Latest news
Continuing success of NVQ programme in Project Controls
Congratulations to members of the Project Controls community who have successfully completed their National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Certificates in Project Controls.
The current batch of candidates at Sellafield and Risley sites embarked on their NVQ level 3 and 4 studies during 2009, with students taking an average of 18 months to complete their course.
Students were encouraged to be proactive in gathering a portfolio of evidence reflecting their work experience and completed a knowledge questionnaire and unit summary for each skill unit (12 separate units for level 3 and 20 for level 4), prior to their portfolio of work, undergoing progressive assessments and internal verification.
The candidates who have recently completed their NVQ are Garth Harley, Helen Gilmartin, Lorraine Fidler, Wayne Stalker, Jackie Blair and Sharon Litherland.
Jackie, an estimator based at Risley, said: “I feel the NVQ has given me a greater awareness of the nature and wide range of scope of work that I’m carrying out as part of my day job. As with many people, I don’t think I realised quite how much work I got through and how varied my day job actually was.
“This appreciation of what I have accomplished through my daily work has given me more confidence to take on new, varied and challenging work in the future. It’s also nice to have some accreditation for the work that I’m doing that I can carry forward through my working life.”
As with all periods of study a great deal of personal dedication was required of the students which presented their own unique challenges.
Sharon Litherland, assistant Project Control engineer said: “I did complete a lot of the write ups in my own spare time at evenings and at weekends at home. I found it hard juggling my time around my young children and running a household, as well as working full time. I got there in the end and I am extremely grateful to Keith Fairclough, my assessor for giving me the necessary guidance and help.”
Keith added: “Sellafield Ltd has been putting its staff through the NVQ in Project Controls for nearly fifteen years and we have had over one hundred candidates achieving the qualification during this period. The NVQ is an evidence based ‘can do’ process, based on the National Occupational Standards developed by UK industry and recognised by Government, with each candidate completing both mandatory and optional modules, with an assigned assessor to monitor the quality and standard of evidence and their knowledge for a range of project controls activities.
“We have found that those who have completed the NVQ have consolidated their knowledge and understanding of the skills and core competencies necessary to be more effective in their day job. The candidates do gain a higher level of confidence which helps them to progress in achieving their true potential.”
