Responsibilities of An IQA

What’s the purpose of an Internal Quality Assurer?

Every training provider should have an Internal Quality Assurer within their staff. Quality Assurance takes place to make sure that the training company is running at the best it can be.

Each centre’s IQA will be accountable for quality-checking decisions made by the centre’s Assessors. This is to ensure these assessments, and the Assessors’ procedures maintain the center’s standards. Some of the responsibilities that an IQA is expected to complete include:

Making sure all Assessors are adequately trained, qualified and are able to carry out their roles effectively;
Monitoring the centre’s assessment practice and procedures through the execution of tests, like;
Assessing learners at different phases of the delivery process and assessment process
Assessing the effectiveness of assessment planning
Making sure assessment decisions are uniform and consistent.
Ensure that the centre’s policies on diversity and equality are implemented;
Two standardisation sessions per year.

If quality assurance isn’t taking place, then there could be risks in the reliability, accuracy and fairness of the training and assessment practice. This could result in serious disadvantages for learners.

What is an IQA?

An IQA performs an essential part of the education or assessment procedure. They have the responsibility of ensuring everything runs smoothly. This involves everything from the learning and studying the apprentice engages in from the beginning to the final exam (and everything between!). IQA is an IQA helps with the standardisation processand ensures that the assessments are fair and consistent between students.

The “internal” component of an IQA implies that Quality Assurance is being taken place within the training centre as an internal member of staff. The job of an IQA often falls with the Manager or Supervisor within an educational centre. As long as they aren’t quality-assuring their own assessment decisions the IQA is able to work as an Assessor and perform both duties.

Responsibilities of An IQA

The daily duties of an IQA will differ, particularly if they are continuing to be assessing simultaneously. Here are some of the most common things an IQA is accountable for:

Checking that Assessors are fully competent in their role.
The planning and preparation of activities will enable monitoring of assessments
Ensuring that assessment practices are consistent with best practices (working with Assessors, trainers and employers)
Be watching both assessor and trainer performance & providing constructive feedback
Recording assessment of samples and making decisions or grades that were given
Participation in a meeting with the learners themselves
Identifying and facilitating best practices within the organisation

Achieving an IQA within an organisation is essential in the context of assessments and ensuring that best practices are adhered to. It is quite common that problems are found regarding the granting of an award, it can be traced back to a lack of quality assurance within the organization.

Benefits of Become An IQA

So now that we have discussed in detail the job in the role of an IQA and the credentials you must meet to become an IQA, let’s take brief look at some of the benefits of becoming an IQA.
Let’s get to the most significant one first: economic gain! On average, IQAs earn in the region of PS23,000 to PS35,000 annually. This is an increase for Assessors who have experience, as becoming an IQA will bring added value to the company. It removes the need for organisations to hire a freelance IQA to perform their quality assurance as one of their employees could carry out the work instead.

Continuous Professional Education (CPD) is another reason to become an IQA. As an Assessor, you’ll already be aware of the importance of maintaining your CPD record up to date, and taking an IQA qualification can help you with this. Even if you’re not looking to be a Lead IQA, even just completing the knowledge-based qualification will allow you be a better Assessor in the role you currently hold.

In total, there are three types of IQA qualification available, However, only two of them qualify you to Qualitative Assure.
Level 4 Award for Understanding the internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice

The first thing to note is that, while starting at the beginning of all IQA Qualifications, this course is not a qualification to be assessed internally for quality assurance. However, it does equip you with the background knowledge of IQA. This award is the perfect form of CPD (Continuing Professional Development) specifically for Managers. When you have completed this course you will have the following knowledge:

The context and the principles behind Internal Quality Assurance;
How do you plan for the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment;
Techniques for monitoring, maintaining and improving the quality of assessments internally;
How can you manage information according to the guidelines for good practice and legal requirements for an Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment.

Level 4 Award for the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice

This is the second qualification, it is similar to the old Internal Verifiers certification. It qualifies you to make assessments that are quality assured and assessment decisions, but it does not allow you as the Lead IQA of your training provider. If you pass this exam, you will know and be competent to:

Plan your Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment;
Keep in mind legal and good practice guidelines when internal monitoring and maintaining the quality of assessment;
Manage information relevant to the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment;
Internally assess, monitor and enhance the quality of assessment.

Level 4 Certificate in Leading the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice

In the end, the most highly regarded IQA qualificationis The Lead IQA. This is the best qualification for you if wish to be the Lead IQA at the training company you work for, since it gives you all the required skills needed to not only Quality Assure qualifications, but lead and oversee the Quality Assurance process. When you complete this course you will be able to be competent to:

Qualitative Assure certifications;
Control the Internal Quality Assurance processes for a training centre;
Control other IQAs;
Develop and write Internal Quality Assurance policies and procedures;
Manage External Quality Assurance (EQA) visits.

What are these qualifications?

The vast majority of people who take the course towards becoming an IQA are qualified and experienced assessors. For most people, the IQA course is the most logical progression to follow their profession as an assessment.

However, the job of an Internal Quality Assurer’s job is different from that of an assessor. It is therefore essential to be aware of what the functions of an IQA include.

If you’re already V1 or IV-certified, then it may just be a case that you want to update yourself with the most recent knowledge based component in the IQA suite. If that’s the case, then this Level 4 Award that only includes unit 1 is the qualification you need.

This Level 4 Award that incorporates two units is the qualification you will need if currently, or going to be internally ensuring the high quality of assessments.

Effectively, you’re assessing the assessor! Every NVQ candidate needs to have an assessor and every assessor should have an Internal Quality Assurer.

You’ll need the Level 4 Certificate to Lead an Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice when you plan to be the IQA leader. IQA within your organisation.

This course will allow you to oversee the process of ensuring that all standards are met during the delivery of training and within the organisation that provides training as a whole.

What are the roles of an IQA?

If you are considering training to become an Internal Quality Assurer, you could expect to have the following responsibilities to be a part of your job as an IQA:

Establish, operate, and evaluate Internal assessment systems and Quality assurance systems
Develop and support tutors and/or assessors
Review and improve the effectiveness of assessment practice
Implement policies, procedures, and laws to ensure compliance with external/regulatory requirements

What exactly is the IQA course include?

Naturally, it is contingent upon what qualification you are working towards and what the course will involve. Below are the names for the three units , along with an overview of what they cover.

So whether you are just going through unit one or the full three-unit qualification, this quick unit overview should give you an idea of the specifics you will cover in your class.

Unit 1 – Understanding the Principle and Methods for Internally Assuring the Qualitative Assessment

This is the knowledge-based course. It will give you the understanding and understanding necessary for you to ensure the accuracy of your assessment.

The course’s theory covers the following areas in Internal Quality Assurance:

The Principles
The Techniques and
The Planning

The delivery method for this unit can either be via online or in classroom sessions.

Unit 2 – Internally Assure the Qualitative Assessment

This course requires you to put the theories into practice. As part of this unit, you would be required to supervise two assessors, each with at least two candidates of their own.

This is a competency-based course, meaning that you’ll need to observe the two assessors.

Unit 3 – Create, Allocate and Control Your Area of Responsibilities

This is another competency based unit that is based on competencies. In unit 3 you will learn how to organize, assign and supervise work in your area of responsibility. Not only this, but you will also learn to make any necessary changes to the original plans for work.

The evidence from this unit would come from you working with real learners/staff/customers.

Hopefully this article has helped you develop a greater understanding of what an Internal Quality Assurer does and perhaps in determining if it’s something you think is ideal for you.