Training Quality Standard

What is TQS?

The TQS has been created by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to develop a new higher standard for the certification of training providers, including those previously recognised as Centres of Vocational Excellence. The Standard requires organisations to explain their strategy, the approaches they deploy, and the results they achieve, and to submit this for assessment. Those meeting the high standards required for capability and perfromance receive certification.  

TQS Part B

The TQS has been open for applications since June 2007, and curently 94 certifications have been awarded across 25 sectors. The Standard is comprised of two parts. Part A is for all organisations delivering training and measures responsiveness - how well a training provider manages its services to ensure a high quality customer experience to an employer, assessed across the entire organisation.

Part B focuses on areas where organisations have expertise, for example sector knowledge, Sector Skills Agreement (SSA) links and Sector Qualifications Strategy (SQS) awareness, having already demonstrated their ability to serve employers through Part A. Part B does still measure the employer responsiveness but more significantly how the training provider links to local sector specific issues as a basis for the training provided. 

In Sport and Fitness

Sport and fitness is an important sector in the UK economy with around 400,000 employees. Employment in the sector has soared since 1999, with higher than average growth expected to continue in the near future. There are over 28,000 people on the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs - the register of approved fitness workers). SkillsActive seeks to ensure that these workers, volunteers and new people entering the sector have the skills to meet national standards.

It is government policy to fund quality training and recognise the best training providers. Consequently they will increasingly look to see that TQS Part B has been achieved, so that the growing sector workforce is skilled to the highest levels by quality assured training providers.

This is refelcted in the criteria for becoming a National Skills Academy recognised training provider.

"TQS is a key quality mark for the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure. It demonstrates engagement with, and responsiveness to our sector employers needs; which are two key criteria we look for in our provider partners. Consequently we expect all Centres of Excellence to have either achieved TQS or to have applied and be working towards it, and we encourage all our larger Academy Providers to work towards it.”

Florence Orban, Chief Executive National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure

Pre-submission guidance document and readiness check

If you would like to discover your readiness as an organisation to attain the TQS Part B, download the SkillsActive Readiness Check document that provides a list of key practices and structures that training providers will need.

Download SkillsActive's TQS Part B readiness check here

The Pre-Submission Guidance document is designed to assist providers with a specialism in Sport and Fitness who are preparing for Part B certification of the TQS. The guide is designed to be used by a range of people: 

• Senior management (it is imperative that there is senior management buy-in to a TQS application).
• Middle managers who may be involved in curriculum design, managing provision, engaging directly with employers or monitoring quality. 
• Delivery staff who are likely to contribute in a number of areas in a TQS submission.

Download SkillsActive’s TQS Part B Pre-submission Guidance document here 

How can SkillsActive help?

SkillsActive fully supports training providers attaining the TQS Part B mark since this underpins the move towards higher quality training and therefore better skilled workers in the sector. SkillsActive can offer a package of direct support to training providers wishing to go through the application process.

Information of the package can be downloaded here.

How to Apply

To start the application process visit the Training Quality Standard website.  

For more information or queries on the TQS Part B in sport and fitness please contact:

• Rob Williams 
  07841 743 198
  rob.williams@skillsactive.com
• Patrick Knock
  0207 632 2919
  patrick.knock@skillsactive.com
• Gary Lee 
  0207 632 2010
  gary.lee@skillsactive.com