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02/04/2024
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Update on Education Provider Quality Assurance Framework

Last autumn, we launched our new Quality Assurance Framework for CIMSPA Education Partners.

The Framework not only aims to identify great practice and high-quality provision, but also to help providers that partner with us to further develop the services that they offer to learners and participants. The first phase of the Framework implementation has focused on those Education Partners who are training providers.

Read more on the Framework

To date, 129 training provider partners have now been reviewed against the Quality Assurance Framework and have received one of three outcomes:

  • Enhancing – providers identified as enhancing have evidenced good practice within their operations, processes, and procedures, and are seen to be offering the highest quality education provision to its learners/participants by CIMSPA.
  • Enabling – providers identified as enabling have evidenced some good practice within their operations, processes, and procedures. CIMSPA will provide clear actions to support the development of the provider partner to ensure high quality education provision to its learners/participants.
  • Emerging – providers identified as emerging have key actions which need to be completed within a specified time frame, to ensure that they meet CIMSPA standards and expectations of provider partners. CIMSPA will provide bespoke support to providers identified as emerging to ensure sufficient quality developments to achieve an enabling or enhancing outcome, following the next quality assurance review.


54% of providers have received the Enhancing outcome, 40% the Enabling outcome and 6% the Emerging outcome. As part of their ongoing partnership with CIMSPA, providers receive ongoing support to help them develop and/or maintain the quality of their service offer.

We will shortly be publishing individual provider outcomes, and many providers are already including their outcome alongside information about their provision. Look out for the following logos if you are selecting a training provider.

Feedback from providers who have experienced the process of Quality Assurance review through CIMSPA includes:

“The QA process is positive for our company. For me it’s about gaining insight into what can be done better, improving service provision, which I always welcome.The process was well structured, and the assessment was guided by that structure which made it easy to follow and to produce the required evidence.”

“The Quality Assurance review process ensures that we are reviewing our processes and policies every year to enable us to maintain our high standards. The Advisor was extremely knowledgeable, supportive and positive and did a really helpful follow up with us to go through the action points from our report. The whole process is incredibly valuable. It reinforces what we are doing well, it gives us practical action points to make improvements and helps us to maintain our reputation as an Enhancing provider.”

“We see great value in letting our students, and those interested in taking one of our courses, know that we have a very high standard of quality assurance as this review has identified.”

 

We are now in the process of piloting the Quality Assurance Framework for Higher Education, Further Education and Awarding Organisation partners.

Natasha Eason, Associate Director of Education at CIMSPA said,
"We are delighted how our partners have fully embraced and welcomed the roll-out of our new Quality Assurance Framework. It’s so important that providers can be recognised for the great standard of education and learning provision that they offer.

With so many professional development products and services being offered to sport and physical activity professionals, it’s vital that those professionals and employers can recognise the best quality provision that will help them progress in their career and develop the skills that clients need.

All of the providers that have been through the process so far have shown such a strong commitment to finding more and more ways to develop the experience that their learners have. It’s an absolute pleasure to be supporting them and collaborating with them to develop the fantastic work that they do even further.”

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The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity

CIMSPA’s work enhances the career opportunities and professional development of the workforce operating in sport, fitness, exercise, leisure, gyms, coaching, outdoor exercise, health and wellbeing. We achieve this through sector-wide engagement, membership, networking, events, directories and professional standards.

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