STEP ONE:Get your documentation organised.

First up, you’ll need to review the competency standards against which you are assessing.

Then, you’ll need to decide if you can use existing assessment tools, or whether a new tool will have to be developed.

Finally, consider the reporting requirements and any other AQTF related requirements that you may need to meet, and ensure that you have the necessary documentation organised.

STEP TWO:Check for any special requirements.

If you have been involved in delivering training for the candidate/s, then chances are that you already know whether or not they have any special requirements, characteristics or needs that will impact upon the assessment process. In this situation, use your experience to organise any specialist assessment arrangements that may be required.

If you’re assessing people that you don’t know well, you need to take the time to find out whether or not they have any special needs for the assessment process. If so, it is your responsibility to organise support where required – but of course, this should be done in consultation with the candidate and, where appropriate, the workplace supervisor or manager.

STEP THREE:Check the assessment context and environment.

Wherever possible, visit the area in which you will be conducting the assessment. This is important for a few reasons, including the need to:

  • check OHS conditions
  • identify any potential distractions to the assessment process
  • check that the environment has the necessary equipment and facilities for the assessment to be done.

You should take a copy of the competency standards and your assessment plan with you, just to make sure that you can check everything that you’ll need for your assessment. If you can’t personally visit the assessment environment, consult with your client, a workplace representative or the candidate and delegate this responsibility… although this is not the ideal solution – you really should check it yourself.

STEP FOUR:Prepare the candidate.

Your primary concern is for the preparation of the candidate, so always make sure that he or she fully understands the assessment process. This means that they should know:

  • the competency standards against which you are assessing
  • the methodology (or methodologies) you will be utilising for the assessment
  • what form/s of evidence you will be asking for
  • what rights he or she has to an appeals process if required.

This can be covered in a variety of ways. Usually, the assessors here at LIV TRAINING visit the candidate/s prior to the assessment and run through all this information personally – this is ideal because there is an opportunity to check understanding and answer any queries or concerns. When a personal visit is not possible, we send a letter out that covers all of the above information, and follow that up with a phone call to check for understanding and answer any queries or concerns.

STEP FIVE:Prepare others involved in the assessment.

Sometimes in an assessment, it will be just you and the candidate. However, that doesn’t happen very often since most assessments are done in a workplace where you have the potential for many interruptions and distractions.

It is very distracting for the candidate to be interrupted during his or her assessment. Therefore, it’s important that you make sure the candidate’s colleagues are aware of the assessment taking place and take reasonable steps to leave him or her alone during the assessment process. You may need to consult with the candidate’s supervisor or manager to get their support with this.

STEP SIX:Book a time for the assessment.

This sounds obvious, but you may be surprised to find that some assessors think it’s okay to just “show up” at any time and conduct an assessment. Of course, it’s unfair to the candidate to spring a surprise assessment – you need to arrange a time.

When choosing a time for the assessment, you may need to take into account the workplace conditions. For example, at nFinity Marketing the phones are very busy from 8 to 10am, but quieten down for an hour or so before peak time again at around noon… so 10.30am would be an ideal time for an assessment to take place.