New opportunities to build for the future

Those that have general building skills or experience in maintenance and caretaking are needed to boost the knowledge of the next generation of caretakers and maintenance workers and earn extra money in the meantime.

As more and more employers require their staff to undertake the NVQ in Maintenance Operations, so individuals with maintenance skills such as decorating, electrical, building and related knowledge are all in demand to work part time assessing those on the courses.

Protocol National, a company that specialises in providing lecturers and NVQ assessors nationwide, is working with further education colleges across the country to try to meet some of this need and says now is a great time for anyone looking to boost their income to think about passing on their skills.

Philip Harrison, chief executive of Protocol National, said: “Judging by the numbers that have started these courses this academic year, people are keener than ever to learn these sorts of practical skills.

Whether it is to widen existing knowledge, re-skill in the current economic climate or because it has become a requirement of their current job, colleges need individuals who can assess these students.

Because the NVQ in Maintenance Operations is so comprehensive, covering everything from repairing glazing to erecting access platforms, there are opportunities for people with all kinds of knowledge to work part time as assessors.”

Assessors focus on workplace learning, providing support and guidance to candidates taking NVQs in their own workplace and observing them as they work towards their qualification. Tens of thousands of people in the UK are qualified as assessors, often having acquired the qualification as part of another course, however many will never have utilised the skill, or the benefits that come with it.

www.protocol-national.co.uk