General description
The FIM is a workbook of 50 sections plus subsections dealing with the key elements of the whole malting process and the collection, testing and storage of raw materials.
The main objective of completing the workbook is to ensure that the candidate has an understanding of the theory behind the information required to answer all of the questions. But more importantly they must have had the opportunity to be involved in the practical application of the tasks required to collect the relevant data.
Clearly this is likely to involve spending time in areas of the plant that they may not be routinely involved in so shadowing other employees to gain the knowledge required to be able to complete each of the modules is an essential part of the commitment required to complete the FIM.
In order to have a structured learning experience the MAGB requires that a sponsor, usually from within your company be allocated to each candidate so that they can act as an internal verifier to ensure that candidates are completing their workbooks accurately and with the appropriate amount of detail to fully answer each question.
Each question has an area at the bottom of each page for the internal verifier to sign and date to confirm they have checked your work and consider it to be of an appropriate standard.
Training from the MAGB will be available for sponsors and internal verifiers to help them understand the level of detail required but for those with existing Malting experience at either a supervisory or management level it should be clear from how the questions are written what level of information is required.
Registration for the FIM can be done by completing the Exam Registration Form or by contacting the MAGB Exams & Training Manager, Mr George Irving on 01636 700781 or by e-mail george@magb.org.uk
The cost of the FIM for each candidate from a member company is £300 which will be invoiced once the candidate has been registered.
Once the workbook has been completed and checked by the internal verifier, they should contact the MAGB who will allocate an FIM trained Assessor who will review the booklet and if necessary, give any feedback to the sponsor if they feel there are any areas of the Workbook that require further work to fully meet the standard. This part of the process should be completed within four weeks of the assessor receiving the candidate’s workbook.
Assuming everything is in order with the standard of the workbook the Assessor will contact the sponsor to arrange for the site assessment to be carried out.
The timing of the assessment will depend upon the availability of both parties but the MAGB would aim to have these carried out within six weeks of the request being received.
Details of the assessment process
As the FIM is a vocational qualification we are looking for the candidates to show knowledge relating to routine procedures within their malting plant. However, we must also recognise that the FIM is by title a qualification proving the candidate has a basic knowledge of the malting process as a whole and this can cause a degree of uncertainty as the candidate’s plant may not include areas that are effectively fundamental to malting such as grain drying and storage or the production of a wider variety of malt types.
In cases such as these it is expected that the candidate will have at the very least gained some knowledge of all the fundamental areas of malting that are detailed in the syllabus so that they can complete all of the modules set out in the workbook.
To assist with these areas it is suggested that the sponsor should ensure every effort is made to prepare the candidate, with literature, learning materials or inter-company visits and videos etc. so they will be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of these areas in the workbook and to the Assessor.
In preparation for the site tour the assessor will brief the candidate and their sponsor about the objectives of the assessment process which is principally for the candidate to demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of all of the information they have provided in their workbook and that they were responsible for putting it all together.
The assessor will explain that the candidate should lead the site tour in a logical manner starting at the intake and progressing through to the despatch of finished products. Timing for this is not set or limited but is likely to take over an hour to complete.
During the actual walk round and verification phase, the candidate will explain all of the areas of work covered in the workbook but will be guided through this by the assessor rather than being able to rely on having access to notes or the FIM workbook unless the Assessor presents it to the candidate to specifically ask a question relating to a diagram or any of the written text or in some cases asking the candidate to point out the parts on the plant and equipment to encourage the candidate to show how they compiled the information. Candidates are encouraged to make reference to documentation normally available at the workplace if they are used as guides or specific work instructions when those tasks are carried out.
The Assessor will pick a variety of topics across the modules in the workbook and compile a series of questions which they may ask during the process of the assessment which will be designed to offer candidates the opportunity to describe how they were able to collect the information required to answer the question. This could take the form of asking what equipment they had to use or what sort of analytical process was required to collect the relevant data or in some cases to identify specific components of machinery used in the malting process.
Whatever form these questions take they will always be specifically related to the information the candidate has provided in their workbook which could be written or in a diagram or a table that was used to answer the questions.
During the walk round and verification stage candidates are encouraged to volunteer knowledge of the operation of the plant even if this was not covered in great detail in the workbook. This will be noted by the Assessor and acknowledged in the feedback given to the candidate after the assessment.
If during the assessment a candidate provides information that is incorrect but outside the scope of the syllabus this will not be detrimental to the final result of the assessment although the Assessor should note this and bring it to the attention of the candidate during the feedback session.
Post assessment review
Once the walkaround is complete a short review will take place back in the office to allow the assessor to complete any final questions they may have and following this they will require a few minutes alone to summarise the result of the assessment.
There are only two outcomes available following the assessment process and these are a ‘pass’ or the requirement to carry out ‘further work’.
If it is necessary for the candidate to carry out further work the Assessor will identify where this is required and will also try to give positive feedback by acknowledging any areas where the candidate had performed particularly well.
The assessor will then write a short summary of how they felt the candidate performed during the assessment process and confirm the result to the candidate verbally and in writing.
If the candidate or the sponsor feel that the result given is unfair then they have the right to appeal the decision and should contact George Irving at the MAGB setting out in writing the reason for the appeal but this must be done within 10 working days of the assessment taking place.
Managing the progress of the FIM
If a workbook is not completed and submitted for assessment within 15 months from the registration it will be deemed as a failure to complete and the candidate would have to re-register if they wished to gain the award. Extensions to the timespan may be negotiated between the candidate’s Sponsor /Internal Verifier and MAGB but should not normally extend beyond 18 months from the date of registration for submission of the workbook and 21 months for completion of the site assessment.
If the sponsor or candidate does not contact the MAGB to update them of their progress and request an extension of the time before the initial 15-month period has elapsed then the MAGB will consider that application to be cancelled.
If after this has taken place the candidate decided to resume their FIM studies they would have to register again with the MAGB and the fee of £300 would have to be paid again.
If a candidate has any special needs that could impact upon the time required to complete the workbook or the manner in which we are able to carry out the site assessment these must be declared at the time the candidate is registered so that we can allow for making reasonable adjustments where appropriate.
If you have any further questions or require clarification, please first ask your Sponsor and, if necessary, then refer to george@magb.org.uk
George Irving
Training and Development Consultant
Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain
Issued July 2024
