As we have previously announced, from today the rules for assessing and certificating organisations against the Training Quality Standard are changing in two important ways. These changes have been designed to ensure that the Standard continues to be as rigorous as possible, while also as helpful and valuable as it can be to those providers applying for assessment. Our chief priorities are to make the assessment experience a challenge, but one which helps organisations understand better how they operate and how they can improve. The two changes coming into effect today allow us to simplify the process, while also making for a significant reduction in assessment costs, without any compromise to the rigour for which assessment is rightly known for. The rule changes do not alter the commitment of the Training Quality Standard to be a mark to which colleges, providers and employers can aspire, and which they can be proud of when they achieve.
The rule changes will apply to all applications submitted from today (1 July 2010) and are as follows:
The Conditional Certification rule, which allows organisations with limited performance data to be assessed, subject to follow-up checks that they’re tackling this critical area for improvement, has from today been extended beyond its 30 June 2010 expiration, but with a tougher set of requirements.
The key difference between the previous and new Conditional Certification will be that all Results Indicators (A.5 or B.3) must be scored at 25% of the available points to qualify.
Because of the tougher Conditional Certification requirements, the Employer Validation step in the assessment process is no longer necessary and has been removed from the assessment process for all applications received from today.
The full specifications of the TQS rule changes are available by accessing this document: TQS rule change specifications.
If you have any questions relating to these changes, please contact the TQS enquiry line using info@trainingqualitystandard.co.uk or 0845 225 1310. Organisations already having registered or applied for assessment against the Standard should have been informed of any implications of the changes for them and should contact their Certification Body if they have further questions.