Posted By andy Harris
Are the level 4 & 5 not of a degree standard according to City and Guilds?

I have had experience of interviewing a candidate with a degree in health and safety, finding their practical knowledge very limited.
Whilst degrees are predominantely theoretical, health and safety requires practical application.
So I therefore believe the NVQ route is better suited for practitioners especially if they have the underpinning knowledge from the NEBOSH Dip course.
As someone who holds L4 & L5 in OHSP I can see no value in taking a degree course

Good luck anyway, all avenues in health and safety should be explored.

Posted By Jim Mc Nally
I think we need to look at how we as a profession present ourselves. In most other professions degrees and master degrees are recognisable. But we don't talk about this, we talk about levels in NVQs and diplomas (part 1 or part 2). Perhaps that's why there is always so much confusion on what is the best route to take.

An inexpensive, recognised degree course might be the way the go.

Posted By Jack
Yes. If the course was being developed in Engineering or virtually any other discipline would anyone be saying it was better to get an NVQ? Of course, people need to get experience - they do in engineering disciplines too - but that is even more effective if the person has a good theoretical base.

I guess we've all interviewed unsuitable candidates in the past but such anecdotal evidence is of limited value in assessing how they became qualified.

Posted By jacqueline
I disagree with everyone, (except Jim)the question posed related to a potential degree course and members thoughts on running it. Reading between the lines of posted responses, I percieve that the proposed degree could pose a threat to current NVQ holders... esp with all the avenues and titles involved........ I will purposely leave this sentance open.

I have a 4 year full time third level science degree in occupational safety and health and loads of practical hands on experience. (By the way I am currently undertaking my masters in ESH management and working as well as a safety advisor on both sides of the border). I completed my degree in Southern Ireland and I can confidently say that it (and myself) are in great demand as opposed to someone with an NVQ. Granted there are some exceptional NVQ holders out there but, their knowledge scope is limited (I have experience of this)esp if they are sponsored. Nevertheless, it all has to do with competence and ability to do the job at the end of the day.

Increasingly, the current demand for degree holders in both Ireland and northern Ireland is lucrative and there are very few of us here. Job specs commonly demand a minimum of 5yrs experience with a degree qualification. In addition, my counterparts in europe have never heard of an NVQ - however, they recognise the degree status straight away! I think that says it all.

On another note, why not seek your own college accrediation, why IOSH?

Posted By Stuart Nagle
Mike.

Further to my response above, and some of the comments too, it is obvious from the membership figures that the vast majority of those joining IOSH are doing so as a result of having obtained either a first degree or higher degree, as the preferred option.

This would indicate that there is a continued and increasing need for such courses. Although for IOSH membership to be obtained via this route, IOSH accreditation of the course(s) is necessary.

The second highest membership route, and still increasing in popularity is the NVQ route, with the NEBOSH Diploma decreasing in popularity over the last 5 to 6 years.

(Figures available in IOSH Annual Reports)

There are I believe a number of reasons for these statistics, some of which, in my opinion, are;

1) Cost. The cost of courses is the first thing that will deter a prospective student. The Student, unless sponsored by an employer or another body will have finanical limitations that will exclude spending thousands of £££'s on a course. An employer is also likely to seek a course for employees that offers the best qualfication at least cost and least loss of time in the workplace.

2) Access to courses. Most students now seek to learn in their own time ( i.e. Distance Learning), and employers appear to be more reluctant nowadays to freeing employees from the workplace for long periods of time, for example to attend week-long 'sessions' ect.

3) Perceived level of attainment. It would appear from the statistics and comments of students, including those made previously on this site that they clearly see a BSc or MSc as a preferred and more widely recognised level of qualification.

4) The NVQ has more cudos with peer professionals and employers than a Diploma! At the risk of being vilified by all NEBOSH students past and present, it appears that the NVQ system offers the student (an experienced but perhaps unqualified practitioner) the opportunity to be judged by a professional and qualified peer group who are experienced IOSH members. In an employers eyes, often this type of qualification shows that the person holding it 'can-do' rather than being 'qualified as'...

If there is a risk in the NVQ system it is that the quality and standards applied by assessors may not always be equal and that the quality of assessors in their interpretation of standards will differ.

5) The way forward. Given the statistics produced by IOSH in their annual reports on membership, it would appear that the higher level qualification route to membership will increase further in the coming years. In addition, the advent of Chartered Members and the continuing need to ensure that standards of excellence of members of a Chartered Body are maintained, will at some point in the future inevitably lead to the stage where Chartered membership will be by higher level qualification only, and other qualifications only suitable for non-chartered membership.