The role of the assessor and verifier

Members of the Competence & Training Core Committee have compiled the following information on the definition and role of the assessor and the verifier in competence assurance and assessment.

Assessors

What is the role of an assessor?

An assessor should be a skilled, knowledgeable and objective judge of the competence of vessel personnel.  The role of the assessor is crucial to the proper working of a competence scheme.  Assessors need adequate time and resources to undertake their responsibilities effectively and should have undertaken training to ensure a high and consistent standard of assessment is delivered.

How does an assessor work?

An assessor should:

• Work closely with personnel to identify opportunities for gathering evidence;
• Agree assessment plans to allow personnel to work towards completion;
• Assess the evidence against the required competence standard, ensuring it is current, suitable, sufficient and authentic;
• Provide both formal and informal feedback on work conducted;
• Liaise with other assessors and the verifier to ensure that assessment is uniform and of the same high standard for all personnel.

Verifiers

What is the role of a verifier?

The role of the verifier is quality control and quality assurance of assessments that have been completed offshore.  QC is done by checking the final assessment and ensuring compliance with the required criteria, and QA is done by checking that the way the final assessment was conducted was itself authentic and correct.

How does a verifier work?

A verifier should:

• Ensure there is a uniform and consistent approach and application of the assessment process;
• Ensure that all assessors are assessing and applying competency guidelines to the same standard;
• Provide support, advice and guidance to assessors;
• Ensure that all assessments and records are accurate and complete;
• Resolve problems with interpretation of performance criteria, range statements, or underpinning knowledge;
• Make recommendations for appropriate improvements to the competency programme.

Originally issued with the following reference(s): IMCA C 01/20