To support exams officers achieve their annual Exams Officer Professional Standards, and to ensure that they are developing/acquiring the skills required to perform the role effectively and efficiently, an online Skills Platform will be launched during the 2024/2025 academic year
Senior leaders must ensure that their exams officer is continually developing/acquiring the key skills required to successfully undertake the tasks associated with the management, administration and conducting of examinations within their centre.
The development of these key skills is also a requirement if an exams officer is to acquire their Exams Office Professional Standards each academic year.
The ten most common skills as identified by exams officers to undertake their role effectively include:
- Time management
- People management
- Contingency planning/risk management
- Prioritising tasks/workload/multitasking
- Problem solving
- Communication skills
- Handling difficult conversations
- Presentation skills
- Managing deadlines
- Working collaboratively
During the 2024/2025 academic year, the NAEO will be launching an online skills platform which will include certificated assessments. This will assist exams officers in acquiring, developing, and evidencing achievement in the skills listed above. The content within the online platform will be updated on an annual basis.
The longer-term aim is to enhance the platform to provide access to a ‘higher’ level within each skill area, and to create an exams officer 'qualification'.
Exams officers should meet with their senior leader/line manager to agree the skills which they need to focus upon and how this development will be acquired. This could include mentoring a colleague, attending courses (in person or online), research etc.
Information of the Skills Platform will be available on this page from September 2024.