As everyone is aware, we have had a significant increase in the number of successful candidates being enrolled onto their respective qualifications due to an annual closing date of March 31st imposed by the current awarding body, this deadline has resulted in a much larger cohort than in previous years.
The majority of new candidates are embarking on their Grips/Crane Tech Level 2 diploma in professional competency; more experienced Grips advancing to take their Level 3 Diploma. This latter group (already certified) have a better understanding of what is expected from a candidate in completing the qualification; primarily the gathering of evidence to support the assessments being carried out either on-set or at a facility house.
Unfortunately this evidence gathering is not taking place in-between assessments and is resulting in the assessors being unable to complete the awarding body paperwork that is required either during and/or after each assessment as the candidate progresses.
Therefore it is incumbent on each individual to work on their portfolio, during the timeframe allotted to gather the evidence required, (which is all hard copies, including photographic, evidence from productions, health and safety etc) also completing all the green paperwork to back up the evidence witnessed by the assessor on each assessment day. If none of the above are in the portfolio when the assessor is actually carrying out the assessment; they are unable to complete their awarding body paperwork on the day or just after. This is making life extremely difficult for the team who are there to help and guide you as much as they can in succeeding to complete the qualification. Assessors are turning up for the first assessment only to be confronted with an empty portfolio, the candidate has not even looked inside the folder.
Some individuals are very good at gathering their evidence, but unfortunately the majority don’t seem to be completing any of their portfolio paperwork until the last minute and on an assessment day still haven’t inserted the required documentation, this means the Assessor is unable to complete their documentation, resulting in an unsatisfactory outcome for both parties and much more time consuming work for the Assessor after each assessment while at home to make sure everything is in order.
Therefore can all candidates please contact their assessor once you are enrolled and have your portfolio, discuss with them over the telephone what needs to be done so that when the first assessment takes place you have already started to collate your evidence within your individual folder.
Obviously as time goes on and after each assessment day is completed you will be told what extra evidence is required, and you can go away and obtain that and put it in the portfolio before the next assessment takes place. Once all your assessments are completed you will be sitting down with your assessor to discuss if there are any gaps in the evidence and whether or not this needs to be inserted before the Portfolio is submitted for internal verification, the first step on authentication as your Portfolio moves through the different verification processes.
All the assessors are aware that candidates have to go to work and earn a living, and that working in our industry is very challenging, working long hours and weekends.
That is why the assessors are there to help you through this but as already mentioned it is incumbent on each individual to do their work and complete the portfolio. Over the past years candidates have worked on their Portfolios in a hotel room at weekends, not something any of us thought we would be doing years after we left school. The team realise all this is challenging and are sympathetic to the certain amount of prevaricating and shuffling about when we look at the portfolio devoid of any evidence. We have also been there and done that.
We look forward to helping each candidate through their assessments and completion of their qualification, all we ask has it you can take some time to collect and collate all the evidence required and complete your paperwork.
Many thanks.
The Grips Assessors Team.
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