Vocational Qualifications FAQs

We have combined our Access to Assessment and Reasonable Adjustments policy. Please use our Secure Portal to see our Reasonable Adjustments and Special Considerations Policy. 

Centres must keep complete and accurate records, for at least three years from the end of year to which they relate, for all qualifications and make these available to Open Awards on request.

Centres are required to retain the following records:

• Name of learner, date of birth and contact address
• Title and accreditation number of each qualification and unit studied
• Name(s) of assessor(s)
• Assessment records, including assessment decision and reason for decision
• Name(s) of internal verifier(s)
• Internal Verification reports

Centres must retain all learner evidence at least until the next external verification visit takes place following certification to allow for appropriate external verifier sampling of evidence and/or selection of evidence to be used for standardisation purposes.

Following a successful external verification visit, evidence will be able to be returned to learners.

We have an extensive choice of units and qualifications suitable for learners at foundation level.  These allow you to provide individualised training programmes to suit learners needs.

Our Foundation learning qualifications available at Entry Levels and Level 1  include

• Skills for Further Learning and Employment
• Horticulture Skills
• Construction and Building
• Functional Skills

You can use our Qualification Search and our Unit Search to explore our portfolio. If you have any questions, please call our team on 0151 494 2072.

The Learning Aim Reference is an 8 digit number used to uniquely identify our qualifications. You can find this in the qualification guide or the qualification page on our website. We usually present these in the format xxx/xxxx/x but you may see them without / when searching on the ESFA HUB website. This number may also be referred to as a Qualification Accreditation Number (QAN). 

We have a number of nationally accredited qualifications that are suitable for delivery in schools. These qualifications offer flexible, bite-sized learning and are used successfully to enhance learning programmes and to accredit much of the PSHE learning. The qualifications are available in a range of sectors and offer the broad spread of vocationally related knowledge, skills and personal learning that will enable individuals and groups to achieve and progress.

Details regarding the delivery of  Open Awards qualifications can be found in the Qualification Guide. This Guide contains information on the unit content and any other relevant details required for delivery and assessment of the qualification.

Open Awards Internal Quality Assurance information can be found on the portal.

All Open Awards qualifications come with a Qualification Guide which assist you in the delivery and assessment. Each qualification has a Purpose Statement which is designed for learners to understand the requirements and progression. Curriculum Case studies can enable tutors design suitable curriculum choices for their learners too.

Where a learner is unable to complete a qualification full, Providers may accredit individual units. In doing so, learners must have evidence that they have achieve all of the learning outcomes a unit. Learners receive a certificate of unit accreditation.

The Open Awards Business Development team can assist you in this regard. Please forward your requests to [email protected].

You can join our SEND surgery – from 1 October 2022 – Thursdays between 3:30-4:30pm.