The Australian Library Journal
volume 50 issue 1

A dynamic profession: NVQs [National Vocational Qualifications] may impact on education for librarianship in Britain

The authors review the emergence and the implications of the UK system of National Vocational Qualifications, some less formal parallels of which have recently emerged in this country. The development is seen as one which affords greater flexibility and opportunity to both employees and employers.

Manuscript received August 1999

This is a refereed article

The context
Library and information managers can be found working in virtually all areas of educational, economic and cultural activity. Professionally managed libraries and information services are a key resource underpinning modern life, essential to the smooth running of government, legal systems, medical services, media, industry and business. They provide a vast array of information in a variety of formats and their management is fundamentally assisted by developments in information technology with not only information storage and retrieval but also processes such as acquisition, cataloguing and circulation being computerised.

The diversity of work environments presents a range of employment opportunities across all sectors, with the introduction of IT significantly broadening the role of librarians and information managers. There is a demand for multi-skilled individuals who can respond to the dynamic nature of the sector and engage in ongoing professional development. There is scope too for mature entrants to the information industry now that many employers actively operate equal opportunities policies.

Changes in the structure and culture of higher education and of libraries in the United Kingdom have highlighted new training approaches. Most of us who have worked in academic libraries in recent years have experienced reorganisation, restructuring, reviews, convergence [where library and computing services merge into one department] and universal cuts in funding. With the slimming down of organisations and the introduction of flatter management structures, changing staffing patterns emerge. More part-time or contract workers may be employed in the information and library sector and lower levels of staff may find themselves being given more responsibility than ever before. Changes in working practices and employment patterns can be traumatic for staff. The 'job for life' has, it would appear, ceased to exist and staff are faced with uncertainties and insecurities.

However, if we overcome our in-built resistance to change, these developments present us with opportunities as well as threats. Those of us who have been in the profession for several years have witnessed the so-called IT revolution which has increased our ability to cope with change, and other developments afford us the opportunity to further re-equip ourselves. We shall need to be more flexible to meet the needs brought about by developments in organisational culture. We need to up-skill and, indeed, become multi-skilled in many cases. More value may be placed on practical skills as well as academic qualifications with the organisation becoming a learning environment, fostering a continuous training culture.

The British librarian
For most professional posts in the United Kingdom, a formal qualification is necessary. Such a qualification will be one that is accredited by the Library Association (LA). The LA is the Chartered professional body that maintains a Register of Chartered Members in two categories: Associate (ALA) and Fellow (FLA). There are two graduate routes to qualification in the information profession, either by taking a first degree in librarianship and information studies, accredited by the LA or by taking a degree in another subject followed by an accredited postgraduate qualification (diploma or Masters). Before applying for Associateship, most applicants study for an accredited qualification followed by at least one year of supervised professional in-post training

Currently admission to The Library Association's Register of Chartered Members is open only to members who are graduates. However, recently a new kind of qualification emerged onto the British library scene, one that eventually may gain equivalence with Bachelors degrees and postgraduate qualifications. This new qualification is the NVQ (National Vocational Qualification - there is also an SVQ which is the Scottish Vocational Qualification) in Information and Library Services (ILS). This is available in three levels: 2, 3 and 4, with Level 5 under development. Levels 4 and 5 have equivalence with a bachelors degree and a postgraduate qualification respectively.

Impact of NVQs
We have just completed a research project at the University of Northumbria at Newcastle (UNN), which was the first library school to become an assessment centre for vocational qualifications. The project, funded by the Library and Information Commission, examines the impact which the introduction of NVQs in ILS have had on staff induction and training. Those most likely to have felt this impact, at this stage in the development of NVQs, are paraprofessionals undertaking Levels 2 and 3 of the qualification but it should prove interesting to study the development both of the qualification and of the candidates as they progress to Levels 4 and 5.

NVQs provide a route for people to qualify based on work practice and the gaining of competence. Currently library assistants who wish to advance into a professional library and information career need to undertake a degree course, for which there are certain entry requirements (eg school examinations known as GCSEs and 'A'—levels) but most British universities will accredit prior learning and experiential learning, so possession of NVQs may facilitate admission to relevant degree or postgraduate courses for those without the usual entry requirements. Mature entrants with work experience are assessed for course places at British universities on a different basis from school leavers, with full account being taken of vocational qualifications and experiential learning gained by them since leaving school. Those who can offer relevant vocational qualifications may therefore find possession of these to be advantageous when applying to study for an ILS degree.

