College Delegation wows GQA Conference

A delegation from Forth Valley College took centre stage at the prestigious GQA Customer Conference, held at the iconic Concorde Conference Centre at Manchester Airport recently.

Held on Wednesday 13 November, the event brought together over 200 industry professionals to share best practices and celebrate advancements in vocational training and assessment. GQA Qualifications Limited is an Awarding Body for specialist sectors and occupational roles.

Teri Smith, Work-Based Assessor; Ross Thompson, Assessment Manager; and Zak Stark, Head of Commercial Training and Delivery, led workshops highlighting FVC’s successful collaboration with BP Senegal.

Their presentations focused on the ground breaking delivery of Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ) in Engineering to 46 internationally based technicians, a first for the awarding body in the international market.

Zak Stark reflected on the significance of the project and said: "We were delighted to deliver five sessions throughout the day to over 200 delegates, all interested to hear about the innovative partnership we have with GQA. Forth Valley College has now established itself as the first centre to deliver remote SVQ qualifications in the international market. This achievement would not have been possible without the dedication of Ross Thompson and the team of assessors linked to this project."

Zak went on to recognise the exceptional contributions of assessors Teri Smith, Gillian Lee, Fiona Kirkaldy, Bill Hill, Jim Muir, and Robert Fairley, as well as the Learning and Quality Department, and in particularly Rob McDermott, who were instrumental in the project’s success.

He added: “FVC’s partnership with GQA represents a bold step forward in remote qualification delivery, showcasing the potential of innovative approaches to training and assessment in meeting the needs of international industries.

“The workshops provided attendees with valuable insights into the challenges and rewards of delivering high-quality vocational qualifications on a global scale.

This achievement cements Forth Valley College’s reputation as a leader in vocational education and demonstrates the strength of its commitment to fostering international partnerships that deliver real-world impact.”