What is workplace assessment?

Workplace assessment is the final part of a structured learning programme. A qualified workplace assessor measures and formally recognises the skills and knowledge you have gained and are using on the job every day. It's about building your confidence to aim higher and gain even more experience.

You are assessed by a registered workplace assessor from your agency or an external agency. If the assessor judges that your skills and knowledge meet the standards required, your skills will be formally recognised in a national standard. Once you have achieved all the standards required they will be recognised in a qualification.

The assessment can take place on or off the job. It could be an assessment of:

• what you already know and do in your job - your current skills
• your new learning that you demonstrate in your everyday work.

How does workplace assessment happen? Your employer will use a registered workplace assessor - from your agency or an external agency - to assess you against unit standards from the National Qualifications Framework. The workplace assessment process follows six broad stages. 1. You work out the unit standards you want to be assessed against (often with help from your manager and Learning State). 2. You meet with the workplace assessor before the assessment to: discuss where, when, and how the assessment will take place work out what you do in your work that will show you meet the unit standard's requirements work out the evidence you need to gather to show you meet the unit standard's requirements. 3. You gather evidence. 4. You are assessed by the workplace assessor. 5. The workplace assessor tells you whether you have met the standard and reports your result to Learning State. 6. Learning State lodges your result with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, so it can send you an updated Record of Learning once a year showing the standards you have achieved.

What is evidence? Evidence for workplace assessment can take several forms depending on the specific requirements of the unit standard. The relevant Learning Assessment Guide will explain the evidence requirements for each unit standard.

How is evidence collected? You and the assessor collect evidence in four main ways. 1. The assessor (or another observer) watches you complete a specified task. 2. You collect written examples of your work for the assessor to judge. 3. You have a face-to-face interview with an assessor or write responses to written questions. 4. Your manager gives the assessor a reference about your skills and experience.

What does the assessor do with the evidence? The workplace assessor weighs up the evidence collected against the unit standard's requirements by: checking that your evidence is your own work (the authenticity principle) checking that your evidence matches the requirements of the standard for which you are being assessed (the validity principle) assessing you against the same criteria for the same standard that other learners are assessed against (the fairness principle) checking that you have collected enough evidence for the assessor to judge your work (the sufficiency principle) checking that your evidence is less than 2 years old (the currency principle). After the workplace assessor has reviewed the evidence, they may ask you for more information and your manager or someone you work with to confirm what you do in your job.

What if I think my assessment was unfair? If you think your workplace assessment was incorrect or unfair, you can ask for a review.