NVQ/VRQ-what's the difference?
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Help Support SalonGeek:
Jazzyb
Well-Known Member
The vrq is what you get a college if you don't do any salon work or experience and the nvq is what you get if you do work for like an apprenticeship 
well this is how It was explained to me
well this is how It was explained to me The vrq is what you get a college if you don't do any salon work or experience and the nvq is what you get if you do work for like an apprenticeship
Thanks! So is it still a decent qualification? X
LilMissEmmylou
Well-Known Member
The vrq is what you get a college if you don't do any salon work or experience and the nvq is what you get if you do work for like an apprenticeship
Hmmm that can't be right because I have the VRQ and had to do 1 day a week placement plus open salon in college.
The way our tutor put it is that they are very similar but the way in which they are marked is slightly different. (But as with Jazzy B - my answer may still not be 100% correct lol) It seems to be easier to get the VRQ which I resent as when I signed up for college it was advertised as an NVQ and I only found out mid way through that is was a VRQ.
The VRQ is supposed to focus more on the theory than the practical (although in my case it was about 50:50 timetable wise and then placement on top) while the NVQ generally focuses more on the doing (and again all my exams where graded on the "doing" and if I didn't "do" well then I wouldn't have passed the section).
So there we have it.... clear as mud lol
Qualifications Explained - NVQ, SVQ, VRQ | City & Guilds
jmd1980
Well-Known Member
There are a few main differences. Mostly, VRQ involves much more paper based assessment, certainly more written tasks than NVQ.
Fewer practical assessments are required for VRQ than for NVQ. The upshot of this is that the VRQ can be delivered in fewer tutor hours, which means they are cheaper for the colleges to deliver.
However with both being level 2 (or 3 as the case may be) on the QCF, VRQ still allows colleges to meet targets etc.
As with too many things these, days I'm afraid it comes down to money. From an employer's perspective, I suppose the main difference would be that you know an NVQ student has had more practical, hands on client experience than someone who has completed a VRQ.
Hope that explains it!
J
Fewer practical assessments are required for VRQ than for NVQ. The upshot of this is that the VRQ can be delivered in fewer tutor hours, which means they are cheaper for the colleges to deliver.
However with both being level 2 (or 3 as the case may be) on the QCF, VRQ still allows colleges to meet targets etc.
As with too many things these, days I'm afraid it comes down to money. From an employer's perspective, I suppose the main difference would be that you know an NVQ student has had more practical, hands on client experience than someone who has completed a VRQ.
Hope that explains it!
J
Hi, I went too college yesterday for my hairdressing and beauty therapy interviews. My college offer level 1 2 and 3 in both Nvq and Vrq.
We had literacy and numeracy tests, a dexterity test and a one too one interview. Basically if you didn't do very well on your tests you were put onto the Vrq if you passed at level 2/3 then you got onto the Nvq, that was how the college were doing it yesterday. Both courses were run in a commercial salon with work placements throughout the year. They seemed too be very similar but the Nvq I think has more units involved. You can go onto the vtct website and download the work booklets for each course and compare the two different courses, I think the Nvq option involved more hours and more units.
All colleges seem too run things very differently, some colleges I know of, you just have an interview without any tests and just get onto the Nvq level 2 course.
I actually went through the interviews last year and went ahead with the beauty therapy course, but had too leave due too personal reasons and will be starting again either in Hair or Beauty this year. The college seemed too be putting most people onto the Vrq unless you did really well in your numeracy, maths, dexterity and interview. Out of the 9 people who were also there having interviews, I was the only one who was offered an Nvq place. Too be honest I'm still confused by the whole thing, and cannot really understand why they have introduced a Vrq when there isn't much difference between the two courses.
Sorry for the long essay but hth x
We had literacy and numeracy tests, a dexterity test and a one too one interview. Basically if you didn't do very well on your tests you were put onto the Vrq if you passed at level 2/3 then you got onto the Nvq, that was how the college were doing it yesterday. Both courses were run in a commercial salon with work placements throughout the year. They seemed too be very similar but the Nvq I think has more units involved. You can go onto the vtct website and download the work booklets for each course and compare the two different courses, I think the Nvq option involved more hours and more units.
All colleges seem too run things very differently, some colleges I know of, you just have an interview without any tests and just get onto the Nvq level 2 course.
I actually went through the interviews last year and went ahead with the beauty therapy course, but had too leave due too personal reasons and will be starting again either in Hair or Beauty this year. The college seemed too be putting most people onto the Vrq unless you did really well in your numeracy, maths, dexterity and interview. Out of the 9 people who were also there having interviews, I was the only one who was offered an Nvq place. Too be honest I'm still confused by the whole thing, and cannot really understand why they have introduced a Vrq when there isn't much difference between the two courses.
