Posted By CFT Jamie I'm not going to go over the much discussed difference between the two routes; I would recommend you run some searches on teh forums under 'NVQ' and 'Diploma', a wealth of information will be found. Joining IOSH is a big plus in my personal opinion and as such if you held H&S responsibilities not necessarily on a full time basis prior to your dedicated 4 years for 12 months or so then you would be eligible to join at 'TECH' level, you can then start CPD and learn much in the coming months, this lead in may help you to decide which route may be the right one for you. Good luck CFT

Posted By Paul Duell I guess opinion is pretty much split down the middle about which route is best - as has already been said, the arguments have been pretty well rehearsed already in these forums, and you can go and have a read if you want. When I had to choose between diploma or NVQ, part of the decision making process was based on a scan of the job ads in the SHP: Nearly all of the higher-level positions were requiring "IOSH membership by examination" or similar wording - in other words, Diploma. Although my then-employer was paying for it, I was the one doing the work and decided to follow the course that would look best on the CV - just in case. Since that employer made me redundant literally two weeks after I completed the diploma, that proved to have been a sensible course of action! It seems to me at the moment that potential employers still have a bias in favour of the diploma, although it's weakening, and the gap will probably have closed further by the time you complete whatever you decide to do. If you do diploma, you'll learn a bigger range of academic stuff: In the NVQ you'll learn - and practice - a large selection of practical skills. All you can really do is decide which of these is best for your hoped-for career development. Finally - in the hope of avoiding a flaming - I'm NOT commenting one way or the other on the right-ness of employers preferring diploma - I'm just saying that's the way things are.

Posted By sarah myatt Hi, I have just sat the Nebosh Diploma course and although I have no experience of the the other routes there were those that had attempted other courses prior to commencing the diploma and found the diploma to be better for themselves as individuals. My advice therefore would be to look at all aspects of both courses and see which one suits you, the way you study, how much time you can give etc. I joined IOSH as an affiliate with no experience, just the Nebosh cert ( which is level 3) I am now gaining experience in order to gain Tech status. The point is that even though I am only an affiliate member I have found the membership most useful, the branch meetings and advice lines, its well worth doing. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you great luck. All the best, Sarah.

Posted By AHS The NVQ can still be done for around a £1500 and you just have to sit an open book exam. But make no mistake the chaps that I use who have done that route worked hard and know their onions.

Posted By Hazel Harvey Jamie, As you are in Nottinghamshire have a look at the courses that Nottingham Trent University offer as well as the NVQ or NEBOSH Diploma. In actual fact about 50% of new members to IOSH use accredited university courses to become Graduate Members. If you look in 'about membership' list of courses you find a hyperlink to NTU. Hazel Harvey Director of Professional Affairs

Posted By Chris Costall Hello Jamie, I am also based in Nottinghamshire, & I like you, have been in the same situation, I had completed my level three (NEBOSH General & Construction Cert) & I had the dilemma as to which path to take, NVQ or Diploma. I am more of a practical individual so the NVQ route I thought would have been the more suitable option. But after speaking to several individuals within the H&S industry and looking into which qualification employers seem to be favouring, I made the decided to under take the diploma route. I am currently studying at North Nottinghamshire College; I would recommend you contacting them. The individual within the college who runs the H&S courses (Clive) is also the Chairman for the Nottinghamshire IOSH branch he may be able to give you some practical advice. If you decide to go down the Diploma route, speaking from personal experience, you will have to be dedicated there is a lot of learning to do! Just to throw another spanner in the works there is another qualification on the market that you may want to consider: The British Safety Council (Level 6 Diploma In Occupational Safety & Health) I would also recommend you researching the pass rates for the three qualifications named above. Another point to consider, the NEBOSH Diploma is now a level 6 & not 4, I’m unsure if the NVQ has changed to the same level or if there is an equivalent available. Regards Chris

Posted By Rodrigo Melo Hi everyone, Not sure where Allan Wood got his information from. But just been to the National Database of Accredited Qualifications® (http://www.accreditedqualifications.org.uk/) and the NVQ 4 in OHS is at level 4 and the NEBOSH Diploma is at level 6. In addition: Under "Potential Job Occupations", there are more options for the NEBOSH Diploma. Under "Progression" the Diploma is accepted for Msc level while progression from the NVQ4 is for NVQ5 or Higher Education. Of course, employers can have their own pick, but it seems the Diploma is more requested. I suggest the above site is visited, there is some good and useful information there. All the best.

Posted By allan wood rodrigo check facts before engaging brain and then typing

Posted By Rodrigo Melo Allan Wood, CFT, I do not intend to mislead anyone, and your statements are probably right. Allan, apologies if you got the message the wrong way, I am here to participate and get information. But can anyone tell me were to check that bit of information? You see, so far all evidence I can find states NVQ at level 4 and Diploma at level 6, check the link I posted earlier. Apparently you obviously disagree. Unfortunately I have an internal issue in my company and your statements alone are not sufficient. So please, you must have got that information from somewhere, can you tell me where from? Thank you

Posted By Rodrigo Melo Thank you Teresa. How many scales does the National Database of Accredited Qualifications® have? Still this is all a bit confusing. It seems that the NVQs and the Diplomas are measured in different scales, but there is no such indication from: http://www.accreditedqua...cation/5001187X.seo.aspx and http://www.accreditedqua...cation/10026812.seo.aspx The above links make me think they are stating levels to the same scale and this is very misleading. The OCR Overview (below) also seems to be very careful in attributing a level to their NVQs. OCR Overview: […] NVQs are assessed in the workplace through observation of performance, evaluation of evidence and questioning. They are offered at Level 1 to Level 5 of the National Qualifications Framework in a wide variety of occupational sectors. […] If these are different scales, then, I would have to assume these are not comparable in the sense that one is a professional qualification and the other is an academic qualification and therefore one does not replace the other, but combining them should be very strengthening. On the other hand, if they are in fact in the same scale, I can only assume one is higher than the other as per the new level scheme. Anyway, the OHS NVQ4 is disappearing soon. This should put an end to the confusion.

Posted By Rodrigo Melo Hi again, I finally got an answer from a course provider out there that makes some sense: “The NEBOSH Diploma is a course designed to take someone from Level 3 competence to Level 4. It is an academic course. The level 4 NVQ is for those who have already reached Level 4 competence and require a qualification to prove it.” So, they are at the same level but measured in different scales. The NVQ4 is officially level 4 but comparable to the level 6 Diploma. And looking at it from the other end, the diploma is a level 6 but when comparing that with the NVQ scale, it is at level 4. A bit like the temperature scales, Fahrenheit and Celsius (Centigrade) Good, no I’m no longer confused. Nothing that a bit of persistence wouldn’t resolve.

Posted By Rodrigo Melo CFT, Thanks for the above. I'll be more careful next time