As many of you are aware I am a big advocate of the importance of quality education within the health and fitness sector… well all sectors to that end.  Having been involved in the education of fitness professionals for a number of years, and being involved in the skills education for over ten years.  ABout a year ago I saw a feature in FE Week discussing how Ofqual was looking for external experts to advise them on aspects of policy and regulation. 

Any of you that know me personally know that I like to offer my two pennies worth when asked, so being involved in organisations I feel are vital to my industry and sector is always important to me.  I am a firm  believer that preparing individuals for the job roles they are going to be in, and giving them the key skills is so the important part of any training course.  Courses should infuse their attendees with the desire to learn, develop and do the very best in the job role that they are looking to enter, and most importantly build overall learning skills that allow them to keep studying in the years to come. 

This should all be ‘tested’ using assessment methodology that reflects the specific type of course and role that the learner is being prepared for.  To that end I have been looking at ways that I could become involved with this process and have some level of input in to the outcomes.  I was on the REPs council for a number of years but as things shifted having this systems was no longer a focus of REPs, since then I have been looking at ways to do my bit.

So I went through the process of being approved as an external expert for Ofqual, and of you guys who are unsure who they are here is a quick run down.  Ofqual is the Office of Qualifications and is a branch of the government that oversees regulated qualifications in the UK.  They basically ensure qualifications are delivered to a good standard, fit for purpose and qualification structures are reviewed. 

I have been accepted as a Ofqual external expert, so what does this mean?  Well it means that I have been approved to work on a range of projects basically offering my advice based on my experience of vocational sports related qualifications.  I am excited to be working in this role as it will allow me to use the many lessons I have learned while being involved in education to help guide and have an input on any of the projects that Ofqual are working on that fit my skill set.

I act as a subject matter expert in a range of settings on the subjects of vocational sports and fitness qualifications, quality assurance (IQA) as well as a range of technical subjects.  Have a look at the services section of this site for more information.