Sorry for the long essay but hth x
KayaPapaya
Well-Known Member
Here's some information from the City and Guilds website
Qualifications Explained - NVQ, SVQ, VRQ | City & Guilds
and another bit
http://www.nebosh.org.uk/FAQ/default_faqanswers.asp?f=97
Qualifications Explained - NVQ, SVQ, VRQ | City & Guilds
and another bit
http://www.nebosh.org.uk/FAQ/default_faqanswers.asp?f=97
Thanks girls really appreciate the help! I've done short courses in some aspects of beauty therapy and wanted to upgrade to NVQ as its a more recognised qualification so if I ever wanted to apply for a job in a salon etc it would look better. I contacted a few places and one of them got back to me saying they offered a VRQ, I was just a bit confused as I'd never heard of it.
I think what I have to do is pay a fee then they send me out a pack and I work on a portfolio, once that's done I then do a written and practical exam.
Don't really mind what one I do as long as its a recognised qualification
Thanks again! X
I think what I have to do is pay a fee then they send me out a pack and I work on a portfolio, once that's done I then do a written and practical exam.
Don't really mind what one I do as long as its a recognised qualification
Thanks again! X
lucyh
Well-Known Member
please can anyone explain what the vtct is? On their site it says you can study level 2 nail services for £64 surely this cant be right? Im getting really confused .
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VTCT is an Examination Body just as City & Guilds are.
You can be awarded an NVQ or VRQ from either City & Guilds or VTCT but City & Guilds have been around for longer and are also readily accepted in many countries abroad. Their hair & beauty course curriculum is broadly similar.
You can be awarded an NVQ or VRQ from either City & Guilds or VTCT but City & Guilds have been around for longer and are also readily accepted in many countries abroad. Their hair & beauty course curriculum is broadly similar.
lucyh
Well-Known Member
ahhh thank you for clearing that up, I was thinking £69 for training was pretty cheap haha
rianna87
Member
Hiya,
Just seen this thread, looks all very confusing for you. I work for ISIS Beauty Academy in Surrey and we offer VRQ qualifications with exam board VTCT. Hopefully I can help explain things a bit clearly from a training provider's stance.
I can tell you that NVQs and VRQs are a completely equal standard of qualification in the eyes of the industry. Any insurance provider or future employer should recognise them and accept both of them as a valid qualification.
The difference really is in the way the course is delivered. And here is where it can start to get a little confusing...
One of the requirements of an NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) is that it can include functional skills (english, maths etc. This is mandatory for students aged 16-19) as part of the study, especially if delivered in an FE college environment. It also has to run over a certain period of time. Another aspect is that all practical assessment skills have to be are completed on paying clients.
VRQs (Vocational related Qualifications) can be delivered with a lot more flexability, with regards to time frames and in-class learning hours. The practical training is as equally important as NVQ, and there is still an emphasis on working on paying clients. VRQs give the training provider more flexibility in the modules they deliver, which make up the full course, allowing the college to tailor courses to suit their students needs.
A good example of this is looking at short courses. One of the modules of the full Level 2 Beauty Therapy qualification is Facials. If you are looking to complete a qualification in facials only, with a VRQ , this facials module can be completed as a stand-alone qualification (Level 2 Award in Facials and Skincare).
Hope this has managed to give you a little more clarity.
Just seen this thread, looks all very confusing for you. I work for ISIS Beauty Academy in Surrey and we offer VRQ qualifications with exam board VTCT. Hopefully I can help explain things a bit clearly from a training provider's stance.
I can tell you that NVQs and VRQs are a completely equal standard of qualification in the eyes of the industry. Any insurance provider or future employer should recognise them and accept both of them as a valid qualification.
The difference really is in the way the course is delivered. And here is where it can start to get a little confusing...
One of the requirements of an NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) is that it can include functional skills (english, maths etc. This is mandatory for students aged 16-19) as part of the study, especially if delivered in an FE college environment. It also has to run over a certain period of time. Another aspect is that all practical assessment skills have to be are completed on paying clients.
VRQs (Vocational related Qualifications) can be delivered with a lot more flexability, with regards to time frames and in-class learning hours. The practical training is as equally important as NVQ, and there is still an emphasis on working on paying clients. VRQs give the training provider more flexibility in the modules they deliver, which make up the full course, allowing the college to tailor courses to suit their students needs.
A good example of this is looking at short courses. One of the modules of the full Level 2 Beauty Therapy qualification is Facials. If you are looking to complete a qualification in facials only, with a VRQ , this facials module can be completed as a stand-alone qualification (Level 2 Award in Facials and Skincare).
Hope this has managed to give you a little more clarity.