From this it would appear that NVQs are likely to impact on the development and career potential of mature entrants to the profession. They have the capability to offer equity of access since they are open to anyone able to achieve the required standards; regardless of prior qualifications, age, gender or working pattern. What else do NVQs offer which is likely to impact on staff development and training within the ILS sector?

NVQs recognise and document the skills needed to do the job the candidate holds. These skills are closely defined in national industry standards describing the competencies needed to fulfil the elements and units which form the structure of the qualification at each level. These represent competence involving the application of knowledge in the performance of work activities. At Level 1, such activities are categorised as routine while at Level 2 they are more varied, with individual responsibility and autonomy plus possible collaboration with others. For Level 3 the activities are complex, non-routine, with considerable responsibility and autonomy plus control or guidance of others. Level 4 relates to a broad range of technical or professional activities with substantial personal responsibility and autonomy, responsibility for the work of others and resource allocation. Finally, Level 5 lays stress on significant responsibility, substantial personal autonomy and accountability for planning, execution and evaluation. Candidates need access to work experience appropriate to the NVQ Level they wish to gain, in order to learn and apply the necessary skills and document their achievements for assessment. There are no formal examinations but various courses, projects, tests, guided reading and informal study may be involved, in addition to work practice.

The successful NVQ candidate gains, therefore, a nationally recognised qualification: with her/his abilities having been measured against national standards. Since the National Framework includes generic units taken from Administration, Management, IT and Customer Service, an ILS paraprofessional who acquires these units demonstrates that s/he is carrying out many of the same functions as people working in quite different fields. As Hill (1995) comments:

... credits can be gained from other disciplines such as financial management and human resources thus allowing competency in non-core library skills to be recognised.

Therefore, once qualified, the ILS paraprofessional should be able to transfer more easily from one sector to another, and also between specialist areas within the sector, eg from archives to records management. NVQs are already gaining increased recognition in other European Community member states through various joint projects, so are internationally transferable. NVQs are based on occupational analysis of the ILS sector and are subject to regular review so that the national standards against which NVQ candidates are assessed derive from the best current national practice in ILS as part of the quality movement. NVQs have an inbuilt quality assurance factor since there is a commitment to keep the standards up to date by periodic revision.

The equity of access issue was mentioned above. NVQs are flexible and can be achieved at a pace to suit the trainee, with no barriers as far as age, gender, language or mode of attendance are concerned. Since NVQs do not require candidates to take extended time off work, they have applicability in the voluntary sector and in areas such as school libraries where limited resources, part-time workers and volunteers are the norm. At Brent, Griffiths (1995) found that undertaking study for NVQs promoted the role of school librarians in the eyes of the teachers. These librarians were consequently perceived as more useful in supporting curricular activities. As Dakers (1995) says, 'NVQs are tailor-made for those who cannot get away to do some formal training course because they have to mind the shop.'

However, if NVQ candidates are not given time during the day by their employer, they may need to give up lot of their own time and this may be more problematic for the part-time worker. Costs may be so prohibitive as to deter some would-be candidates and therefore work against the equity of access hoped for. However, because NVQs are often assessed in the workplace, and are relevant to employer's needs, costs will frequently be met by the organisation. These may be difficult to predict accurately, involving as they do charges for registration, certification and assessment.

In a small organisation assessment services are likely to be bought in rather than undertaken by a member of staff and this is likely to militate against assessment via direct observation of in situ performance. Costs incurred by individuals may be recouped in the long-term: an IFF Research Ltd survey in 1996 showed that 42% of employers gave pay rewards to staff when they gained an NVQ. Cooke & Holman (1995) anticipate that in sectors lacking any specific salary grades for library staff (eg the British National Health Service) NVQs will be useful when attempting to get library posts regraded, as the appropriate NVQ Level for that post will already be used for other positions within the organisation.

The IFF survey would seem to indicate employer recognition of the value of NVQs and Chapman (1997) reports an increase in managerial understanding of the paraprofessionals' key role in the smooth running of their service, 'what seems to have fired the imagination of the staff is that they recognise in the authority a commitment to resource them adequately to do the job expected of them'. Attainment of the qualification and attendant recognition should increase confidence; this is confirmed by Trevett and Scarsbrook (1997) 'We ... have seen the value of gaining a better trained and rather more confident staff member, who now has a recognised library qualification'. However, critics of NVQs such as Wilson (1995), writing at the time when the British (Tory) government was espousing 'Victorian values', view the qualifications as part of that government's 'inhumane and anti-social program to diminish the value of people at work, not only in monetary terms, but also in terms of their self-worth and self-esteem'.

