News
See below to for the latest in VCA’s Assessment & Selection developments
Contact us
If you have questions or comments, please contact us at pr@vcaltd.co.uk.
March 2026
This month we’re delivering a written skills course for Crew Managers, starting work on the control version of the Firefighter Values Questionnaire (VQ), and completing an Area Manager CPG for Bedfordshire. A productive month of development, assessment, and insight-gathering!
February 2026
The VCA team met in Valencia for two productive days of planning, idea-sharing, and reflecting on our work with Fire and Rescue Services. Looking ahead, we’re delivering candidate feedback sessions, preparing to launch CPG System Version 2, and continuing ongoing research into High Potential candidates in collaboration with Shropshire FRS… exciting times for 2026!
January 2026
As we begin 2026, we’re reflecting on the achievements of last year and preparing for what’s ahead. Plans for 2026 include the launch of new CPG exercises at every level, the release of CPG Platform Version 2.0 in the spring, development of an AI-supported application sifting tool, the introduction of a new ‘Leading the Service’ psychometric profiler, and four best-practice sharing meetings to support learning and collaboration across Fire & Rescue Services. Plus, a busy month with five CPG projects at SM and AM levels!
December 2025
December is focused on feedback and reflection. We are running feedback sessions and preparing end-of-year evaluation reports for our clients, reviewing trends on performance across all projects this year. These reports allow comparison with previous years and provide an opportunity to reflect on progress in behaviours, skills, and overall development. It’s a valuable time to consolidate learning, celebrate achievements, and plan next steps for 2026!
November 2025
November has been a record month for meetings and demonstrations, as we explored how to embed the CPG into recruitment processes and support Firefighter recruitment. The podcast with Pete Wakefield went live and has been very well received, helping to share insights with a wider audience.
We delivered 2x Crew Manager combined assessments, totalling 25 candidates, and 10 Watch Manager CPGs. Alongside these assessments, we conducted 20 feedback sessions over two weeks, providing candidates and FRSs with detailed insights into performance and development. It’s been a busy month of engagement, learning, and sharing best practice across multiple projects.
October 2025
September 2025
We’re excited to be attending the Emergency Services Show 2025 at the Birmingham NEC this month! We’re especially looking forward to connecting with colleagues from across the fire and rescue services to discuss how our tailored recruitment, selection, assessment, and development solutions can support promotion and career development across all levels from firefighters to crew managers, to station managers, and chief fire officers!
August 2025
We piloted the Firefighter Values Questionnaire (VQ) and Community-Based Scenario (CBS) as part of our new firefighter recruitment process. Both tools are now being integrated into the online platform for accessible, evidence-led assessment and feedback.
July 2025
We reviewed line manager feedback for CPG candidates. Results show good alignment with CPG outcomes, particularly in Oxfordshire and Shropshire FRS. The process continues to provide a reliable way to identify high potential candidates.
June 2025
Legacy data from a 2019/2020 cohort was uploaded into the Client Portal. This highlighted how our tools and approach have evolved, including online roleplays, richer feedback, leadership workshops, and neurodivergent-inclusive design.
May 2025
Leicestershire FRS CPG assessments took place for Crew and Watch Manager levels. 22 Crew Manager and 34 Watch Manager candidates completed the role play and case study!
April 2025
This month we started job analysis interviews with firefighters to support development of the new Firefighter Values Questionnaire (VQ). The interviews focused on firefighter daily challenges, proud moments, and supported understanding of how values and ethics play out in practice.
March 2025
Our focus this month is a proposal for a new streamlined, behavioural 5-step approach to Firefighter Recruitment, plus tailoring elements of the CPG to meet the needs of a new client’s CPG starting soon. Plus a visit to the BPS Occupational Psychology Conference to learn about new developments, research and practice.
February 2025
Following CPG results, we begin the evaluation process. This involves comparing the data with other project results at the same level, comparing performance trends with other FRS’s, reviewing feedback from candidates and admin teams and completing a ‘lessons learned’ exercise to drive continuous improvement. The evaluation is finalised after the feedback session we have facilitated so we can feed in any themes to guide further in-house developmental activity. This month we completed evaluations with Lincolnshire and Hampshire FRS’s, and continued to deliver feedback sessions for Suffolk, North Wales and Hampshire FRS’s.
