Becoming an Approved Qualification Centre

Before you can receive CIOB qualification centre approval we must ensure that you have the management structure and quality assurance systems in place in order to support the delivery, assessment, internal verification of CIOB’s regulated qualifications. As a regulated awarding organisation we must also ensure that you are able to comply with our regulators OfQual under their regulated qualifications framework requirements set out in ‘The General Conditions of Recognition’.

The Application

You will need to complete and send your approval form and documentation to the Quality Coordinator. CIOB will then assess the summary provided of your delivery. The CIOB must ensure that you have all the necessary quality assurance, systems and resources to deliver and we would expect a complete overview of this within your submission. If enough evidence has been provided within the application conditional approval may be granted by the Approvals Panel, a letter is sent to confirm this, this then allows you to commence with the production of your marketing materials. The CIOB will then send the Centre Agreement for the College Principle to sign and once received by the CIOB, enrolment of students and delivery of the qualifications can begin.

If the initial application requires further evidence this will be requested and after this point if the Approvals Panel still feels it necessary for the Centre to expand on the information given an advisory visit may be offered. Once the evidence is assessed or after the advisory visit has taken place conditional approval may be granted if all the criterion have been met.

CIOB Training Visit

CIOB can arrange an optional training visit, if you would like one, at a mutually convenient time to provide details of the qualifications how they are delivered, assessed and graded. The training will also provide an overview of how to use CIOB Moodle and completion of the application form for approval. This is an opportunity to ask any questions relating to approval, delivery and progression from the CIOB Education Team members. If you would like a training visit, please contact the Quality Coordinator: [email protected].

Recognition via another regulated Awarding Organisation

If you have already been approved to offer other CIOB routes or received approval by another awarding body regulated by the government, it may be possible for us to approve your centre based on supporting documentation along with your Approved Centre Status application.

Proposed Marketing of Qualifications and Evidence of Demand

We will need to see a brief overview of how you propose to market the qualifications; examples of the details we are looking for here could be direct links to your website providing current information on the qualifications offered or a sample of marketing information already in place. A full review of the documents in place will be carried out at the first external verifier's visit.

A Centre Advisory Visit

This visit may take place if we feel that we need to further assess areas of the application that were insufficient in not meeting the required criteria. This will involve meeting the delivery team and a tour of the relevant centre resources. The Internal verification policy will also be checked to ensure it meets the necessary quality requirements.

After the visit the CIOB Advisor will complete a report outlining recommendations and actions, sending it to the CIOB Quality Coordinator. Written confirmation of the decision will be sent within 10 days of the advisory visit date. We will then send the Centre Agreement for signature, and following this a welcome pack via email along with access to CIOB Moodle.

Moderation of New Centres

Within two to three months of the commencement of the delivery, or when the first unit has been completed by the learners, an External Verifier will arrange to visit to review the initial application and its implementation, sample the students work, review Centre documentation such as malpractice and appeals, marketing information, the student handbook, timetable, guidance and procedural documentation and resources. (You may choose to adopt the CIOB guidance documentation.)

Approval Fee

Our approval fee is stated within our current fees list. This also covers your first external verification visit. Please see below for further fees