City & Guilds recognised by Ofqual to develop new reformed qualifications

City & Guilds, the global skills partner, has been formally recognised by Ofqual to develop the Government’s new V Levels, Occupational Certificates and Foundation Certificates.

The recognition marks a fundamental first step towards bringing City & Guilds’ new suite of reformed qualifications to market.

The new qualifications form part of the Government’s reforms to post-16 education and skills, intended to create clearer pathways for young people and make vocational and technical education easier for learners, employers and providers to navigate.

V Levels will provide a vocational pathway alongside academic and occupational routes, while Occupational Certificates and Foundation Certificates will support progression at different stages of a learner’s journey.

The reforms are intended to give young people greater choice and clearer routes into further study, apprenticeships and employment, while helping employers access the skills they need.

City & Guilds, now backed by PeopleCert, secured recognition following a rigorous Ofqual process in which it demonstrated the strength of its systems, technical and operational capabilities, alongside its extensive experience and expertise in delivering qualifications across the relevant subject sector areas.

Teams from across the organisation contributed to the application, bringing together a significant body of evidence to demonstrate City & Guilds’ readiness and capability to deliver the new qualifications to the standards required by the regulator.

The recognition provides a strong foundation for the next phase of work as City & Guilds progresses the development and delivery of its reformed qualification portfolio.

Andy Moss, interim CEO of City & Guilds, said:

“This is an important milestone. Recognition is the first step towards bringing these qualifications to market, but a fundamental one which reflects the considerable expertise and capability that exists across City & Guilds.

“The application required us to demonstrate not only the robustness of our systems and operational infrastructure, but also our technical expertise and deep experience in the relevant sectors. This is testament to the hard work of colleagues from across the organisation who contributed to the process.

“These reforms are an important opportunity to strengthen vocational and technical education and give more young people clear, high-quality routes into further learning and work. City & Guilds has been supporting learners and employers for generations, and we want to bring that experience to the development of qualifications that are relevant, trusted and built around the skills the economy needs.”

City & Guilds will now progress to the next stages of the reforms. The organisation will build on its long-standing experience in vocational and technical education as it develops the new qualifications, working to ensure they meet the needs of learners, educators and employers and support a skills system that is relevant, trusted and responsive to the changing needs of the economy.