THE Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) is targeting qualifications fraud with the launch of a new certificate validation tool.
The ECITB Awarding Organisation (AO), which develops and quality assures regulated qualifications in Scotland, England, and Wales, has created a new feature for all its regulated certification to combat the issue of fraud.
Chris Mann, ECITB director of learning and assurance, explained that qualification fraud can lead to unfairness for learners and have damaging effects on the public.
“Individuals who have gained a certificate by unfair means may compete for employment with individuals who have obtained a certificate legitimately,” he added. “At its most extreme, qualification fraud can create a risk to public safety or become a vehicle for criminal activity.
“The ECITB AO is committed to tackling qualification fraud alongside the regulators, which is why we have launched a new feature on all regulated qualification certificates. All certificates now include a QR code. Users can scan the QR code to verify the authenticity of a certificate. If it is not a genuine certificate a message will appear confirming it is not valid.”
When the QR code on a certificate is scanned, this will take users to a validator tool on Creatio, which is one of the ECITB’s two new online platforms for regulated qualifications. If the QR code is valid, the learner’s name, qualification title and certification date will be shown on screen. If this information does not match the certificate being validated, it is invalid.
If the ECITB has invalidated a certificate, for example due to malpractice or a replacement certificate having been issued, when the QR code is scanned, a message will appear saying the certificate is invalid.
Chris added, “By working with industry, ECITB engineering qualifications are valued by employers because they deliver the skills industry needs and offer development opportunities to staff across a wide range of engineering construction roles.
“ECI employers should be able to trust that a certificate proves that the holder has undertaken specific training and demonstrated the appropriate level of competence. We believe this new feature is a positive step to help reduce qualification fraud.”
