For those who missed the announcement, there wasn't one! B'ah! Proven wrong again.... The good news is that now BC has had his RRO's confirmed then this maybe the final piece that needed to be agreed before the announcement of the restructure being conveyed to the company. I hope that this is now in the pipeline and that we no longer have to shrug our shoulders, play dumb and grunt a general "I know nowt" in the direction of those who query what is going on in Quality Assurance.

Changes soon to be officially ' a foot '

News today is that the official notification of the restructure of the Quality Team will be sent to the organisation. Let's hope so, I don't particularly like keeping things from those who we have to work with day in- day out.

New Recruits Needed

It was confirmed recently that we need around 8 additional facilitators to cover the increased amount of academies/learners and to fill in for the those who have left us either due to promotion or for pastures new. BC has a plethora of C.V's (around 20) to peruse so the signs are good that we will be getting the required reinforcements sooner rather than later. I plan to assist with the recruitment of the Tov and Pov replacements in the North as well as partake in a 2nd interview today for JP's replacement. If I could take this oportunity to remind everyone of the 'Refer a Friend' scheme, it's a good incentive to make a few quid if you know anyone who could do a job in assessing/training/intake/employment etc. If you have any absolute wierdos who could probably do a mediocre job but you are just interested in the money then send the C.V. to the 'Refer a Fiend' scheme (get it?).

The record has been set...

Today I became the owner of the fastest recorded professional discussion in the history of NVQ. 1 Minute and 43 seconds to complete today's NVQ Task 14!! Don't for a second think I compromised quality in any way, shape or form. I had the remaining two members of the class for the last session, I asked them to read over their notes before coming in so everything was fresh in their minds and this in conjunction with my military typing training produced the phenomenon that is the super-fast PD. I managed to complete 54 learners in a little over 1 hour 30mins taking into account the morning break. All files were placed in the respective learner folders, the tracker updated and conveyed to QAA. Now beat that!!!

Drowning in a sea of NVQ....

There comes a time every intake where you think, "we have an awful lot to do and not much time left to do it in". Well this intake it has occurred a little earlier than predicted, lets just call it good forward planning thus allowing us adequate time to recover and remedy!! The truth is that the Facilitator team, now being part of the training posse have been used to do other things as opposed to the scheduled assessments, this combined with a depleted number of assessors and an increased amount of learners has culminated in a bit of a panic.... fret not... we will adapt, improvise and overcome...just as we always do.

....and breathe!

And after all the worry, concern, panic, preparation, planning and checking, double checking and the final triple check I am pleased to report - ALL IS WELL!

The EV picked up two minor observations which require no actions and in addition to this he took the time to compliment us on our processes, procedures, management, structure etc. stating that it was easy to see why we are a grade 1 provider and could see no reason as to why this could not be the case going forward. So thanks to all those involved with this visit, the time you have all given up to ensure that this was a success is greatly appreciated and without doubt proven to be essential. CHEERS!

It's D-Day!

Take cover!!! Incoming!!!

These are the calls of desperation that I have yet to hear from the Quality Team, meaning that all is running smoothly with today's visit. Let's just hope that long may the silence continue! As they say, "No news is good news" apart from when you are waiting for the paper boy to deliver your copy of the currant bun....

External Verifier Visit Looms!!

The preparation for the EV visit is slow going but as a wise man once said
"Time spent in preparation is seldom wasted"

We have enlisted the help of the newly promoted RQV's and with the additional preparation day now added to our planning we look to be in a good position. Standby for updates following the visit.

Here Comes The Calvary!!!

Congratulations to Steve, Teresa and Sukvinder on their promotion into the Quality Team. It's fast, it's furious, it's awesome! That's how we roll in Quality Assurance!