Working Together to Develop the Leaders of Tomorrow
We’re proud of the long-standing relationships we’ve built with Fire & Rescue Services over the past 20+ years. Every service that we work with has unique people, challenges, and aspirations, and supporting them with thoughtful, psychologist-led assessment and development is at the heart of what we do.
Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service
Career Progression Gateway (CPG) Assessments – On Call | 2020–2025
Since 2020, Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service has been committed to developing its On‑Call and Wholetime candidates through Career Progression Gateway (CPG) assessments for Crew Manager and Watch Manager roles. On‑Call candidates completed the same assessments as Wholetime candidates, ensuring fairness while giving everyone an equal opportunity to demonstrate their leadership potential.
On‑Call candidates often juggle multiple responsibilities alongside their fire service duties, meaning they have fewer regular leadership opportunities. Early assessments reflected this, with On‑Call pass rates lower than their Wholetime peers. The service wanted a solution that would provide a consistent, fair way to evaluate leadership skills, while also helping candidates develop and grow.
VCA delivered a two-part full CPG assessment combining a Case Study and Role Play to test leadership, decision-making, and communication skills in realistic scenarios. Candidates were supported with briefing sessions, e-learning, and psychologist-led feedback, helping them understand the process and build confidence before assessment.
Over the course of 2020–2025:
On‑Call Crew Manager candidates improved from an average score of 52% to 64%, while Wholetime scores moved from 63% to 67%.
On‑Call Watch Manager candidates progressed from 56% to 60%, with Wholetime scores remaining at 62%.
Pass rates rose steadily for On‑Call candidates: Crew Manager 17% → 69%, Watch Manager 50% → 66%.
On‑Call candidates steadily improved over time, while Wholetime candidates maintained consistently higher scores, showing the gap narrowing gradually.
By using the full CPG framework and structured feedback consistently, Shropshire FRS was able to maintain a single pass standard across all candidates while supporting performance improvement.
The results speak for themselves. Two On‑Call Crew Manager candidates were identified as high-potential, ready to take on supervisory roles. Feedback from candidates was consistently strong, with one On‑Call Crew Manager cohort giving an 88% rating for the assessment process.
Structured feedback and the full CPG assessment gave candidates clarity, confidence, and a clear pathway for development. Over time, this approach has strengthened the On‑Call selection pipeline, ensuring candidates are supported and assessed fairly, while maintaining consistent leadership standards across the service.
Hereford & Worcester Fire & Rescue Service
Leadership Assessments (CPG) | 2020–2025
Since 2020, VCA has supported Hereford & Worcester Fire & Rescue Service in delivering behavioural assessments across five leadership levels, from Crew Manager to Area Manager.
The service has required a consistent, transparent approach to leadership assessment that could be sustained over multiple years and assessment cycles.
VCA delivered CPG assessments across supervisory, middle, and strategic leadership levels. Initially using role-play exercises only, the service later adopted both case study and role play to provide a more rounded assessment. To support cost-effective delivery, VCA introduced CPG Lite, providing streamlined feedback while maintaining rigour.
More than 230 candidates were assessed between 2020 and 2025. Most recently, 2025 assessments achieved average combined scores of 62% for Watch Managers and 66% for Crew Managers, supporting a consistent leadership pipeline.
Using long-term behavioural assessments helped make promotion decisions fairer and more transparent. Over five years, we’ve been able to track performance trends, and the addition of the second exercise has provided extra insight into organisational and team strengths, as well as development needs. This has strengthened the service’s leadership pipeline and given managers a clear picture of where to focus growth.
North Wales Fire & Rescue Service
Leadership Assessments (CPG Lite) | 2023–2025
North Wales Fire & Rescue Service partnered with VCA to deliver behavioural assessments across multiple leadership levels using the CPG Lite approach.
The service sought a robust and consistent assessment process that balanced behavioural insight with efficiency and cost control.
VCA delivered CPG Lite case study and role-play assessments across multiple assessment cycles. Candidates were supported through pre-assessment briefings, and follow-up feedback sessions were offered to those who did not meet the required standard.
