VCA is the UK’s leading provider of Behavioural Assessments for Selection and Development in the Fire & Rescue Service

Specialising in behavioural assessments for roles ranging from firefighters to Chief Fire Officers (including support staff), VCA Ltd has partnered with clients since 2002 to provide streamlined, fair, and data-driven evaluations.

Evaluating Leadership Behaviours, Identifying Talent, Uncovering Strengths, Supporting Career Progression

VCA’s Career Progression Gateway (CPG) evaluates leadership behaviours to support recruitment, selection, development and promotion activities. The CPG uses relevant and relatable interactive tasks to identify strengths and development needs. It’s a reliable method to promote organisational effectiveness and career development, whilst reducing stress for candidates and internal teams.

Using VCA’s custom online platform, the CPG streamlines succession planning, saving clients time and money while improving fairness and reducing grievances. We provide accurate, detailed results and personalised development support from our expert Occupational Psychologist-led assessors.

Find out more

SUPPORTING THE NFCC’S DIRECT ENTRY SCHEME WITH THE CPG

Our Clients

Happy Fire Service Clients

Assessment Exercises Available

Candidate Satisfaction

Read Our Testimonials

View our exercise catalogue

Read the feedback

Latest News

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.

Contact Us

Call our help desk on 01202 798272 where one of our team can take your details and arrange for a consultant to call you back