UK regulator fines OTHM £25,000 over malpractice failures

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The UK’s qualifications regulator, Ofqual, has fined awarding organisation OTHM Qualifications £25,000 after finding what it described as serious and repeated failures in the way malpractice allegations involving colleges and training providers were handled.

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This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday on the UK Home Office website.

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The regulator said the failures, which spanned more than four years, included allowing colleges and training providers accused of malpractice to investigate themselves, maintaining inconsistent records and failing to report serious incidents to Ofqual between 2018 and 2024.

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The action is significant for the millions of students studying in the UK, including international students, whose qualifications rely on confidence in the integrity of awarding bodies.

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PUNCH Online reports that OTHM Qualifications is a UK-based awarding organisation regulated by Ofqual that develops vocational qualifications delivered through approved colleges and training providers in the UK and overseas.

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Its qualifications are widely used for career development and progression to bachelor’s and master’s degree top-up programmes at partner universities.

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According to Ofqual, its investigation began in February 2024 after it received 12 allegations of malpractice involving OTHM qualifications.

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The regulator found several cases in which OTHM instructed colleges at the centre of malpractice allegations to investigate themselves, including cases where those institutions had been warned they could lose their accreditation if wrongdoing was established.

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Ofqual also said OTHM’s record-keeping was inconsistent.

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It said the organisation produced different malpractice registers each time records were requested and was unable to provide investigation reports for four cases it was required to retain under its own policy.

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The regulator further found that although OTHM’s records showed dozens of malpractice and maladministration incidents that met the reporting threshold between 2018 and 2024, it submitted only one notification to Ofqual during that period, preventing earlier regulatory intervention.

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The regulator said OTHM has since developed a detailed action plan and invested in its systems, processes and staff to prevent similar failures. It has also agreed to provide regular progress reports to Ofqual, which will be independently audited.

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Amanda Swann, Ofqual’s Executive Director for Delivery, said: “I’d like to remind awarding organisations that event notifications are a sign of good governance, not a sign of failure. When Ofqual is not kept informed, we cannot step in to protect learners.”

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Swann added: “OTHM has acknowledged what went wrong and taken steps to put it right. We will be watching.

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“But a £25,000 fine is a significant consequence, and it is meant to be. Qualifications only mean something if people can trust them.”

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