FAQs - Administration and General

Here at Open Awards, reducing the number of occasions we need to contact you for additional data/information and data quality is very important to us, and we only collect information that we are required to by our regulatory bodies.

The options presented in the learner registration form for fields such as Gender, Ethnicity, Ability Status, Prior Achievement and Employment, amongst others, are set due to these being the options we are able to submit to our regulators (Ofqual, QAA and GPhC). We do provide a “Not Known” option where either the data is unavailable, or the options do not fit your learners. However, where “Not Known” is continually used, we will work with you to reduce these instances.

It is also important that the information we hold matches the details at the Learning Record Service (LRS). If they do not match, the learner’s achievements may not be recorded against their Unique Learner Number (ULN).

Where we can update the options available to you to select we will do so. Any changes to our registration process will always be communicated to our providers.

E-certificates are provided automatically to all Open Awards Providers.

Open Awards e-certificates are secure. Each e-certificate is issued with a unique QR code (a two-dimensional barcode) and a certificate number linked to the learner’s name. The authenticity of an e-certificate can be checked and assured by either:

• Scanning the QR code on the certificate using a QR reader and following the on-screen prompt or
• By visiting the ‘check a certificate’ page on The Portal and entering the learner name, and certificate number.

No, providers can still continue to receive printed copies of certificates if they wish. However, e-certificates are issued and endorsed by Open Awards as a valuable, digitally verifiable alternative to traditional paper certificates.

Open Awards e-certificates are an optional service offered by Open Awards which enables providers to view and download electronic PDF versions of certificates rather than receiving paper copies in the post.

Providers must keep complete and accurate records, for at least three years from the end of the academic year to which they relate for all qualifications and make these available to Open Awards on request.

Providers are required to retain the following records:

• Name of learner, date of birth and contact address
• Title and accreditation number of each qualification and unit studied
• Name(s) of assessor(s)
• Assessment records, including assessment decision and reason for decision
• Name(s) of internal verifier(s)
• Internal verification reports

Providers must retain all learner evidence until at least the next external verification visit takes place following certification to allow for appropriate sampling of evidence and/ or selection of evidence to be used for standardisation purposes.

Following a successful external verification visit, evidence can be returned to learners.

The Learning Records Service (LRS) operates an online register which enables education providers to generate a Unique Learner Number (ULN). To be able to obtain ULNs for your learners, providers must be registered as a Learner Registration Body (LRB).

To register as a Learner Registration Body further information can be found here.

Once a provider is registered as a Learner Registration Body they will be able to obtain ULNs for their learners.

Learning Records Service operates the Learner Register, which is an internet-based register which enables education providers to generate a Unique Learner Number (ULN). To be able to obtain ULNs for your learners Provider must be registered as a Learner Registration Body (LRB).

Further information on how to register as a Learner Registration Body can be found here.

Once a Provider is registered as a Learner Registration Body they will be able to obtain ULNs for their learners.

The ULN is mandatory for all learners aged over 14 when registration to the following qualifications:

• Access to HE
• Apprenticeship Assessment
• Functional Skills
• Pharmacy Qualification

We strongly encourage you to provide a ULN for every qualification, as this allows for the achievement to be uploaded to the learner’s Personal Learning Record.

A Unique Learner Number (ULN) is a 10-digit number which is unique to the learner and is used in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. A ULN is used to record information about the learner’s personal learning record. Further information on ULNs can be found here.