FAQs - Badge of Excellence

Yes, we can accredit your in-house training courses and award certificates that will be recognised by other awarding bodies, colleges and employers. There are a range of options available including regulated qualifications, quality endorsed units, Badge of Excellence courses, and micro-credentials. Please contact the team on enquiries@openawards.org.uk to arrange a curriculum planning meeting to discuss the different options.

You will need to complete the Badge of Excellence application form and include sufficient evidence to enable the team to complete a full review of the program. This includes evidence of how your course meets the Open Awards Standards for Excellence. Copies of relevant schemes of work, resources, policies, procedures and/ or case studies should be included to support the application.

Full details of what should be included in a review can be found on The Portal.

Badge of Excellence accreditation lasts for two (2) years from the date of approval. At least 6 months before the course expires, Open Awards will be in touch to discuss the revalidation process.

There are no levels associated with BoE. This is because it is a bespoke accreditation service and does not require you to map the content to a regulated qualification framework.

However, providers can choose to title their programs with ranks, so long as it is clear that the course is accredited and does not lead to a full regulated qualification.

For example, acceptable titles would include: Beginner, Intermediate, Expert.

NB: Certificates will only include the providers chosen title.

The Badge of Excellence option differs from other products we offer in that we review and validate everything before we confirm approval. This includes a full review of the application form and all supporting evidence against the Open Awards Standards of Excellence. This is completed by the Quality and Compliance Team at Open Awards.

All Badge of Excellence Programmes are validated for two (2) years after which they are reviewed/ revalidated.

The first stage is to be approved as a provider with Open Awards. This process includes due diligence checks to ensure you have the appropriate financial arrangements, resources, policies, and governance controls in place.

The second stage is a quality assurance review of your course or programme. This is called ‘programme approval’ and will be completed of each course you want to deliver with Open Awards.

Once the application form and supporting evidence are submitted via The Portal, it will be reviewed by a member of the Quality and Compliance team within three (3) weeks. During this time we may ask for additional information and/ or clarification.

Once reviewed, you will receive formal notification relating to the specific programme and feedback on your application.

Please note that each programme needs to have its own validated approval – the Badge of Excellence approval is not a “blanket” approval for all courses you deliver.

Yes – you can apply to come on board as a ‘Badge of Excellence only’ provider.

The process to do this is slightly shorter than for full approval.

You cannot deliver any of our regulated qualifications through a Badge of Excellence only approval.

You can update your Badge of Excellence only approval to a full approval by providing additional information and paying an annual fee. Please contact the team on enquiries@openawards.org.uk for more information.

The Badge of Excellence accreditation service gives you flexibility to deliver your course to meet the purpose and learner needs of your specific course. The Badge of Excellence can be applied to a broad range of activities to evidence achievement, including:

• Face-to-face training
• Group activities
• Community projects
• Distance learning
• E-learning
• Work placements
• Continued professional development

Once learners have been registered, receiving your certificates can take up to 10 working days and will be delivered to the provider’s address.

You can register your learners before the course (to receive the certificates in advance) or after they have completed their learning.

The first step is to become a provider by filling in our New Business Enquiry Form.

If you are already a provider, you can start the programme approval process via The Portal.

For more information, please contact the team on customerservices@openawards.org.uk