How to Start a Career as an External Quality Assurer?

An External Quality Assurer (EQA) is a professional responsible for monitoring and evaluating the quality and consistency of assessment and verification processes across multiple organisations offering qualifications.

To start a career as an External Quality Assurance (EQA) professional, complete a recognised EQA qualification (Level 4 Award in External Quality Assurance), and gain experience in assessment and quality assurance. After this, you will be ready to apply for EQA roles.

Becoming an External Quality Assurer (EQA) is a prestigious and impactful career path for professionals. EQAs play a critical role in upholding educational and vocational standards, ensuring qualifications and assessments meet the requirements of awarding bodies.

The responsibilities of external quality assurers (EQAs) are different from those of internal quality assurers (IQAs). However, EQAs oversee the quality of assessments at a broader, external level, ensuring that national standards are upheld across different centres. In contrast, IQAs focus on maintaining consistency and compliance within an organisation’s assessment process, ensuring that assessments meet internal and awarding organisation requirements.

This blog will guide you about the pathway and the qualifications you require to kickstart your career as an EQA.

Role of an External Quality Assurer

The main role of an EQA is to uphold the assessment standards and maintain integrity to align with the awarding organisation and regulatory body requirements. Here is an overview of the responsibilities of an EQA;

Learning Outcomes

• Understanding Principles of Quality Assurance: You will gain a comprehensive understanding of the principles and regulations required for IQA. You will learn to evaluate different sampling techniques, collect sample evidence of assessments, and observe, coordinate and support assessors to maintain fairness, consistency, and reliability in their assessment processes and decisions.
• Managing Assessors and Ensuring Consistency in Assessment: Learners will learn to monitor the quality of assessments, ensuring that they are assessed fairly. You will ensure the assessment decisions made follow the specified criteria and meet the required standards.
• Plan and Allocate the Assessment Practices: Make a work plan and lead a team of other IQAs, making sure that the team sticks to the regulations through standardisation.

Review of Assessment Processes

EQAs review the assessment processes of training providers to ensure that they are aligned with awarding body standards. They scrutinise criteria, processes and documentation to confirm the assessments are fair, inclusive and consistent. They also assess the relevance and effectiveness of assessment methods like exams, assignments, portfolios, and practical demonstrations.

Evaluation of IQA Systems

EQAs evaluate the internal quality assurance process of the organisation to ensure they are effective and comply with the national guidelines. This includes the analysis of assessment plans, sampling strategies, and feedback processes to verify IQA’s efficiency and reliability.

Provision of Guidance and Support

Beyond compliance, EQAs serve as mentors and advisors to assessors and IQAs. They assist training providers in understanding the regulations and offer practical advice on how to improve their assessment practices. By offering constructive feedback and tailored advice, EQAs foster professional growth and promote best practices within organisations.

Sampling of Work

To verify consistency and fairness, EQAs select samples of learners’ work from various assessment activities, as well as reports from IQAs. This ensures that decisions are uniform across different learners and providers.

Prepare Reports

Following quality assurance visits, EQAs prepare detailed reports that highlight areas of excellence and recommend improvements. These reports serve as valuable tools for organizations aiming to enhance their processes.

Development of Qualification

EQAs contribute to the designing and development of qualifications and review the existing ones to ensure they remain relevant and meet industry needs. This way qualifications remain relevant and aligned with the evolving industry standards while addressing diverse learner needs.

Investigate Complaints

EQAs participate in the investigative process when learners or providers voice concerns over the training organisation’s assessment practices or results. Whether through on-site visits or remote evaluations, they ensure fairness and transparency in resolving conflicts.

Manage Relationships with Stakeholders

EQAs act as liaisons between awarding organisations, training providers, and regulators. They maintain professional relationships for active collaboration, which ensures that all parties are aligned in delivering quality education and training.

Encouraging Continuous Improvement

EQAs encourage a culture of continuous improvement whether in providing training, improving assessment methods or revising the qualification. Their support ensures that providers strive for excellence and adapt to changing standards.

Essentials to Become an External Quality Assurer

To get an External Quality Assurer (EQA) qualification, you must follow a pathway of becoming a subject expert, get an assessor qualification and an internal quality assurance qualification. This process will prepare you to ensure high-quality standards and compliance with the regulatory standards.

• Gain subject expertise through formal education, ensuring assessments align with industry and educational standards.
• Obtain a Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) to have an understanding of how assessments are conducted is a prerequisite for ensuring quality and fairness to assess learners effectively.
• Earn a Level 4 Award in Internal Quality Assurance to develop skills for overseeing assessment practices, monitoring processes, and providing constructive feedback to drive improvement.
• Finally complete the Level 4 Award in External Quality Assurance a key qualification to understand frameworks, regulations and how to conduct external quality assurance activities professionally.

What are the Career Prospects of Becoming an EQA?

Becoming an External Quality Assurer (EQA) opens doors to diverse and rewarding career opportunities across various sectors. Potential career aspects are as follows;

Potential Employers

EQAs have the flexibility to work with a variety of employers in the education and training industry, including:

• Awarding Bodies: Organisations such as Focus Awards, OTHM, TQUK, City and Guilds, NCFE, etc. require EQAs to ensure the quality and consistency of qualifications delivered by accredited training centres.
• Professional Certification Organisations: Sectors like healthcare, IT, and finance hire EQAs to verify the integrity of their certification processes and maintain industry standards.
• Training Providers: Providers delivering regulated qualifications depend on EQAs to uphold assessment standards and comply with regulatory guidelines.

Employment Types

The EQA role offers flexibility in employment arrangements, allowing individuals to tailor their careers to personal and professional preferences:

• Freelance: Many EQAs work as freelancers, offering services to multiple organisations or awarding bodies. This approach allows them to specialise in specific qualifications or industries while enjoying the flexibility to manage their workload across various projects.
• Part-Time: Part-time positions enable EQAs to balance their professional roles with other commitments, offering a versatile career option.
• Full-Time: A full-time EQA role provides stability and consistency, involving regular assessments and quality assurance activities across multiple accredited centres.

Opportunities for Career Advancement

EQAs have several pathways for professional growth and progression:

• Qualification Development: Experienced EQAs often collaborate with awarding bodies to design new qualifications and update existing ones, ensuring alignment with industry standards.
• Consulting: EQAs can transition into consulting roles, guiding organisations on improving their internal quality assurance systems and assessment practices.
• Leadership Roles: EQAs may progress to senior positions such as Quality Assurance Manager or Policy Developer, overseeing teams, managing large-scale quality assurance operations, and influencing policies governing education and training standards.

Conclusion

In conclusion, becoming an EQA is a highly respected and vast career path to choose. The role of an EQA is dynamic and fulfilling, offering a blend of flexibility, growth potential, and the opportunity to make a significant impact on the quality of education and training across sectors. Whether freelancing, working part-time, or committing to a full-time role, the career prospects are vast and varied.

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