It is impossible to get an NVQ without being employed in the role the NVQ covers. Therefore no one can get the L3 Ff Ops oin the Community unless they are working in a role where the evidence can be generated. There is a course - leading to a BTEC at L3 covering the knowledge and understanding of the L3 NVQ Ff Ops, but this is only that - the practical demonstration of the skills is absolutley essential and is the way that you acheive the NVQ. YOU CANNOT DO THAT OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT - anyone claiming to have donme/be going to is either, a) lying (most likely) or b) getting a qualification which would be fraudulent - report the college/institution to the QCA - the latter would be picked up by any, bar the stupidest, IPDS practitioner.
As to an NVQ L3 in Ff Ops and then a degree - well all this would give you is a Competent Firefighter, with a degree. Nothing more! Very, very worrying if anyone thinks otherwise and also - very, very, very seriously wrong. In order to move to the post of Crew Manager, or Watch Manager, you will have to firstly be a Competent Firefighter and then go through an Assessment Development Centre (details due soon on these) then go through a development program (under supervision). During this development program you may be able to operate in the role of a Crew Manager - but at all times, until you were deemed Competent in the particular area (in this case that would be the unit WM7 - lead and support people to resolve operational incidents), you would be UNDER SUPERVISION.
As it is, presently, a requirement to be competent in the existing role, before moving into development for the next no one can enter the service and go straight to be a Crew/Watch Manager - unless they are already a Competent Ff (maybe ex-airport, retained or MOD for example - with the NVQ) have passed the relevant ADC, or are perhaps already a Competent CM or WM (same examples as above)
It is extremely disconcerting that at this late stage, with IPDS now the backbone of the development of all the personnel in EVERY fire and rescue service, that so may do not understand it and we get comments like 'my service is going to do IPDS' - we are all doing it and we have to, but it needs to be properly understood . Are so few of the practitioners spreading the word - or maybe too many don't understand/take enough interest themselves?
PS I am an IPDS team leader