Latest News

The theme for this year’s ‘World Mental Health Day’ is ‘It Is Time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace’, underscoring the critical importance of mental health in professional settings. The campaign is dedicated to advocating for mental health within the workplace, with the aim to highlight the essential role of mental health in professional […]

The Adult Education Budget (AEB) was replaced by the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) no 1st August 2024. Funding rates for individual qualifications are now determined by multiplying the relevant hourly rate for the sector subject areas (SSA) of the qualification by the number of guided learning hours (GLH) as assigned by the Awarding Organisation and recorded […]

We are delighted to confirm that we have signed a new contract to deliver Functional Skills assessments on behalf of the NHS in England. NHS England has awarded a contract to Open Awards to provide Functional Skills assessments for health and social care staff where the employer is delivering an NHS-commissioned service. Functional Skills assessments ensure […]

As the 2024/25 academic year starts, we are taking the opportunity to highlight three key changes to apprenticeship funding rules from 1st August 2024. At Open Awards, we have reviewed our End-point Assessment Gateway procedures to make sure we are ready to respond to these changes. If you have any questions about how these changes […]

Our External Quality Assurance Officer, Kay Taylor provides an insight into the benefits of Entry Level Functional Skills. As someone who used to teach entry level Functional Skills, I see them as providing an accessible route for learners to improve their knowledge in Maths and English. Each level is like a stepping stone to the […]

Our Director of Service Delivery Paul Henderson-Griffiths recaps on his time working within supported employment, focusing on the acceptance of neurodiversity and Autism in the workplace. In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. For me this journey began over ten years ago while […]

As we celebrate World Health Day 2024, our Head of Quality and Standards, Andrew Bardsley, shares his love for our Health Qualifications and explains how they are developed to bridge the skills gap and meet the demand of local authorities across the UK. ‘Open Awards Health Qualifications prepare learners for the health workforce through a […]

This week is UK Cyber Week and we are super excited to announce that we are working towards the Cyber Essentials Plus Certification! Our IT, MIS and Data manager, Denise Keogh, explains what this means and why we are taking Cyber Security so seriously…. “Open Awards recognises that robust cybersecurity practices are imperative for organisations to protect […]

Open Awards has committed to being an inclusive assessment organisation by signing up to Cognassist’s Inclusive Assessment Partner Program. The team at Open Awards will be completing the Neuro-Inclusion Charter training provided by Cognassist and our processes have been updated to acknowledge our Cognitive Report as evidence when considering reasonable adjustments for neuro-different learners. Cognassist strongly believe […]

Open Awards is pleased to announce the approval of two new Access to HE qualifications: Access to HE Diploma (Nursing) and Access to HE Diploma (Health Professions). Both qualifications are valid for delivery from September 2024, and adhere to the new QAA subject descriptor for Nursing and Health Professions.  For the 2024/25 academic year, Open Awards will be […]