January 2025
Developmental feedback sessions are a great opportunity to explore the strengths, development areas, motivators and potential stressors demonstrated by candidates through completion of the CPG.
These conversations also provide useful insights to the FRS on aspects such as morale, development themes and performance trends. 25 feedback sessions with participants from 3 FRS’s have been an incredibly positive experience, providing VCA, the individuals and their organisations plenty to reflect on.
2020
Crew and Watch Manager assessments with Shropshire FRS.
First online briefing session for client- materials facilitated by our team via video call.
Other FRS clients use of CPG for Fire Protection, Station, Group and Area Manager assessments.
Launch of version 2 of the CPG.
Station – Area Manager CPG assessments – Shropshire
Post CPG telephone feedback/ coaching sessions with candidates.
New client, Station Manager Assessment using CPG roleplay.
2021
We started the year with some with some new interesting articles (posted first in our Assessment Forum- link) and a new section in our website on neurodiversity.
We also started our Virtual CPG tours with new clients.
We added new pages explaining which Psychometric Tests we recommend and have completed another Chief Fire Officer assessment using our Executive Hire Profile service (three psychometrics instruments and a validation interview with a psychologist to create an in-depth psychological profile)
Adaptation of the Firefighter Recruitment Online Presentation Roleplay from PQAs to Leadership Qualities completed and ready for our next project (lockdown permitting!)
Six CPG projects ranging from 50 Watch Manager telephone Roleplays to 30 Station Manager assessments (case study and roleplay), 15 of which were assessed, very successfully, from the candidates’ homes.
Firefighter Recruitment Project
Having passed the initial stages of testing, over 100 applicants took part in a telephone presentation and roleplay with our team of psychologists, completed with 5 assessors over a week.
A FRS used our Station Manager CPG role-play exercise but delivered it in-house and off-line, using internal assessors and a roleplay.
A FRS needed to recruit for Area manager roles, using the Executive Hire Profile (EHP) suite of psychometric tools and online strategic case study exercise.
Assistant Chief and deputy roles selected for using the EHP suite of psychometrics – click here for more info about the EH here is a case study based on another project
Plus up to 40 Crew and Watch manager case study and roleplay CPG assessments for a single client, and new assessor joining the team and being trained in using the CPG assessing the leadership qualities and creating reports according to our popular feedback style.
Anticipating a quiet month of assessments, we had plenty of feedback coaching sessions to facilitate, plus some Watch Manager roleplays. Time also for the team to attend British Psychological Society training webinars on Neurodiversity
After expecting a quiet month we were asked to deliver two last minute assessment projects, one of which was for an Assistant Chief Fire Officer position. Using our CPG online case study exercise as part of a suite of assessment the FRS ran, we also facilitated telephone feedback calls with our occupational psychologist coaches to each of all candidates post-process, which the candidates found highly useful.
Plus we discovered trying to organise trials of new materials is a challenge in August!
More FRS are considering using the CPG remotely i.e. projects where the candidates complete the exercises from home, not at a FRS site. This is easy to manage with no impact on fairness or results. Get in touch if you have questions on how it might work in your organisation. This month we ran Group manager assessments this way, including delivering feedback sessions, which are steadily growing in popularity as the benefits become apparent.
Autumn is a busy time for promotions, with Crew, Watch and Station Manager CPG assessments. Many FRS now schedule their assessments to run almost back to back, with only a week or two between processes. This makes promotion activity predictable and consistent, with candidates knowing when they need to prepare for and expect these important events each year.
We’ve also facilitated three Virtual CPG tours this month with both existing and new clients, a great chance to see how it all works and talk through what you need and how we can help.
Exercise design work is underway again with a new set of Group Manager tools in development.
9 projects with 6 FRS booked this month.
November is a popular time of year for assessments! Including on-call FF in some promotions processes, we are running assessments across evenings and weekend too to fit in with availability. Including one client project which previously used our material off-line and using in-house assessors, this time round opting to use the Career Progression Gateway.
2022
With projects postponed due to COVID we are using the time to work on two new developments; an e-learning course focusing on preparing candidates for their CPG, including everything they need to know about successfully performing the Leadership Qualities; and creating the process and methods to deliver role-plays via video call.
