Vocational qualifications

If you provide high quality, in-house training for your employees, you might want to have it accredited onto the Register of Regulated Qualifications. This means your training will be nationally recognised.

Using regulated qualifications allows you to have confidence that your training leads to a recognised qualification, and that it reflects current industry standards.

You can work with an awarding organisation to have your training accredited or consider becoming an awarding organisation in your own right.

A number of employers have already been recognised as awarding organisations with their own training included as qualifications on the Register of Regulated Qualifications. Others have worked in partnership with existing awarding organisations to have their training accredited. There is support available for employers interested in training accreditation and recognition.

Training accreditation advice

If you want to have your in-house training mapped to existing qualifications or units, or get your training recognised as national qualifications, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) can provide advice and support.

The CCEA is responsible for the regulation of all qualifications in Northern Ireland as defined on the Register of Regulated Qualifications. Organisations wishing to offer qualifications in Northern Ireland must be recognised by CCEA Regulation and must meet the CCEA criteria for recognition.

Benefits of accredited training

• Give confidence to learners and employers that the qualifications have been independently checked.
• Assure users that the qualifications are monitored and are of the standard and level they claim to be.
• Have qualifications listed on the Register of Regulated Qualifications - a key resource for those searching for qualifications to take.
• Allow particular aspects of the qualifications to be transparent across Europe by reference to the European Qualifications Framework.

Higher education accreditation

Foundation degrees are vocational higher education designed to meet workplace needs. They provide university-level qualifications, customised to meet your business' objectives and aims.

Foundation degrees are designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills and attributes required in the workplace by combining academic and work related learning. They are designed and delivered through partnerships between employers and/or employer organisations, universities and local colleges.

Read more on higher education training opportunities for your business.