Capacity for portfolio growth
Support in attaining approval for new qualifications where full regulatory approval is required
Key qualification reforms often require substantial submissions to government departments and regulators for approval. This can put additional pressure on Awarding Organisations (AOs) trying to deliver business as usual while also responding to these new opportunities.
Our team can provide additional capacity and expertise to support. We have have many years of experience in preparing evidence and documents for this type of review, meaning we are well placed to help you get your proposal across the line. This example shows how we helped an AO to successfully achieve approval from Ofqual for their Alternative Academic Qualifications (AAQs).
The request
In 2025, our consultancy team was commissioned by an AO needing specialist support to develop four 360-Guided-Learning-Hour Extended Certificates for submission to Ofqual. They had limited internal resources and a tight six-week timeline, so we provided assessment and subject expertise to deliver:
- Development of assessment strategies for each qualification
- Development of sample assessment content, including external assessment (EA) and non-exam assessment (NEA)
- Supporting the sourcing of letters of support from HEIs.
Our solution
We were able to quickly deploy a team that included:
Heather Venis, Senior Project Manager
Heather supports vocational qualification and assessment design and development projects to ensure they are fit for purpose and meet quality and compliance requirements. She brings awarding organisation experience, consultancy leadership, regulatory and senior management expertise.
Rachael Meech, Senior Associate
An experienced freelance education consultant working in the awarding organisation sector, providing a range of services and support in regulation, compliance, quality assurance, qualifications development and delivery.
Sector-specific subject matter experts (SMEs)
Recruited from our database of over 1,000 education professionals with relevant teaching experience, assessment writing skills, and subject-specific expertise in their given discipline, aligned to curriculum requirements and quality standards.
The activity we undertook included:
Development of assessment strategies
Firstly, the team needed to ensure that the qualifications aligned with regulatory requirements, and that the related assessments were valid, reliable and comparable.
We reviewed the AO’s draft assessment strategies and feedback from an initial submission, and refined the grading model to Pass/Merit/Distinction. Revised strategies were drafted for client approval ahead of the submission deadline.
This work was undertaken by our Senior Associate, who has extensive relevant experience in the development of assessment strategies for regulatory approval across a range of different AOs.
Assessment content development
Each AAQ submission required two examined assessments (EAs) and three non-examined assessments (NEAs), but the client only had the capacity to develop one EA per qualification. We were asked to create the remaining four assessments per subject. Outsourcing this work, however, did not mean there was any compromise on consistency or quality. Our SMEs, guided by a Senior Project Manager, used templates and authoring guidance provided to develop the assessments consistently. Our buddy system meant the SMEs peer-reviewed each other’s work to check for technical accuracy before submission to the client.
Letters of support
It was critical to the approval process that we demonstrate that the AAQ has a clear and direct link to higher education by submitting a minimum of 6 letters of support from higher education providers. We provided additional support in generating meaningful and relevant endorsements through contact with Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
Outcome
All the required documentation was developed and submitted ahead of the deadline, but that wasn’t the end of the project. We normally anticipate feedback from Ofqual on submissions and so were ready to work with the client to address their comments. For this submission, feedback was about clarification and tightening up a few descriptions so that, following the second review, the client received the good news that the submission had been successful.
We can help you too
If you are planning a formal proposal for new qualifications and think you might need additional capacity in your team, get in touch. We can field a team with experience in putting together compelling submissions to help you with your preparations.
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