NCRQ vs NVQ vs NEBOSH

[petemac007]

I learn by doing/on the job, I find it difficult reading a book and trying to retain information for an exam so thinking of an alternative to NEBOSH. I can't study for the NVQ as I am not working in a safety-related role with some degree of autonomy so looked at the NCRQ.

Has anyone got an opinion of the NCRQ path, is it the equivalent to NEBOSH and would the qualification get me a job in H&S. Advice greatly appreciated.

Pete

[PaddyT]

Pete ,

To answer your question;

Has anyone got an opinion of the NCRQ path, is it the equivalent to NEBOSH and would the qualification get me a job in H&S.

My personal opinion is it is a very enjoyable course but is book heavy, if that makes sense. You are required to look at case studies based on real incidents as well as carry out research online.

Is it equivalent to NEBOSH, NCRQ Certificate in Applied Health and Safety is regarded by IOSH for membership purposes as equivalent to NEBOSH NGC, NCRQ Diploma in Applied Health and Safety is regarded by IOSH for membership purposes as equivalent to NEBOSH Diploma.

Would it get you a job in health and safety, on it's own probably not as successfully completing a course does not make anyone competent for a job in any industry.

Hope this is of some help.

Paddy

[Steve M]

I am doing the NEBOSH diploma it is very in depth, brain meltdown on a daily basis, but it is very interesting and good when I can recall something in a later conversation, I struggle with exams, I found the Certificate difficult but I passed first time, 3 of my colleagues failed first time, the diploma is like 3 certificates (In my eyes).

I have not experienced the NCRQ but I have heard of people who have, all reviews I have heard say it is a lot easier, to me this means it probably is easier, who would you as an employer choose, someone who took the difficult route or someone who took the easy route?

If I was taking someone on I would not see the NCRQ as an equivalent but as a stepping stone.

But as I say I have not tried the NCRQ.
Having said that a lot of the job opportunities I see appear not to know much about health and safety anyway, many agencies ring up and say I see you have your NEBOSH, no distinction between certificate and diploma.

[laura81]

Hi,

Working through the NCRQ Diploma, I can highly recommend it. It really gets you thinking, and is very enjoyable.
I think it is much more challenging than NEBOSH - you really need to understand things and be able to apply them to scenarios, and it really tests the depth of your knowledge and understanding. It is much more intellectual, and of course NCRQ is developed by employers themselves so it focuses on the skills that they want to see.
It is easier than NEBOSH in that it doesn't test your memory - you don't need to spend a long time trying to memorise things - you can focus on understanding it and then researching when you get your assignment, which is kind of what you need to do in real life. You do spend much more time being assessed with NCRQ than NEBOSH - you spend about 10 hours or so on each assessment on average, compared with perhaps 30 minutes on an exam question. So I think it is probably a much more deeper test of your actual understanding and ability to apply things than NEBOSH, where NEBOSH tries to get you to remember facts about a wide scope of things.
If you search for "NCRQ" on here, you will find a lot of reviews and feedback from both perspectives.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

Laura

[petemac007]

Hi Laura.

Thank you for the review and advice much appreciated. The more I look intgo it the NCRQ would seem to be better for my learning style.

[petemac007]

Hello PaddyT.

Advice appreciated, think I will go for the NCRQ.

[Dodds]

The trouble with NEBOSH is that even though you may be on the right track with your answer in your exams, as its not depicted in the way NEBOSH want you won't get any marks. They are very harsh on that, you need to answer it the NEBOSH way.

In my last exam I had a question which stated "comment on the above" - now I was never taught in the classroom how to answer those types of questions so I did as it said, I commented, in depth, on the above. How well I done from that question I have no idea as I failed anyway.

And don't ever appeal, chances are they will take more marks off you than give you any more ! I find NEBOSH as an organisation very difficult to deal with and please. The course itself is tough, really tough, but it should be, its a diploma. I did enjoy it though, its the studying and exam prep that I'm bad at.

[Jack Kane]

Just to balance your opinion on things Dodds, it should be kept in mind that NEBOSH have debunked the myth of 'NEBOSH speak' and they aim to be as fair as possible to a stringent set of criteria.

Have a read of their newsletter and the article in it titled

MYTH: To pass
NEBOSH examinations
you have to learn
‘NEBOSH speak’

You can read that here - NEBOSH News Issue 24 from 2008 - https://www.nebosh.org.uk/newsletter/ar ... f=379&ct=2

Also, the appeals process they have might not always give the desired outcome for somebody, but there are plenty of examples on the forums of people successfully gaining marks and taking them into a pass or higher grade.

[Dodds]

Just to balance your opinion on things Dodds, it should be kept in mind that NEBOSH have debunked the myth of 'NEBOSH speak' and they aim to be as fair as possible to a stringent set of criteria.

Have a read of their newsletter and the article in it titled

MYTH: To pass
NEBOSH examinations
you have to learn
‘NEBOSH speak’

You can read that here - NEBOSH News Issue 24 from 2008 - https://www.nebosh.org.uk/newsletter/ar ... f=379&ct=2

Also, the appeals process they have might not always give the desired outcome for somebody, but there are plenty of examples on the forums of people successfully gaining marks and taking them into a pass or higher grade.

And i appreciate them saying that but it does not make me believe it.

[Stevied10]

Hi Pete,
I'm doing the NCRQ certificate in applied Health & Safety just now. I have already passed the NEBOSH NGC but I prefer the NCRQ method of learning. I feel as though with NEBOSH it is really just about memorizing information and then on exam day writing down what you have remembered without necessarily understanding what any of it meant but with NCRQ, I find that it is more based on getting you to understand the information rather than just remembering it. The fact that you don't need to sit exams is also a big positive for me.

hope this helps you make a decision

regards

Stevie

[petemac007]

Hello Steve

Thank you for taking the time to post your opinion and thank you for the advice. I have literally just finished the example work sheet given on the NCQR web site, found it very informative and helpful, I think this is the way to go.

Good luck with the NCQR and hopefully you will give me updates as you progress on how you are finding it and the structure.

Much appreciated Steve.

Pete

[QHSS]

The Nebosh is the Rolex my friend,