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Co-written by Julie Goodwin, Head of Development and Vicky McClymont, Marketing and Access to HE Development Manager    When we regulate Level 3 qualifications at Open Awards, UCAS automatically generates points for these qualifications and adds the qualification to the official Tariff tables.  The purpose of the Tariff is to enable higher education providers to draw high-level comparisons between […]

Written by Teri Greaves, Business Development Manager at Open Awards    I recently attended the AELP National Conference, where I had the opportunity to engage with a range of providers on apprenticeships, qualifications, and sector updates.  AELP shared important changes they’ve been lobbying for—most notably, the removal of the mandatory Maths and English requirement for […]

The past six months in the apprenticeship landscape have felt like gazing into a crystal ball. We think we can see the future. But the image in the crystal ball is layered with mist, shifting shapes, and hidden details. Since the Department for Education’s announcement during National Apprenticeship Week in February, we’ve seen a steady […]

Written by Nina Hinton, Director of Business and Development   Thursday 19th June was a day of celebration at Open Awards as we held our Annual General Meeting. This year’s event was especially significant as we mark 20 years of trading as Open Awards (formerly Open College Network, North-West Region). It was a moment to reflect […]

We are delighted to announce our next education summit. Join us on the 2nd of October for a full day of education insights. After the success of last year’s AI summit, we knew we wanted to continue hosting community events. Yet, we knew that we needed to expand our format to respond to the complex […]

Written by Nina Hinton, Director of Business and Development   Learning at Work Week is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of supporting all learners, and particularly those furthest away from the labour market, to access meaningful experiences in the world of work. For me, it is the word ‘meaningful’ that is critical. Experience […]

Written by Abigail Black, Business Development Officer     As a mum of three, balancing work, motherhood, and everyday responsibilities often feels like a constant juggling act! With so much energy poured into taking care of everyone else, it’s easy to put our own needs last. But self-care isn’t selfish—it’s essential for maintaining mental health and […]

In today’s world, qualifications are like golden tickets to jobs, education, and career growth. But what happens when those tickets are fake? Ofqual, with the support of Open Awards, are taking the steps to remove qualification fraud and ensure that all certificates truly represent a person’s skills and knowledge. To further fight fraud, Ofqual have […]

Open Awards are delighted to announce that our Trustees have awarded Southport College the Open Awards Bursary for their Access to Higher Education laboratory project. In response to this year’s theme of ‘Doing Things Differently’, Southport College proposed changing the delivery and assessment of their Access to HE healthcare diplomas by redeveloping their old laboratory […]

Written by Robin Jackson, Director of Assessment at Open Awards Given the complexities of apprenticeships, trying to determine what Open Awards should charge for end-point assessment can, feel like a dark art. So how have we approached this, at times divisive, subject? Why we don’t just charge ‘the 20%’ It’s tempting to take the simple […]