If, having read about awarding bodies and consulted the Regulatory authorities' accreditation handbook (see the Forms and guidance page on the right-hand menu on this page), you feel that becoming a recognised awarding body is the appropriate route for your organisation, you will need to:

• have early dialogue with the Recognition and Approvals Team
• complete the first stage of the accreditation process.

Early dialogue

The Recognition and Approvals Team and sector skills teams are involved in this early dialogue. This early dialogue may consist of a meeting with your organisation, a member of the Recognition and Approvals Team and a sector specialist.

The purpose of this early dialogue is to find out more about your organisation, what qualifications you hope to offer within the national qualifications framework (NQF) and to establish whether becoming a recognised awarding body is the most appropriate route for your organisation.

It is imperative that early dialogue takes place before completing the Awarding body recognition application.

First stage of the accreditation process

Once early dialogue has taken place with the regulatory authorities, and it is agreed that becoming a recognised awarding body is appropriate, it is necessary to complete the first stage of the accreditation process. This involves completing the Awarding body recognition application.

The first stage of the accreditation process is a review of your organisation's ability to offer its Plan of provision. This plan shows the types, levels and subjects/sectors in relation to the information submitted in its Plan of provision.

Awarding body recognition application

An organisation wishing to become a recognised awarding body will need to complete the Awarding body recognition application. To ensure that the form is processed as quickly and as efficiently as possible, we would suggest that you check that:

• all relevant sections of the application are completed
• any cross-referencing is clear and accurate
• if the same documents are referred to in the application and in the appendices they have the same titles
• the most current documents are included as appendices.

Once completed, this application should be returned to the Central Accreditation Team at accreditation1@qca.org.uk

Next steps

Organisations that successfully complete this review are recognised by regulatory authorities as being capable of offering qualifications in the national quaifications ramework to the required standard.

Once an awarding body has been recognised it may submit qualifications for accreditation. For more information on how to do this, please refer to the Accreditation of qualifications and Guidance on age categories for accredited qualifications pages (see right-hand menu) and consult the Regulatory authorities' accreditation handbook (downloadable from the Forms and guidance page).

The public consultation on The statutory regulation of external qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (2004) finished in November 2003. The revised criteria and NQF came into effect on 1 September 2004.

The revised criteria The statutory regulation of external qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (2004)) replaces Arrangements for the statutory regulation of external qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (2000). (Both of these documents are downloadable from the right-hand menu on this page.)