We are pleased to announce our partnership with I Can Qualify (ICQ). ICQ is an Awarding Organisation that offers accredited interpreting and translation qualifications, which are delivered by ISL.
Why do you need an Awarding Organisation?
Awarding Organisations (AO) are also called Awarding Bodies. All accredited vocational qualifications in England must be approved by The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual). Ofqual is the regulatory body overseeing all the qualifications, examinations and assessments in England.
However, Ofqual does not build the qualifications itself, or provide the certificates. Instead, it regulates the awarding organisations that do so. Therefore, each qualification must be offered via an awarding organisation. And in turn, these awarding organisations rely on training centres like ISL to teach and assess the learners.
What is the difference between a Training Centre and an Awarding Organisation?
Awarding organisations are regulated by Ofqual and ultimately, it is them who issue the certificate or diploma to the learner. However, all the steps before that – from enrolment, through training, all the way to assessment, are done by Training Centres such as ISL.
A lot of background work occurs whereby ISL works closely with the awarding organisations to make sure that both the curriculum design, delivery and the learners’ portfolio evidence meet the required expectations of the qualification standards approved by the awarding organisation. However, to keep things simple, learners do not have to be aware of that process or deal with the awarding organisations directly.
However, once the final step is completed (confirmation that the learner has completed the course), we will contact our awarding organisation to share the learner’s portfolio so that they can issue the certificate to the learner.
What does it mean for me as an ISL learner?
As an ISL learner, you can rest assured that any of our qualifications you choose to enrol on is fully accredited, delivered through an Awarding Organisation and ultimately regulated by Ofqual. Therefore, all of our qualifications are nationally recognised and accepted by all key public services and end users, including the NHS, the Police, the Ministry of Justice, Home Office and many others.
Where can I find out more information?
You can search for our qualifications on the Ofqual register, or take a look at the ICQ website.
How do I enrol on an interpreting course?
You can visit our website, send us an email or give us a call on 0203 475 7771. For the full list of qualifications on offer, take a look at the attachment below (also available for download).