Ofqual | FE Week

Tendering for external quality assurance finally launched

Tendering for the external quality assurance of apprenticeships has finally been launched by the Institute for Apprenticeships – three months after it was originally supposed to go live. The opportunity to apply to deliver EQA services on behalf of the IfA was posted on the gov.uk contracts finder website last night, with a closing date of […]

Ofqual boss: lack of end point assessment organisations is ‘not irresponsible’

Ofqual’s chief regulator has said it’s “not irresponsible” for apprenticeships to be launched without an organisation in place to deliver the final exam. Speaking at FE Week’s Annual Apprenticeship Conference this morning (March 24), Sally Collier (pictured above) also said she “didn’t know” if having just half of approved standards with end point assessment organisation […]

Exam board faces £50,000 Ofqual fine for handling of qualifications fraud case

An awarding organisation is facing a fine of £50,000 over its handling of a high-profile case of alleged qualifications fraud in 2015. The notice to impose a monetary penalty on Industry Qualifications, published today, is only the third such fine issued by Ofqual. It stated: “Ofqual considers that IQ breached the conditions in relation to […]

Ofqual to discuss conflict-of-interest concerns with NSAFD organisation

Ofqual will hold talks with an awarding organisation owned by the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink, over alleged conflict of interest “issues raised” through an FE Week investigation. The qualifications watchdog announced its plans to intervene in the wake of our report that the NSAFD was misleading providers by trying to sell them […]

SFA approve just 13% of apprentice assessment organisation applications

Organisations applying to the government’s new register of apprenticeship assessment organisations are being turned away because their plans for end-point assessment are not up to scratch, according to the new interim chief executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships, Peter Lauener. Mr Lauener (pictured above right), who is also chief executive of the Skills Funding Agency and Education […]

Amanda Spielman, chair, Ofqual

Amanda Spielman does not consider herself a pedant, but is a self-confessed hater of unclear or “fuzzy” language. She doesn’t want to sound like someone who writes to newspapers complaining about the state of modern English and signing off, as she puts it, “Disgusted, from Tunbridge Wells”. “Of course language has to grow and change,” […]