This month is about CPG re-sits, re-starting postponed processes and trialing the e-learning course on CPG preparation.
With more FRS’s thinking about support staff assessment and development, we’ll be providing a Community Safety Manager CPG as well as an on-call CPG project.
We’re close to launch for our CPG Feedback LITE! More information coming soon.
More clients are now choosing video roleplays via MS Teams as an alternative to the telephone roleplay. This month we have also switched the CPG feedback with our psychologist assessors to video call too, which candidates tell us they prefer.
We hosted a Midlands region networking meeting for 10 FRS, with 8 attending in person at Shropshire FRS and representatives from four FRS joining via Teams. The day was a big success, with colleagues across the services sharing best practice, challenges, solutions and future plans. Contact us if you’d like a copy of the minutes or to learn about upcoming events in your region. Next Midlands event Jan 19th 2023.
This month we ran a NEW course for one of our FRS clients on ‘Developmental Coaching’. Group and Area Managers spent 2 days learning the skills they need to fairly assess their new Leadership Quality Portfolio (to replace the traditional application for promotion). This assessment uses the NEW coaching techniques to explore performance and deliver constructive, evidence-based feedback and identify developmental direction and options. The benefit of this new approach to accessing promotions opportunities is that it shifts the conversation from ‘pass or fail’ towards a more inclusive and collaborative approach focusing on wellbeing and development.
Shropshire FRS run their assessments for promotions every autumn, making it predictable for candidates and straightforward to plan wider development activities. This month we completed a Station Manager CPG, including providing the trialled and revised e-learning training for CPG preparation, and developmental feedback calls between our psychologist assessors and Shropshire’s candidates.
Two Watch Manager assessments back to back. Having supportive colleagues is not only crucial to how well a business can run but also the wellbeing of individual team members. Thanks to the team for making sure we could meet our commitments under personally difficult circumstances this month.
Exercise design work is underway again with a new set of Group Manager tools in development.
Following on from the Developmental Coaching training in September with Oxfordshire FRS, this month was the CPG part of this trial, with GM candidates completing an on-line Case Study and Video Roleplay.
2023
Two venues (on different sides of the country!), 2 days, 10 FRS’s, 18 participants and plenty of topics later and this year’s first Best Practice Sharing meetings are all done! With thanks to Shropshire and Cambridgeshire FRS’s for hosting, the meetings were an informal look at the challenges and successes in areas of assessment, development, promotion, recruitment, culture, coaching & mentoring. The open exchange of views and information was appreciated by everyone involved.
If you’d like to join us next time, send us a message here.
The NEW version of the CPG- the CPG feedback LITE is ready to go! Plus some interesting conversations with NFCC teams on future plans and what help VCA can offer.
Assessment season is back! Group and Area CPGs this month, plus a summary of the Oxfordshire Leadership Succession trial project. If you aren’t a member, contact us to join 20 other FRS’s in our Best Practice/ assessment forum to be in the loop on future meetings, and other relevant FRS assessment/ development news.
We’re delighted to announce that VCA’s Career Progression Gateway (CPG) assessment tools have been chosen to support the NFCC with the Direct Entry project. We will be assessing a range of key behavioural characteristics using our online platform and look forward to working with 5 new FRS’s in addition to the 2 who are already using the CPG for their promotion assessments.
A busy month preparing to support the NFCC and 7 FRS’s (including two existing clients) with the Direct Entry recruitment process. Plenty of meetings and liaison with our whole team from IT, project management, admin and Occ Psych input to make sure it all runs smoothly, from Reed’s initial sifting to our comprehensive behavioural assessment. Online evening briefing session for candidates went well, and training of internal admin underway (with a new service created where our team facilitates the entire CPG process from start to finish created, a welcome solution to reduce internal workloads). Plus Station Manager CPG assessments for promotion- business as usual!
With 7 FRS’s committed to the Direct Entry scheme, VCA has this month assessed 33 candidates using our on-line behavioural assessment system, the CPG. Our remote platform meant we could support FRS’s to assess their short-listed candidates across the breadth of the country, with many of them not needing to leave the comfort of their own homes, and taking less than 2 hours out of their day! The CPG identified the top candidates to demonstrate the mix of behavioural and values-driven criteria, who were then invited to Service for a final interview (which we supported the NFCC to design).
