The National Qualification Outcomes of the Pilot Sue Brown (GRO) Val Proctor (Hampshire) Susan Walsh (Lancashire)

We’ve done it! Thanks to the incredibly hard work of everyone who has been involved in the pilot (Assessors, Candidates and members of the Project Board), we have

Understanding Local Government Module 4 Technical Registration Programme Content Module 1 Customer Service Module 2 Understanding Local Government The NQ Module 4 Technical Registration Module 3 Using IT in Registration The Registrar General’s nationally accredited programme for Registration Officers Just as a reminder - the modular content of the programme has been designed to enable candidates to work their way through the material in a way which best suits their personal learning style. There are four modules. Each module contains a number of units and learning outcomes. Competence is demonstrated by gathering evidence against the criteria. Much of the work that is required to be assessed is undertaken on the job, but candidates need to be aware that other elements of learning may need to be progressed outside of the workplace and in their own time. As with other vocational programmes, achieving competence in one unit may overlap with another. e.g. technical assessments will cross reference to the Customer Service and Using IT modules. Customer Service – This represents the core part of an RO’s role. It requires the candidate to provide written answers to some scenario’s, to evidence good practice and demonstrate an understanding of customer expectations and how this is managed in practice through LA policies and procedures (e.g. Equality & Diversity, Data Protection, etc) Understanding Local Government – This is one of the most challenging of the modules as it requires you to demonstrate an understanding of how the registration service operates in the context of both local and national government. It focuses on the regulatory framework, procurement and value for money, budgeting and forward planning as well as the recruitment and retention of staff. Candidates will need to be pro-active in seeking answers to the Local Government module. Using IT - Requires the candidate to demonstrate practical application in the use of search engines (e.g. Google) to find information, to understand the requirements for protecting secure data ,as well as use of other software including RON, booking systems, electronic cashbooks, and other databases (to search historic records etc). The fourth module will perhaps be the one with which candidates are most familiar - specifically, the technical elements of registration work. Much of the Technical Registration module is evidenced through the GRO e-learning modules and Technical Assessments. However, there are also Written Answer books to complete to demonstrate knowledge of all aspects of registration law and practice. There are no trick questions and the answers can all be found in the GRO Handbooks ……….somewhere! At this stage, the technical module is all inclusive. In other words, candidates need to be able to evidence competencies across all areas to complete the programme. In the future, we may look to develop a partial qualification however, this is likely to be some way off. We have not included NCS/SCS within the scope of the pilot although there is already a TA template to use for NCS

Pilot Authorities Brent East Sussex Hampshire Hertfordshire Lancashire Leicestershire Nottinghamshire Southampton Richmond

Facts and Figures National pilot started in April 2013 9 LAs, 14 Assessors 23 Candidates 5 Internal Verifiers

Progress over the past 12 months 3 Information Packs 4 Modules 9 Workbooks 24 E-learning modules 11 Technical Assessment templates Regular consistency checks

Key Dates 2014 Candidate and Assessor applications by: 17th May Assessor training: 14th & 15th July Regional Candidate Day: Dates to be agreed Award Ceremony: 17th September Live Launch: September 2014

Evaluation Methods Assessor Survey Candidate feedback via assessors to Internal Verifiers (Project Board) Regular consistency checks Review of all material (Information Packs; Workbooks; Forms; etc)

Challenges Module 2 (Local Government) Isolation and lack of information Complex Candidate and Assessor Forms Workbook questions and answers Marking frames Lessons learned: Challenges Module 2 (Local Government) has proved difficult for many candidates. Candidates have felt quite isolated and unsure of the process (insufficient information) Candidate and Assessor Forms are too complex and difficult to complete. Workbooks difficult to mark Marking frames inconsistent

Solutions Local Government presentation Networking All forms reviewed and simplified Workbook questions and answers revised Marking frames reviewed and made consistent Enhanced LRSA web information Improved candidate induction Lessons learned: Solutions You don’t need to be a LRSA member to access information about the qualification A Local Government presentation to help candidates with background information. Networking to be put in place; candidates encouraged to meet regularly; e-forum; etc. All forms have been reviewed and simplified Marking frames reviewed and made consistent A marking form has been introduced which simplifies the marking process Enhanced LRSA web information Improved candidate induction to ensure clarity around expectations of the programme.

Information Everything that a candidate needs is accessible to everyone via the LRSA website – don’t have to be a member. There is a password-protected area called “Tools for Assessors” which contains Answerbooks etc. The GRO registrars website will contain a link to the LRSA website.

FAQ’s Costs: £400 per candidate (LRSA member subsidy) Time: 150 to 200 hours (6 to 18 months). Scope: Customer Service; Local Government; IT and Technical Registration. Assessor support: Ambitions for the future of the programme: Costs: the cost of completing the programme is £400 per candidate. LRSA will provide a subsidy of £100 for a single candidate from a member authority each year. Payment can be made in full in Year 1 or can be paid in 2 equal instalments (with the first in Year 1 and the second in Year 2). Time needed: An experienced registration officer should be able to complete the programme within 6 to 12 months. For a less experienced officer it may take up to 18 months to complete. All elements need to be completed within 2 years. We anticipate the completion of the whole programme will take between 150 and 200 hours, 80 hours of which will be dedicated to Module 4 – the technical module. Scope of coverage: the programme is designed to test not only registration technical competence, but also knowledge of customer service, local government and IT. This ensures Assessor support: Two day training event. Up to half-a-day per month per candidate (Maximum of 3 candidates per assessor) Ambitions for the future of the programme:

Would you like to join us as an assessor? Raising the bar! An ambition to improve technical standards and equip Registration Officers with the skills, knowledge and expertise to thrive in a modern Registration Service environment. Our ambition quite simply is to improve the quality and consistency of technical standards. What the National Qualification can do is to provide the building blocks to equip a Registration Officer with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in the ever more demanding context of the modern registration service. Thanks to the pilot pioneers and their hard work we are now ready for the live launch in September. Would you like to join us as an assessor?

An Assessor’s View Quotes Challenges What it’s like How to become an Assessor To include: quotes from assessors: “Technical assessments and professional discussions with my assessor definitely helped me improve my practice and gave me confidence that I could do a good job” Osyth Dolton, Leicestershire candidate. “I thought I knew it all!” Amanda Bettany, Leicestershire Assessor Information on how to become an assessor (assessor application form), qualities needed, what it’s like, etc.

Any questions?