Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that vocational qualification standards are maintained where awarding organisations undergo significant (a) ownership and (b) management changes.

City and Guilds of London Institute is an independent organisation. The government has no role in its governance or commercial decisions. Following the announcement of their consultation, City and Guilds Ltd have released a statement confirming the changes are not expected to disrupt learners, including those currently working through their assessments, or affect the delivery or quality of qualifications.

Departmental officials meet regularly with City and Guilds colleagues to discuss provision of qualifications and outline any issues early.

Ofqual oversees the awarding organisation in all setup and governance models. It expects strong governance, proper handling of conflicts of interest, financial resilience and transparency. Ofqual recognition rests with the recognised entity and cannot be separately transferred or merged.