What is TAQA?
What is TAQA? A lot of people are confused by the term. Is it a qualification? A course?
TAQA is an umbrella term. It stands for Training, Assessment, and Quality Assurance. It’s the name of a suite of qualifications, but it’s not a course itself. In the rest of this post, we’ll go through each of these qualifications in this suite and who they’re for.
T – Training
Education and Training Qualifications
Under the Training section of this suite we have the Education and Training qualifications;
The Level 3 Award in Education and Training, formerly known as PTLLS, is the qualification you will need if you are looking at getting into teaching or training in the Further Education sector.
And, the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training, formerly known as CTLLS, which is for those of you who are currently working in an educational setting and want to get to the next level in your teaching career.
A – Assessment
Assessor Qualifications
Under the Assessment section, we have four Assessor qualifications: UPPA, AVRA, ACWE, and CAVA.
These four qualifications each comprise a different combination of the following three units:
Unit 1: Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment
Unit 2: Assess Occupational Competence in the Work Environment
Unit 3: Assess Vocational Skills, Knowledge and Understanding
It is only when you take all three units (in the CAVA qualification) that you become a fully qualified Assessor. The other combinations seen in the UPPA, AVRA, and ACWE awards qualify learners to do part of the role of a fully trained Assessor.
Let’s take a closer look at each award and what learners are qualified to do when they complete them.
UPPA – ‘Level 3 Award in Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment’ (Unit 1)
This award is theory only. Its purpose is to refresh the knowledge of Assessors who are already in work.
AVRA – ‘Level 3 Award in Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement’ (Units 1 and 3)
This award qualifies the learner as an Assessor in classroom, workshop or virtual learning settings only. It doesn’t qualify the learner to assess in a workplace environment.
ACWE – ‘Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence in the Work Environment’ (Units 1 and 2)
On the other hand, we have ACWE which only qualifies the learner to become an Assessor in a workplace setting, but not in a classroom, workshop or virtual environment.
CAVA – ‘Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement’ (Units 1, 2 and 3)
When you take the CAVA course, you are covering all three units, and therefore becoming fully qualified as an Assessor both in the classroom and in the workplace. It’s the most comprehensive qualification, and therefore the most popular!
QA – Quality Assurance
IQA Qualifications
Unlike the qualifications we’ve already covered, the IQA Qualifications focus on quality assurance in assessment.
In addition, the IQA Qualifications are Level 4 instead of Level 3, which mean they represent a higher level of learning than the Assessor courses.
However, just like the UPPA, AVRA, ACWE, and CAVA awards, each IQA Qualification is made up of some combination of three core units:
Unit 1: Understanding the Principles and Practices of Internally Assuring the Quality of Assessment
Unit 2: Internally Assure the Quality of Assessment
Unit 3: Plan, Allocate and Monitor Work in Own Area of Responsibility
The acronyms for the IQA Qualifications are much more of a mouthful, so we’re not even going to try and shorten them! Instead, let us go through each tongue-twister award in turn.
Level 4 Award in Understanding the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice (Unit 1)
This is another theory-only course and does not qualify you to become an Internal Verifier. Instead, it’s a great form of professional development for staff already in the industry, looking to expand their knowledge.
Level 4 Award in the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice (Units 1 and 2)
This award qualifies learners to fulfil some of the roles of an Internal Verifier, namely conducting quality assurance for assessment and assessment decisions. However, it doesn’t qualify you to lead others and therefore doesn’t fully qualify learners as Internal Verifiers.
Level 4 Certificate in Leading the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice (Units 1, 2 and 3)
This is the ‘Big Daddy’ of IQA Qualifications! In this certification, you will cover all three units, which qualifies you not only to quality assure assessments and assessment decisions, but also to manage internal quality procedures and staff. It also qualifies you to coordinate with External Quality Assurers.