FAQS

 Your questions answered.

Do all my assessments have to take place during training?

Answer: Assessment can take place at any time either during training sessions on paying models or in the salon on paying Clients (for example, a blow dry on a Client completed for a hairdresser who is also a qualified assessor).  You must check with your salon Head of Centre regarding your salon policy on assessment on Clients.

What is ERR and do I really have to complete it?

Answer: ERR stands for Employment Rights and Responsibilities and forms one of three important parts of the Apprenticeship and Advanced Apprenticeship frameworks undertaken by Candidates in England, the other two parts are the NVQ and the Key Skills. In order to achieve the Apprenticeship or the Advanced Apprenticeship award, all three parts must be completed.

Will I have to do an end-test for my Key Skills?

Answer: Key Skills are something the government insists on as part of the apprenticeship framework. Candidates who hold any grade of GCSEs in English or maths subjects may be exempt from taking the Key Skills end test and in some cases, if they have Grade C or above, exempt from doing Key Skills altogether. Please speak to your salon Head of Centre or RTA if you think you may be exempt.

What does open book/closed book mean with Written Questions

Answer: An open book asessment is a form of examination into which the Candiate may bring any material that he/she deems may assist him/her.  The material may be in the form of books, class notes, etc.   The examination must take place within the salon and should be monitored to ensure Candidates do not simply copy from each other.  Closed book means that Candidates cannot refer to any notes, or books or other learning material. 

Perming isn’t really done in our salon – do we really have to do perming for the NVQ?

Answer: Although perming is definitely not as popular as it used to be, it is still an important skill in hairdressing and so HABIA (the organisation that writes the hairdressing standards) have decided to keep perming in NVQ Level Two so, yes, it must be done. Interestingly, perming has now been made an option for Level Two and Level Three.

When we do perming, must is always be on real people or can we use dummy heads?

Answer: All assessments for perming must be completed on real people who are having a real perm, but practice can take place on dummy heads (blocks) using water to wind the perm rather than perm solution. Because of the shortage of people wanting basic perms, many salons approach local nursing homes to ask if any older ladies want ‘granny perms’.  

 How long should it take to complete my NVQ?

Answer: This varies quite a bit depending on the skills of the individual and how hard each person works at their training. Often one Candidate may seem to be ‘racing away’ only to slow down later, whilst another Candidate in the same salon may start slowly yet overtake the first Candidate later. 

 What is a Full Framework?

Answer: A full-framework consists of the following: NVQ (Level 2 or 3), Key Skills in Application of  Number or Communication (Level 1 or 2) plus Employment Rights and Responsibilities. If you achieve the above you will receive three separate certificates – a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ), a Key Skills certificate and either an Apprenticeship or an Advanced Apprenticeship Full Framework certificate.