The OTHM malpractice failures have resulted in a £25,000 fine after the UK qualifications regulator found serious weaknesses in the organisation’s handling of allegations involving colleges and training providers.
According to Punch, Ofqual imposed the penalty after an investigation revealed repeated failures spanning more than four years.
The regulator said OTHM Qualifications allowed some colleges accused of malpractice to investigate the allegations against themselves.
In some cases, the institutions conducting the investigations had already been warned that they could lose their accreditation if officials confirmed any wrongdoing.
Ofqual said such arrangements created concerns about independence and the credibility of the investigation process.
Investigation followed 12 allegations
Ofqual began its investigation in February 2024 after receiving 12 allegations of malpractice involving qualifications awarded by OTHM.
The regulator found problems with how the organisation documented, investigated and reported suspected wrongdoing.
It said OTHM provided different malpractice registers whenever officials requested its records, with inconsistencies appearing across the documents.
The organisation was also unable to produce investigation reports for four cases, despite its own policy requiring it to retain them.
OTHM malpractice failures included poor reporting
Ofqual also found that OTHM failed to notify it about several incidents that met the threshold for regulatory reporting.
Although the organisation’s records contained dozens of malpractice and maladministration cases between 2018 and 2024, it submitted only one notification during that period.
The regulator said the failure prevented it from intervening earlier to protect learners and maintain confidence in the affected qualifications.
Amanda Swann, Ofqual’s Executive Director for Delivery, said event notifications should be regarded as evidence of proper governance rather than organisational failure.
“When Ofqual is not kept informed, we cannot step in to protect learners,” she said.
Swann added that the £25,000 penalty was intended to demonstrate the seriousness of the breaches.
“Qualifications only mean something if people can trust them,” she said.
OTHM begins corrective measures
Ofqual said OTHM had acknowledged the failures and developed a detailed plan to address them.
The awarding organisation has also invested in its staff, systems and internal processes to prevent similar problems from happening again.
Under the agreement, OTHM must submit regular progress reports showing how it is implementing the required improvements.
Independent auditors will examine the reports, while Ofqual will continue monitoring the organisation’s compliance.
OTHM Qualifications develops vocational programmes delivered through approved colleges and training providers in the UK and other countries.
Its qualifications are commonly used for career advancement and admission into bachelor’s and master’s degree top-up programmes.
The regulator said strong oversight remained essential because learners, employers and universities must be able to trust the integrity of qualifications issued by awarding organisations.
