No help with NVQ Level 3 Training, advice needed!

[Amy90]

I have been working in Pharmacy nearly 3 years, I completed my NVQ Level 2 course in dispensing back in october 2009. I have since then been waiting to further my career and complete my NVQ Level 3 course to be a Technician. After constantly asking my area manager to put me onto the course, I was constantly told that I was on a waiting list and would have to wait. After nearly a year and a half I got fed up and handed my notice in to move to another company, a week after handing this in my course had been authorised and came through to start a month later, which was by then too late. As you can tell I was really annoyed as all it took was to them to put me through the course to start with which seemed easy enough.

Since moving to another company, I was told they would put me through the course I wanted. That was back in May 2011. I have now since been told that I am again on a waiting list yet the company is already trying to cut down on hours etc so there is no way I will be getting the course. I have been looking into paying for the course myself with Buttercups who have since told me all I need is authorisation from the company to say I can do the course whilst there. However, the company I work for dont deal with Buttercups, only NPA. I have asked management if they can authorise it, even though its not going to cost them anything, they wont authorise it, so i'm stuck! Is there any other way I can do the course, I would really appreciate any advice at the moment. I feel like in a dead end job, and seriosly considering giving up on a career in Pharmacy, even though I love the job I do!

[xxxhepsxxx]

hi

sorry to hear that you are having trouble with getting onto the course. What sort of waiting list is it? As i know that the NPA only have intakes at certain time of year. Do you not have an area trainer within you're organsation? Also in some organsations a NVQ level 3 is only for people that are to become a ACT in the future. Also maybe its a good idea to speak to you're area manager about how you feel and see if he or she can give you some light on the situation. Its a pity that the company isnt willing to invest in you're development and trainning.

[johnep]

The 'waiting list' is solely to save money and also to retain staff as a fair nbr of NVQ3s leave to enter hospital.
johnep

[DeborahT]

Hi Amy
What a sad predicament you're in! Without wanting to be negative, if you.re employer isn't going to support you in your efforts to improve yourself and can't see the benefits the business would reap then do they really deserve to have you? To get through the course you need lots of support from your pharmacist, not to mention lots of enthusiam, time and effort from yourself, so you may be better off satisfying your career ambitions elsewhere. I do hope you manage to get on the course, good luck

[sparkybw]

this is the right time of year to apply for a place on an NHS NVQ3 course. I would set up an email alert with NHS jobs and just apply for any course in your area or wherever you are prepared to work.

[Amy90]

Thank you everyone for your advice. The 'waiting list' is supposedly other people waiting to get onto the course, there are with NPA only certain times of the year to be able to enrol onto the course but its at the HR descretion. I get the impression that my company dont want to help staff progress in there careers as it will cost them and want to keep them on the lowest pay possible. Once I have completed the course I will have more knowledge of the job and medication I am dispensing and so can give better advise to customers and therefore bring the business more money. I have spoken to the area manager and their manager about this several times but nothing seems to get sorted. Also I dont see the problem with me offering to fund the course myself and them just authourising it.

this is the right time of year to apply for a place on an NHS NVQ3 course. I would set up an email alert with NHS jobs and just apply for any course in your area or wherever you are prepared to work.

I have looked on NHS website at pharmacy jobs in a hospital and havent seen anything where I can do a course? Would it be a pharmacy technician course like an apprenticeship while I work there?

[sparkybw]

It can be an apprenticeship, so similar to this one which is currently being advertised. NHS Jobs - Job Details Frankly I think it is really taking the p to only pay £100 per week and expect someone to work a full week and go to college but I suppose they will always find someone to do it.
And another which is more local to you. NHS Jobs - Job Details

What would be preferable is to find a course that you are employed by the NHS for the duration of. You would get 70% of the top of Band 4 in the first year and 75% in the second year. So that is about £16,000 in the first year and £17,000 in the second. This kind of vacancy will be advertised soon for the September 2012 intake.

I would set up an email alert using just pharmacy as the search term and don't specify any area. That will give you the widest choice of jobs and places. As your profile says that you are in Yorkshire you are handily placed for a variety of Trusts. You will receive an email everyday with any new vacancies and you can just skim through them and look for any likely ones.

You could also look for anything such as dispensing assistant or support worker as that would get your feet under the table and give you an advantage for any training that comes up. Or you could even pay for your own training. The hospital would be happy to support you through the training. There are people in my training hospital doing that. Sample vacancy here: NHS Jobs - Job Details

Here's another example but you need to already be employed by the trust to apply. NHS Jobs - Job Details You can see the variation in titles for the jobs, that's why I suggest just using 'pharmacy' and not something such a assistant or dispenser. You will get a few irrelevant ones but you won't miss out on possible either.

Here's another one, only this time it's for a support worker. NHS Jobs - Job Details

I'll keep an eye out for them starting the paid courses and add them to this thread.

[dizzyb23]

My advice would be to get on an NHS course within a local hospital. I have been exactly where you are now and I voted with my feet!!! I was messed about so many times by various companies. In the end I made the decision to move on. I had an interview and test at my local hospital and was lucky to be offered the Student Tech job and it was the best decision of my career. I also believe that the quality of training and support in hospital versus community is so much better. The amount of times i've heard of community student Techs struggling badly with the course compared to hospital student tech............Although i'm sure a lot of community students have had a positive experience. But I guess it all comes down to availability of courses in your area...I do understand your need to do the course. It's the next natural step for a dispenser. But I wouldn't pay for it myself either!! It's a lot of money and you have no guarantees that your company will give you time to complete it anyway. Can you imagine spending all that money and your company doesn't support you with the training???
I also had this issue when I was trying to do my ACT. First company said in the first month of my employment that they wanted me to do my ACT with them. Very nice...a year later we went on the training day and started our items. Three years later and we gave up as they did not support us at all. I quit with them as I was offered the chance of moving to another company to do my ACT. Was supposed to start doing it within a month but six months later was still waiting. After much complaining and moaning, I finally got the course started. Had I not stirred the s***, i'd still be waiting to do it now.....

Hope you get the chance to do your course.....