Early dialogue : becoming an awarding organisation
Thursday, 04 March 2010 11:59
Organisations that wish to become recognised awarding organisations need to:
- Enter into early dialogue with the Ofqual Recognition and Approvals team
- Complete the recognition process
It is highly recommended that organisations enter into early dialogue with us before completing the recognition application.
More about recognition and accreditation
What is early dialogue?
Early dialogue is the preliminary discussions between Ofqual and any organisation hoping to be recognised as an awarding organisation.
The purpose of this early discussion is for us to find out more about each organisation and the qualifications they hope to offer. We help organisations to explore whether becoming a recognised awarding organisation is the most appropriate route.
It is imperative that early dialogue takes place before completing the awarding organisation recognition application.
Before initiating early dialogue, organisations should first consider the structure, policies and procedures that we require from recognised awarding organisations and determine the implications for their operations. This should provide a strong indication of the feasibility of awarding organisation recognition.
Once initiated, early dialogue involves a member of our Recognition and Accreditation team discussing all aspects of the recognition process and beyond.
Awarding organisations' wishing to operate within the QCF must seek 'approval of' their qualification(s) by the appropriate sector skills council (SSC), which you can find at the website of the UK Commission for Employment and Skill. Please ensure that you have entered into dialogue with the appropriate SSC before starting the early dialogue process.
Organisations that are ready to take this step can arrange an early dialogue meeting by emailing partateam@ofqual.gov.uk.
Once all the required documentation has been successfully received by us, we will let you know within 3 months whether your application has been successful or not and if any special conditions have been imposed.
