TQS Myths (3) – You can forget about the TQS for a while, once you have conditional certification.

Well, you can, but you wouldn’t be advised to let the TQS slip out of sight.

If you’ve struggled with A5 or B3, there’s a good chance it’s because you haven’t got a history of measuring the things the TQS wants to see you measuring. That means you need to start thinking about the systems and processes you intend to use to do that measurement as soon as the assessors leave.

You might be able to demonstrate all sorts of interesting trends when it comes to how you support your learners, but with employers it’s a different matter.

Remember that:

• the longer you delay, the more difficult the task.
• the longer you delay, the more difficult the next assessment visit.

It’s worth remembering that any activity that relies on input from people outside your organisation will take time to organise, so the message must be: start working with employers as soon after the assessment as its practicable, and find ways of demonstrating how you add value to them.

As the weeks and the months go by make sure you think about:

1. how you track the impact of your work with employers
2. how you ensure that you know if employers value what you do with them and for them
3. how you ensure you know if you are helping your employers to be more successful (however they, and you, choose to define this).

As some providers are finding, time really does fly.
As some providers are finding, it is almost time to start panicking.

The assessors are looking to come back to check up on progress . . . and not a lot has happened.