A quieter month with many of our FRS colleagues on leave, but we have been reviewing the Direct Entry project and contributing to the ‘lessons learnt’ process,. Plus we completed a Strategic Manager CPG assessment process for a FRS recruiting for an Area Manager post. VCA also completed personality psychometric testing, delivered in-depth psychological reports and used these insights to contribute to the final interview panel.
Best Practice Sharing networking meetings booked for September 21st and 22nd at H&W and Oxfordshire FRS’s. Looking forward to welcoming 8 FRS on each day to talk about a broad range of topics covering recruitment, development, coaching, culture, high potential, succession planning and more. But before then, we have been invited to attend the NEC Emergency Services Show with Katherine Lamb on her Effective Command stand Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th of September, a very exciting opportunity!
The Best Practice Sharing & Networking meeting were attended by 12 FRS and you can find a summary of the discussions, developments and challenges in our Assessment Forum.
“It was all helpful, a great opportunity to discuss the work we are undertaking and share ideas and materials to assist with collaborative working and learning from each other. It felt as if we were part of a team, rather than all of us working in isolation which was uplifting!”
We met some fantastic colleagues at the Emergency Services Show and were inspired by so many of the talks. Plenty of exciting developments to come!
Join us and over 24 other FRS to receive these updates and details of future events here. We’ve spoken to 4 new FRS this month about adopting the CPG and dramatically reduce the burden on internal resources. Not to mention save money – Shropshire FRS completed their evaluation and let us know that using the CPG had saved then £120k since 2020! This month is all about Wtach and Station Manager CPGs, and Crew manager feedback sessions.
“It’s the first time someone has gone through my feedback report for any situation in the Fire Service, its good to hear from a professional what I do well and also not so well. Also recommendations on how I could develop myself further whilst still in the Service.”
Area, Crew and Station CPGs; A feedback & coaching session with a successful Direct Entry candidate; Watch Manager set 3 CPG exercises converted to the LITE version (for a more streamlined and lower cost assessment alternative); Control CPG assessments begin with a new FRS client ; And MANY Occupational Psychology hours taken up with the design of a new set of exercises for Strategic Managers!
2024
Using the LITE version of the Career Progression gateway for CM promotion with new client North Wales, and a Best Practice Meeting for 6 FRS’s on the topic of ‘Promotion, selection and Emerging Talent’.
Interviews held with Line Managers to evaluate candidate performance post promotion- Oxfordshire FRS helping us start to validate the CPG tools as a reliable way of identifying high potential/ emerging talent. Discussions starting on collaboration on an AI powered sifting tool for FF recruitment and an AM process, including use of the Executive Hire Profiler (EHP) suite of psychometrics for personality profiling (including leadership and motivation styles).
So many FRS’s are in ‘review’ mode! Plenty of meetings to explore how we can support culture change, selection and development using all the tools and services as part of the CPG. VCA has supported one FRS with a new FF Transfer process. We’ve assessed the values and behaviours of 30 candidates, identifying the top performers of the cohort using a Values Questionnaire and an independently assessed video roleplay.
Fantastic to see two FRS’s using VCA’s Career Progression Gateway (CPG) Leadership Behaviour assessment tools to evaluate for CFO and ACO roles. One client is also using our Executive Hire Profiler suite of psychometric tools to provide a detailed psychological profile to inform the hiring decision. Well-attended best Practice meeting which generated plenty of opportunities for resources sharing around the topic of development pre and post promotion.
Full month of Crew, Watch and Group manager assessments (Northamptonshire FRS & Shropshire FRS).
Time to re-group and relax, ready for a busy kick off to September!
Lots of CPH preparation webinars this month! A great chance for one of our Psychologists to spend an hour with candidates on-line outlining what to expect from the CPG, and how to demonstrate the leadership behaviours in an assessment context (as well as in the workplace). It’s a worthwhile session for candidates who haven’t attended before, or for FRS’ starting out using the CPG.
Welcome to Hampshire & IOW FRS as new VCA clients, a busy month ahead with CPG assessments at SM and GM level.
Discussions for a CFO selection process can start early, and this is a good month to start looking at appointment of executive leaders for 2025.
Welcome to Lincolnshire FRS running their first CPG with us for Area Managers.
