NVQ....who?

There is so much confusion about qualifications in the nail industry that maybe a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ would be useful. (The specific info is relevant to the nail qualifications and may be different in other sectors)


1. What is an NVQ?

This is a National Vocational Qualification. It is a modern qualification that is designed for occupations that require practical skills e.g. retailing, hairdressing, floristry, plumbing etc. etc. It is encouraged by the government and lots of funding is available for adults to gain these qualifications.

As it is skill based, competence must be proved and this is done by ongoing assessments rather than an exam based procedure (as with academic subjects e.g. law, accountancy etc.)

NVQ’s use the National Occupational Standards as the basic requirements for qualification.

2. What are the National Occupational Standards?

These Standards are created by people experienced within the relevant industry sector. They break down practical skills and the supporting theoretical knowledge into small steps so the process of the skill is clear and each individual step can be learnt, understood and assessed.

The Standards are written in a very specific and structured format, which can be a bit confusing until you understand what they are getting at.

They are owned by the relevant Industry Authority or NTO (National Training Organisation), in this case HABIA (Hairdressing and Beauty Industry Authority). They license them to approved Awarding Bodies and, in the case of HABIA, to other countries.

3. What are Awarding Bodies?

These are organisations that provide the ‘syllabus’, the process, the verification of assessments and the final certificated qualification. Examples of these are City & Guilds and VTCT (Vocational Training Charitable Trust).

These both provide NVQ’s which is exactly the same qualification wherever it comes from. That is, an NVQ or NVQ Unit is the same qualification whatever name is on the top of the certificate.

They also provide qualifications that are non-NVQ’s, along with many other Awarding Bodies. Some of these are based on the Occupational Standards, like VTCT Diploma in Advanced Nail Techniques and have similar assessment procedures. Others, like CIBTAC, ITEC and Edexcel for example, have non-NVQ’s that are sometimes exam based.

There is nothing unusual about this situation. Many other industries are the same.

There is differing opinion on which is best. Practical skills certainly lend themselves to ongoing assessment rather than rely on one final test and, for many, final exams are very stressfull.