What is an IQA Qualification?

An IQA qualification is more than just a certification—it’s the key to advancing your career in quality assurance, empowering you to uphold standards, enhance assessment processes, and make a lasting impact. It enables professionals to ensure that assessment practices are meeting the quality standards of an organisation and awarding body. It provides skills and knowledge to professionals seeking career progression in supervisory or managerial roles, where they will oversee staff and internal procedures related to assessment.

In this blog, we will explore the essentials of IQA qualification and their significance.

Who needs this qualification?

An IQA qualification is designed for assessors, trainers, and managers seeking to enhance their career prospects. It supports professional growth and ensures individuals can effectively maintain assessment quality and integrity. The qualification is particularly valuable for those aiming to transition into quality assurance roles from teaching or assessing positions.

What are the Responsibilities of an IQA?

The responsibilities of IQA go beyond simply ensuring compliance. Below, we outline the key responsibilities of an IQA, highlighting their importance and practical benefits.

Promote Equality and Fairness

A critical part of an IQA’s role is to ensure that all assessments are fair, unbiased, and inclusive. This involves:

• Identifying and addressing any potential barriers to learning or assessment.
• Ensuring assessors provide reasonable adjustments where required.

Ensure Compliance with Standards

One of the primary responsibilities of an IQA is to ensure that all assessments adhere to awarding body requirements and regulatory standards. Key tasks involve:

• Promote consistency in assessments.
• Regularly review assessment plans and evidence to confirm compliance with established criteria.
• Ensure that assessors apply consistent judgement.
• Remain updated with changes in regulations or guidelines to maintain integrity.

Support and Development of Assessors

IQAs are crucial in the professional growth of assessors. They provide:

• Mentorship to assessors to enhance their skills.
• Conduct observations and offer constructive feedback on assessors’ performance.

Internal Verification and Sampling

Internal verification is a key part of an IQA’s role. This systematic approach safeguards the credibility of qualifications and ensures fair and consistent results for learners. This responsibility involves:

• Sampling a representative selection of assessments to ensure fairness and reliability.
• Meet learners to discuss their assessment results.

Drive Continuous Improvement

IQAs play a pivotal role in the ongoing improvements of assessment processes. Continuous improvement maintains and elevates the quality of assessments, benefiting both learners and the organisation. This features:

• Sharing insights to improve assessment quality.
• Addressing discrepancies in assessment decisions and implementing solutions.
• Encouraging a culture of self-reflection and learning among assessors and team.

How to Choose the Right IQA Qualification?

Here are key considerations to help you select the most suitable IQA qualification based on your career goals;

• Entry-Level Understanding: If you are looking to transition from a teaching or assessor background to IQA, it is recommended to start with fundamentals. For this purpose, consider getting a Level 4 Award in Understanding Internal Quality Assurance (RQF). This is a theoretical qualification, focusing on the fundamentals, regulations and industry best practices of quality assurance. It is ideal for those who want to gain knowledge without engaging in practical assessments.

• Practitioner Role: If you have a basic understanding, the Level 4 Award in the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practices (RQF) is the progression you need. This qualification equips you with practical knowledge ensuring that you follow all the criteria essential to manage the assessment process. You will IQA assessments and provide the assessors with feedback.

• Leadership Aspirations: To become a lead IQA the Level 4 Certificate in Leading the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practices (RQF) is recommended. This skilful qualification equips professionals to lead the team of IQAs.

What Are the Benefits of Completing an IQA Qualification?

There are several benefits of getting an IQA qualification. These qualifications are designed for learners to equip them with the skills, knowledge and practical application of quality assurance regulations in real-life settings.

• Improved Confidence and Competence IQA qualification helps boost skills and expertise, Enabling you to confidently handle difficulties, efficiently oversee assessment procedures, and assist. Internal verifiers also support innovative practices and efficient approaches to promote improvements. This mix of duties guarantees your efficiency and capability to maintain high standards in assessment procedures. 

• Career Advancement Opportunities Pursuing this qualification gives you to opportunity to progress your career in senior roles. It prepares you for more responsibilities and ultimately gives you a competitive edge with skills that are on industry standards giving you flexibility to explore your options in education and vocational training.

• Financial Benefits In addition to career growth, the opportunity to earn more than your previous roles also opens with this qualification. Roles as internal assessors offer higher salaries depending on the expertise of the individual. IQAs in the UK averagely earn £30,883 annually. Entry-level positions start at £28,000 while most experienced workers make up to £40,000 annually. This raise makes it a valuable investment in your future.

• Contribution to Quality Improvement You will play a key role in ensuring the assessment and training standards. You will be qualified to regulate and develop a system; that is consistent, fair and reliable to preserve the integrity of education. This will create a positive environment giving all learners an equal chance to pass the qualification.

How long will it take to become an IQA?

The time required to become an Internal Quality Assurer (IQA) depends on the qualification you choose and the time you can commit to your studies. For instance, completing a Level 4 IQA qualification can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Britannia School of Academics designed these qualifications with flexibility in mind, allowing learners to progress at their own pace.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, an IQA qualification equips professionals with the knowledge and skills to maintain the quality, consistency, and integrity of assessments within educational or training settings. They play a key role in supporting assessors and trainers and help them follow the latest standards, regulations, and processes set by awarding bodies. Ultimately, their focus is on maintaining equality, ensuring learners’ diverse needs are met, and safeguarding the integrity of the assessment process.

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