Sixty candidates were assessed between 2023 and 2025, with thirty-six candidates successfully passing. The process supported both promotional and developmental leadership pathways.
The CPG Lite approach gave North Wales Fire & Rescue Service a consistent, fair, and objective way to assess leaders while staying within budget. Candidate satisfaction remains high, with the average candidate satisfaction rating at 83% across exercises
For candidates who did not achieve a pass mark in one or both exercises, VCA provided follow-up feedback sessions focused on clear, practical areas for improvement. This development activity is strongly encouraged by NWFRS and gives candidates actionable insights to support future development, reinforcing the service’s commitment to continuous improvement and staff progression. 100% of candidates who resat an exercise following this development activity showed an increase in scores, highlighting the value of targeted feedback and support.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service
Firefighter Recruitment – Values-Led Assessment
In 2025, VCA partnered with Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service to support firefighter recruitment through a values-led assessment process focused on fairness, inclusion, and identifying candidates with the right behaviours for the role.
Suffolk FRS required a recruitment process capable of managing high applicant volumes while remaining objective, inclusive, and aligned to core fire service values and NFCC leadership behaviours.
VCA delivered our two-stage firefighter recruitment assessment consisting of a Firefighter Values Questionnaire (VQ) and a Community-Based Simulation (CBS).
The Values Questionnaire was a 60-question online assessment designed to evaluate alignment with four core fire service values. Results were anonymised and ranked to support fully objective shortlisting, with accessibility features embedded throughout.
Candidates who met the required standard progressed to the Community-Based Simulation, a realistic job-based auto roleplay assessed by specialist psychologists. Suffolk FRS adopted a combined VQ and CBS pass threshold of 69%, with progression determined by overall performance across both stages. Successful candidates then progressed to Suffolk FRS’s internal physical assessments and interviews.
Both assessments were designed to be fully inclusive, with read-aloud guidance, additional time allowances within the VQ, and a reasonable adjustments version of the CBS to support both neurodiverse and neurotypical candidates.
The recruitment process began with 333 candidates completing the Values Questionnaire.
- 118 candidates met the combined threshold to pass across the VQ and CBS,, and progressed to the service’s internal recruitment stages
Performance data showed that candidates with disabilities or neurodiversity performed in line with their peers, reinforcing the fairness and accessibility of the process.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service
Case Study Skills Workshop
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service partnered with VCA to support candidates in developing strong written communication skills for use in their management and leadership roles, as well as in preparation for the Case Study exercise within the Career Progression Gateway (CPG) assessments. Clear and effective written communication is essential for leadership roles, and the Case Study, drawing directly on these skills, is often one of the most challenging assessment components.
Candidates needed support to:
- Understand the purpose and context of the Case Study
- Analyse data and situations effectively
- Structure their responses clearly and concisely
- Avoid common mistakes and approach the task with confidence
VCA delivered a 2.5-hour Case Study Skills Workshop, providing candidates with practical tools, strategies, and techniques to succeed. The workshop focused on:
- Clarifying the Case Study and its requirements
- Structuring responses in a logical and concise way
- Analysing data and context to form well-thought-out solutions
- Avoiding common errors and building confidence
Pre-course preparation and post-session resources were included to support continued learning and development.
Workshop participants showed measurable improvements:
- Pass rate increased from 46% in 2024 to 70% in 2025
- Average score increased from 59.9 to 63.2
This demonstrates that the workshop helped candidates understand the Case Study exercise, structure their responses more effectively, and perform more confidently overall. Importantly, it also strengthened candidates’ written communication skills more broadly, enhancing their ability to produce clear, well-structured written work in their roles.
Providing practical, skills-focused workshops helps candidates develop their written communication, approach assessment exercises with confidence, and build the leadership capability of the service.
Explore our projects
To see how we’ve collaborated with Fire and Rescue services across the UK to create fair, meaningful and effective assessment solutions that help individuals grow and develop.
If you’d like to learn more about how VCA can help your organisation assess, develop, and retain talent, get in touch:
+44 (0)1202 798272
