How to get a NVQ in Childcare?

If you're thinking of embarking into a career in child care then it is important for you to understand a bit about what qualifications that you are going to need to develop your career.

An NVQ is one of the most widely respected qualifications for all vocational work in the UK as you get one by being assessed in a real work environment by a qualified assessor, he or she will come out to your place of work and observe you at work to verify that you have gained the required standards to be awarded an NVQ of a certain level.

The standards of an NVQ in child care are set out by CACHE* who is the industry awarding body and makes sure courses train people up to the current best practice requirements.

How to get the right training?

To reach the required standards to achieve a childcare NVQ first you must get the right training, most child care courses you can take at a local college, and once you have successfully completed the course you would have gained all the knowledge you need to meet the standards set to be able to successfully gain your NVQ award.

Once you've completed the childcare course you will be awarded a certificate that will prove that you have successfully completed a childcare training course. It is important to note that if you managed to find a work placement whist you were taking your course, that you now have a great opportunity to complete your NVQ by being assessed at work, if you haven't managed or didn't choose to work whist you were training then at the end of your course you will have the certificate or diploma that should make getting a work placement all the more easier that you have completed the child care course.

Further Training

There are many different levels of NVQ's and which ones you may want to go on and achieve are up to you and whatever plans you may have for your career, for example to work in a child care nursery unsupervised you will need a Level 2 NVQ, but say you wanted to open your own child care nursery then you will need to gain the next level up a Level 3 NVQ.

You can find out more about the different levels of qualifications and what each job would required here at our CACHE Qualifications page.

(CACHE designs courses and qualifications in the care and education of children and young people. We are the UK's only specialist Awarding Body to do this. Our courses range from entry level to advanced qualifications for sector professionals. You can take them in schools, colleges and training centres throughout the UK.)