NVQ 4 IN BUSINESS SUPPORT

To achieve this qualification, candidates must achieve the 8 mandatory units

Unit 1 Maintain effective business support relationships with clients

This is about managing your portfolio of clients, having rapport with each of those clients, whether an individual or a team, and helping to develop their trust in the organisation you work for. This requires you to exercise skills from good listening to account management and the promotion of your organisation’s services.

Unit 2 Help the client to analyse the business and decide the way forward

This is about enabling your clients to develop a clear picture of their business, where it is and where it’s heading. To do that they need to analyse the current performance of their business and identify their business needs. This probably involves introducing them to new and more powerful tools and approaches.

Unit 3 Enable clients to implement changes in their business

This is about enabling your clients to develop realistic action plans to make changes to their business they have identified as necessary and to access any additional support and resources that may be required to deliver those changes. These changes may have been expressed in a business plan or strategy that now needs acting on. You may be working with an individual or a team.

Unit 4 Encourage clients to act for themselves

This is about developing the client’s autonomy. The client may be an individual or a team. It involves challenging, inspiring, provoking, stimulating and facilitating the client to develop new ways of working

on their business and build their commitment to action. To do this you have to choose appropriate ‘consultancy’ modes when you are making interventions with the client.

Unit 5 Develop networks to provide access to information, support & resources

This is about the development and use of personal contacts and networks to help you provide a wide range

of information, support and resources that are likely to be relevant to different clients’ needs. For example, getting advice from experts or putting people in touch with other businesses that have had similar concerns.

It includes considering how you contribute to the networks to make you a valued person to work with.

Unit 6 Evaluate the quality of your own practice in business support

This is about disciplined reflection on and evaluating your practice to make sure that you are providing

an effective and appropriate level of support to clients. It is also about checking that your practice meets professional standards and identifying any improvements or developments you could make.

Unit 7 Develop your own ability to provide business support

This is about developing your performance, in terms of your skills in supporting clients.

There are a number of different areas of business support. These can be defined, for example in terms of :

* Support functions (for example marketing, finance, e-business or information technology);

* Business sectors (for example construction, bio-tech, retail, health or creative);

* Business life cycles (for example pre start, start-up, growth or steady state);

* Business types (for example freelance, trade, professional or social enterprise).

Your practice may be focused in a particular area of business support or be more general. Whatever the limits of your current practice your aim should be to continuously develop your skills in supporting clients.

You should look at this from a personal, career point of view and take account of the needs of the organisation for which you work.

Unit 8 Monitor the performance of the business support service

This is about recognising the progress and effects of a support programme offered to clients, so that any problems are dealt with quickly and appropriately. The programme may include support provided by yourself, your organisation and by other individuals or agencies that you have recommended.

It is also about identifying ways that the support offered by your organisation could be improved