Focus Awards

The recent consultation on mandatory vaccination for the UK has massively impacted the health and social care sector, and potentially affects the stability of business and commerce and the wider economy. Whilst still undecided in terms of outcome, the UK Government decided to restrict implementation of the mandatory vaccination program only to those working in care homes in England. Workers from that specific sub-sector may be required to either accept vaccination or lose their jobs. For all other employees, it would be a personal choice as to whether they wish to be vaccinated or not. In addition, the UK government has so far ruled out making vaccination a requirement for the adult population at large. Many business and commerce employers outside the healthcare provider sector are also concerned about the potential ‘knock-on’ impact on their clients and staff.  Some are still hesitant to interact with non-vaccinated individuals, not just among staff but also between staff, vendo...

  What are RQF qualifications? An RQF qualification is made up of specific units, each of which carries a ‘credit’ value, that can be combined and totaled to complete a qualification. Qualifications are validated and regulated by OFQUAL, the department that oversees qualifications, exams, and tests in England and vocational qualifications in Wales and Northern Ireland. Ofqual is effectively the UK government’s ‘qualification watchdog’. If a qualification is registered on the Ofqual framework (RQF) it means your course and your award are fully recognised ‘nationally’ in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. According to a write up from https://ofqual.blog.gov.uk explaining RQF, it is stated that: “RQF is a framework that should help people understand all the qualifications we regulate, general and vocational in England, and vocational in Northern Ireland, and how they relate to each other. Its intention is to improve consistency around how awarding organisations describe the si...

  How do we avoid a bogus awarding body? Apart from the challenges of choosing the best course or qualification for you, finding a genuine awarding body can also be another struggle we may be facing, especially in the current economic climate where ‘scams’ are so prevalent, especially in the digital world. With the speed and proliferation of advanced technologies having the potential to be misused, the level of deception is also ramping up. It is becoming ever more important to take responsibility for our personal and data security, particularly online. Go the ‘extra mile’ to carry out your own research on the authenticity of a company or individual with which you intend to do business. So how do you spot a legitimate awarding body amongst the ‘noise’? One of the easiest and most reliable sources is to check the government’s website; go to this link https://www.gov.uk/check-awarding-body-recognised .  It is important that the establishment is listed and recognized. If the...