxford, Cambridge and Royal Society of Arts (OCR) agrees with Kester.

"The screener is very user friendly and approaches the delicate subject of candidates’ knowledge in a non-evasive way”, she said. “The assessments are extremely accurate; it is a substantial addition to existing systems and materials for the delivery of NVQs".

"We expect this new NVQ screener to become one of the most useful tools for LSC funded training providers," said Ted Stanley, chief executive officer of the Unoco Group. "It focuses training time on the skills gaps, reduces completion times, improves achievement rates and ALI grades, and protects against funding claw back."

For more information please contact:

Ruth Gross/Dianne Allen, Gemini PR & Marketing 0115 852 3850
Ted Stanley, UNOCO Group, 0871 433 3363

Click here to visit the atyourpace Ltd. website for further information about Online Paperless Portfolios.