Ideas of professionalism
NVQs have divided the ILS sector which has split into two camps, one viewing NVQs positively as an opportunity to develop staff to national standards, the other wishing to have nothing to do with them at all. Many opponents criticise the administering bureaucracy, a jargon-ridden language and costs in time and money. But perhaps the major question in the debate turns on the value and recognition of the qualifications. One issue is that of level, so that Level 2 is seen as too elementary for all paraprofessionals except new entrants, while Level 3 is considered by some (Totterdell (1997), Hackett (1998)) to be difficult for library assistants to attain, given the operational set-up in which many are working which might not afford them the opportunity to acquire and demonstrate certain of the competencies. Also, with regard to Level 3, this features a mandatory cataloging and classification unit. This is something of a 'hot potato' since many libraries and information units regard cataloging and classification as strictly the domain of the professional or as a traditional skill fast disappearing in the automated environment.

Concerns about 'professionalism' increase with Level 4 and the forthcoming Level 5 ILS NVQs. David Whitaker, former Chair of the ILS Lead Body (the organisation which develops, reviews and revises the standards), saw NVQs as an opportunity to professionalise information and library services at all levels And surely this can only benefit the ILS sector? As we all know, whether we have an academic qualification or not, it is possible for us to act in a 'professional' manner: however, a central concern of NVQ opponents is the future status of the profession of librarianship. Such critics are concerned about the lack of underpinning theory, feeling that those at management Level pursuing Level 4 (and soon Level 5) need more of this plus imagination, creativity, innovation and the capability of analytical thought. And yet the NVQs do demand that assessment portfolios reveal this underpinning knowledge and understanding: to carry out a task well, people need to know why they are doing it and what to do when things go wrong. Can NVQs deliver what the university system aims to achieve and what employers seek from graduates in librarianship and information studies - incremental intellectual development?

What has the Library Association's response to NVQs been? While Sandra Parker (LA president in 1996) described ILS-NVQs as being complementary to rather than replacements for existing qualifications, Noon (1993) spokesperson for the Personnel Training and Education Group of the LA commented that 'on the question of staff development issues we were not convinced that the supposed benefits of NVQs would have any relevance for professional staff ...'. In 1995 a number of Heads of Library Schools showed their concern over what they considered the inability of NVQs to meet the needs of professional education, issuing an open letter in the Library Association Record to initiate a debate. Muddiman (1995) makes two gloomy predictions:

NVQs may well prove popular with employers and students on tight budgets, with the effect of deprofessionalizing whole areas of work: ...2001 may well see in libraries the emergence of the jobber, who knows how but not why...

On the other hand, Irving (1995) reiterates Parker's comments, cited above, maintaining that the aim of NVQs is to complement, not to replace professional education. She states: 'NVQs do not denigrate professional education and training. They simply provide more opportunities for people to choose how to acquire these...'

The future
The introduction of NVQs has been the most significant development in vocational training in the United Kingdom in the last decade. The ILS occupational standards have been adopted across the sector and 151 assessment centres have been established in a range of organisations with more than 80%0 candidates registered overall. NVQs have yet to clearly establish their relationship to other qualifications with regard to appointment to senior posts, and their equivalency with academic qualifications. In due course these uncertainties should be clarified.

It is most likely that for the foreseeable future, professional level entrants to information and library work will enter by taking degree or postgraduate qualifications accredited by the Library Association, and subsequently develop their careers and gain seniority in the profession using Levels 4 and 5 of NVQ for continuing professional development (CPD). NVQs may be valuable to qualified staff as proof that they can translate the theory learned during higher education into practical competence in the workplace. The acquisition of a professional qualification does not mean that one can sit back and ignore new trends and CPD provides the wherewithal to record, systematise and demonstrate continuing competence. The underpinning knowledge and understanding (UKU) facet of the NVQ system is especially relevant here since it necessitates not only that the candidate demonstrates understanding of the theory behind the practice but also that s/he is aware of potential conflicts or ethical issues which might arise in the course of that practice.

Dakers (1994) defends competence based education and training (CBET) saying that there 'seems to be no empirical evidence that traditional approaches are more successful than CBET in the areas in which it is weak...' continuing her defence with the assertion that all traditional means of assessment are flawed because they test in a vacuum and are reliant on recall and luck. NVQs encourage good interpersonal skills, communications and organisational skills that many traditional courses have sought to instil in students, sometimes through contrived methods. Research carried out by the Library and Information Services Training and Education Network (LISTEN) identified a demand from young professionals for generic personal skills, and these are offered by the NVQ route.

