Competent Person in the Workplace (CPIW) Awarding Body

The National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) are designing and developing a Level 3 qualification (certificate level), with the current working title of: Competent Person in the Workplace [CPIW]. This proposed qualification does not form part of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill but will provide security practitioners (those performing a role akin to that of a security manager) with the skills and knowledge to successfully mitigate the risks posed to them by terrorist threats - as part of the wider non-legislative protective security activity overseen by the Homeland Security Group in the Home Office. The qualification is not expected to be a mandatory requirement for the legislation.

NaCTSO are seeking to contract with an Awarding Body to gain Ofqual Certification for their qualification. They also seek to work with the Awarding Body to develop a delivery mechanism which allows the delivery of the NaCTSO-endorsed course by multiple training providers simultaneously. These training providers must have the necessary skills and abilities to deliver a security related qualification to learners across the UK.

This delivery mechanism will require NaCTSO to work with the Awarding Body to undergo activities including:

1. Pathway to gain Ofqual Certification for the course.

a. Further development of the qualification in line with pilot course feedback. While this course is not designed to meet the specific needs / requirements of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) legislation, it will be one of the issues under consideration in any future development.

2. Design a delivery mechanism which ensures robust quality assurance checks and feedback mechanisms are placed on training providers and end-users to assist with future course development opportunities. These checks will also ensure the qualification continues to deliver training to a satisfactory standard required by NaCTSO.

This is not an exhaustive list.

The Awarding Body must be recognised by Ofqual.

The NaCTSO designed and developed course will be a Level 3 Certificate covering Counter Terrorism Protective Security and Preparedness. It is designed as a blended learning qualification, with pre-read material, (in-person or virtual) 5-day classroom tutor-led sessions and additional post-course assessments.

As course designers, NaCTSO will retain ownership, copyright and intellectual property rights of the qualification content, and are seeking to implement a chargeback model to enable longevity and future development of the material within the endorsed course.

Although it is anticipated the NaCTSO qualification will most likely be taken up by security practitioners, the future ratification of Martyn's Law may open demand to a wider audience, despite this course not falling as part of the legislation itself e.g. those without any previous knowledge or experience of the security industry, or counter terrorism protective security and preparedness, who might choose to take up this course to increase their confidence in assessing risk. The course has been designed primarily to be a privately funded qualification and therefore will not be subject to any public grants.

It is likely the initial contract will have a duration of 2 years with 3, 1-year optional extensions.

Defined Terms:

Awarding Body: The successful awarding body or consortia of awarding bodies following this tender process

Certification: To be capable of awarding the recognition of learning outcomes across all devolved nations