FAQ's

GENERAL

Q. SQA Glossary for Education and Training

A. SQA Glossary for Education and Training

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RECOGNISED CENTRE

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POTENTIAL CENTRE

Q. Are GQA approved centres audited by any other organisations?

A. Yes. The Regulatory Bodies audit GQA and this involves visits to a random selection of GQA approved centres. These visits can occur at short notice – this is to minimise the risk of unsubstantiated claims for NVQ/SVQ certificates. Centres in receipt of funds to deliver NVQs/SVQs will also be subject to audits by the funding organisations.

Q. Are the assessment decisions of candidate-assessors/provisionally licensed assessors valid?

A. They are valid only as long as they are checked, authenticated and countersigned by an assessor who is recognised and fully licensed by GQA. Internal verifiers must sample an increased ratio of assessment decisions by candidate-assessors and must be responsible, and accountable, for arranging the checking and countersigning process. The same applies for candidate-internal verifiers/auditors: all centres must ensure that the decisions of candidate-internal verifiers/auditors/provisionally licensed internal verifiers/auditors are checked, authenticated and countersigned by an internal verifier/auditor who is recognised and fully licensed by GQA.

Q. Does GQA charge for its services?

A. Yes. A current price list can be provided on request or can be accessed at GQA’s web site. GQA external verifiers/auditors can also forecast estimated costs involved in the delivery of GQA qualifications and provide tailored estimates as required.

Q. How long does approval last?

A. Centre approval is subject to continued satisfactory external verifier/auditor reports.

Q. How long does it take to gain approval?

A. This depends on how much needs to be done for a potential centre to satisfy their approved centre criteria and how quickly any necessary measures are implemented. A GQA External Verifier/auditor will visit a potential centre to monitor approval criteria and this usually takes one day.

Q. What documentation is available from GQA?

A. GQA has a variety of literature available to help centres operate smoothly. As this is regularly updated, GQA publishes information about its documentation on its web site to ensure that GQA stakeholders can access current and valid information. Support materials are available for centres, assessors and internal verifiers/auditors.

Q. What happens if we don’t meet all the approval criteria during a centre approval visit?

A. Your external verifier/auditor will advise you on future action and will need to visit you again to grant approval. It is not expected that a new centre will fully satisfy all criteria. For example, candidate-assessors may have been identified but not yet trained and qualified. If any shortfall is within expectations, the external verifier/auditor can approve the centre and provide an agreed action plan that will be monitored. An initial visit may be regarded as a support visit for the potential centre to help staff prepare a formal application.

Q. What if a candidate disagrees with a decision made by an assessor?

A. The centre must implement its appeals procedures. GQA external verifiers/auditors can advise on this. All approved centres must have formal appeals procedures in place and they must be documented and promoted to candidates.

Q. What is the 10 week rule?

A. A centre cannot claim certificates for candidates who have been registered for less than ten weeks with GQA (within ten weeks of the confirmed GQA database registration date). This is to help combat any unsubstantiated claims for certification.