Updated 19.03.2021 14:05
Following recent announcements by the Government on the lifting of coronavirus restrictions, Further Education Colleges and Independent Training Providers offering regulated qualifications can return to face to face teaching and assessment from the 8th March onwards.
Ofqual’s regulatory arrangements permit awarding organisations to make adjustments to qualifications and assessments to take account of the impact of the pandemic and the need to comply with public health guidance. Any adaptations we make will maintain the validity and reliability of occupational qualifications.
We are committed to supporting centres and learners throughout this time and have already published a toolkit of adaptations for different qualifications to support learners. We will keep these documents under review to take into account any decisions from Ofqual’s current consultation on their VTQ Contingency Regulatory Framework.
If you have any queries relating to any existing or proposed examination bookings please contact bookings@itecworld.co.uk. For any general queries please contact customersupport@vtct.org.uk.
Documentation
We have released new documentation to support centres with remote examinations:
- Checklist for Re-opening ITEC Centres for Practical Examinations
- iTEC COVID-19 Operational Guidance for Centres
- iTEC Generic Health Declaration Form
- iTEC Client Health Declaration Form
- iTEC Learner Health Declaration Form
- iTEC Sample Risk Assessment for Practical Examinations
- Requirements of the Practical Examiner during a Practical Examination
VTCT and iTEC Beauty and Massage Therapies Announcement
Important Notice for Centres Offering VTCT or iTEC qualifications in beauty therapy, nail services, make-up services, and massage therapies. iTEC ask our centres to ensure they keep up to date by visiting the Government’s website, due to the differing restrictions by area, particularly the differing lockdown rules in the separate nations of the UK, and the Tier systems that are in place outside of any lockdown situation.
Centre Re-opening Information
We want to support centres in re-opening safely and have produced guidance information for centres to follow.
It will be the responsibility of the centre and training provider to ensure that the information is adhered to when preparing for internal practical assessments within the training environment.
Exceptional arrangements for assessment and grading of ITEC qualifications in 2020 during the current COVID-19 crisis.
The temporary change to our Practical and Theory Assessment methodologies applies to bookings you may have made with iTEC up to 31st July or bookings you were intending to make before this date.
With a view to completing your students’ journeys, we have put together Theory Guidelines, FAQs, video and schedule Examination Packs containing all of the necessary forms, processes and information for your staff in order to carry out the Practical and Theory Examinations.
If you have any further questions, did not receive the documentation or were unable to attend the meeting on Tuesday 19th May please contact us for more details.
Business Continuity
We have an established business continuity process, supported by a designated Covid-19 Task Force (C-19TF). The latter is drawn from senior representation from across the organisation, all with a strong understanding of the key processes and systems, and the needs of our employees, centres and stakeholders. Business continuity arrangements are being reviewed and managed in line with the latest government advice regarding Covid-19 and as the situation evolves. The C-19TF will continue to meet frequently to review the ongoing situation and latest UK Government and World Health Organisation (WHO) official advice. This team is responding to queries and preparing and issuing guidance, ensuring the organisation is prepared to respond to the changing situation.
Working together with, and guided by the qualification regulators, we are monitoring the ongoing Covid-19 situation. We understand that centres may have queries or concerns as to how this may impact the delivery of any qualifications and any upcoming assessments.
For further information and support, please contact:
General enquiries: Customer Support (see details below)
ITEC Practical Exam Bookings: Kate Morris, Quality Administrator (Bookings) bookings@itecworld.co.uk
ITEC Theory Exams: Ian Manaton, Assessment Co-ordinator exams@itecworld.co.uk