Certainly the differentiation in the UK between education and training means that graduate recruits are unlikely to be ready for all aspects of work - although this is changing, to some extent, with key skills programs. We all know - and most of us could offer case studies - that it is possible to be bright academically but incompetent in a work context. Since NVQs measure competence, no grey areas are allowable - a candidate is either competent or not! NVQs, therefore, have the potential to complement ILS in higher education in the United Kingdom: some institutions such as the University of Northumbria at Newcastle, are currently demonstrating the way in which academia and the NVQ movement can work together to support staff induction and training.

A recent British government committee, under the chairmanship of Sir Ron Dearing, was given the task of making recommendations on how higher education - teaching, learning, scholarship and research - should develop to meet national needs over the next two decades. One of the principles which they considered was that: '... learning should be increasingly responsive to employment needs and include the development of general skills, widely valued in employment'. This principle is embraced by NVQs which present a challenge but also an opportunity for the providers of professional and vocational qualifications for the ILS sector in the United Kingdom and, although there are some legitimate concerns about NVQs' relationship with higher education, the competence approach has a lot to offer the academic curriculum. There is likely to be further debate about getting the best of both worlds in the form of a basic academic education plus the development of knowledge in the workplace.

References
Chapman, BM (1997) Kingston upon Hull City Libraries' commitment to staff training. Personnel Training and Education 14(1) p 9—10.

Cooke, R and Holman, J (1995) 'Developing people' in Carmel, M (ed) Health care librarianship and information work. Library Association p 218—31.

Dakers, H (1994) 'A matter of competence' Library Association Record, 96 [8] pp 446—447.

Dakers, H (1995) 'National Vocational Qualifications: what is in them for school libraries? School Librarian 43 [2] p 45.

Griffiths, J (1995) 'Managing rapid change in the UK library sector' Management Development Review 8(5).

Hackett, H and Johnson, M (1998) Library and Information Services project: a project funded by Gloucestershire Training and Enterprise Council [unpublished].

Hill, SJ (1995) 'Get that job - an introduction'. Librarian Career Development 3 [1].

Irving, A (1997) 'Aim of NVQs to complement not replace professional education'. Library Association Record, 97 [6], pp 327—8.

Muddiman, D (1995) 'Information and library education: a manifesto for the Millennium'. New Library World 96 [1119] p 26—31.

National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (1997). Higher education in the learning society. [The Dearing report], HMSO

Noon, P (1993) 'PTEG submission to the Follett Committee'. Personnel Training and Education 10 [2] pp 9, 11.

Parker, S, Hare, C and Gannon-Leary, P (1999) INSIST: the impact of National Vocational Qualifications on staff development and training. [Research report 6. Library and Information Commission.]

Totterdell, A (1997) 'NVQ's: A response to Steve Lee' Personnel Training and Education 14 [3] 1997 pp 14—15.

Trevett, A and Scarsbrook, P (1997) Making the case for S & NVQs: a presentation pack to help in making the case for using the Information and Library Services Scottish and National Vocational Standards and Qualifications. Information and Library Service Lead Body.

Whitaker, D (1994) 'NVQs: time to take stock' Library Association Record, 96 [8] pp 446—447.

Wilson, TD (1995) 'Are NVQs for robots?' Library Association Record, 97 [7] Jul 95 p 381.

The authors lecture at the School of Information Studies, University of Northumbria.

Catherine Hare joined the School in 1990 after eighteen years working in mainly academic libraries, ranging from universities to schools and including a year in Paris. Her principal teaching area is records management mainly for Masters students by way of distance learning. She also teaches information presentation technologies and other IT subjects to both undergraduates and postgraduates. Her main research areas and publications are in the field of professional education for records and information management and developing systems for managing electronic records. She is currently joint editor of the Records Management Journal and chair of the Records Management Society of Great Britain. E-mail: catherine.hare@unn.ac.uk

Sandra Parker has been in the School for 21 years having previously worked in public libraries. She teaches management, selection of materials and the development and provision of information services. She argues that the world is drowning in information and the skills of the information profession are essential to enable people to learn to seek and obtain relevant information of a high quality and organised in a way that would be helpful to them. She has been a member of the Library Association all her working life and was its president in 1996. She lives in a very small village, with a very good pub and is a member of The Parish Council. She has a very neglected organic allotment. E-mail: sandra.parker@unn.ac.uk