TAQA: it might not be what you have been told it is!
Posted on 9th May 2023 at 16:57
If you work in education and training – or even if you don’t but you want to - you may have heard the term TAQA thrown around. But what does it actually mean? Many people assume that it only refers to the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement, which allows individuals to assess learners in a workplace or training environment. However, TAQA is actually much more than that....
TAQA stands for Training, Assessment, Quality Assurance.
This means that it includes several qualifications related to these three areas: not just the assessing qualification!
T is for Training, and includes the Level 3, 4 or 5 Award, Certificate or Diploma in Education and Training. This qualification is for individuals who want to teach in further education settings, such as colleges, adult education centres or their own businesses.
A is for Assessment, which is the bit that does include the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement! This qualification is ideal if you want to assess learners in a workplace or training environment. However, there are also other assessment qualifications that fall under TAQA, such as the shorter Level 3 Award in Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment.
QA is for Quality Assurance. This includes internal and external quality assurance qualifications, such as the Level 4 Award in the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practices and Understanding the Principles and Practices of Externally Assuring the Quality of Assessment. These qualifications are for IQAs (Internal Quality Assurers) and EQAs (External Quality Assurers) who want to ensure that assessment is conducted fairly and accurately and that quality standards are being met.
Many organisations are happy for you to start with the knowledge units for the Quality Assurance elements of TAQA. This means that you can boost your career in education and training by upskilling, without necessarily having learners available to work with straight away. It can certainly be a chicken and egg situation, which we talk about in more detail here.
At The EMG, we offer a version of the Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training that includes the knowledge units for both the IQA and EQA awards. This means that individuals can gain a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of TAQA and be fully equipped to work in education and training roles.
So next time someone mentions TAQA, don’t be afraid to correct them if they assume it only refers to the assessor qualification! Break each letter down: if you haven't got all of the qualifications, you haven't yet got full TAQA!
If you need more information about how to achieve these qualifications, don’t hesitate to contact Amanda at The Education Management Group.
Tagged as: AET, PTLLS, Training, Teaching, Award in Education, AET; CAVA; assessor; courses, Become an assessor; become a teacher, Choosing a course, TAQA; AET; CAVA
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