22/02/2024

Breaking Down Our New Education Partner Quality Assurance Framework

Here at CIMSPA, we have introduced a new quality assurance framework for our education partners, instilling confidence in the credentials of their offering for professionals working in the sport and physical activity sector.

No matter your role in the industry, developing your knowledge and training repertoire is vital for a sport and physical activity professional. Whether you are seeking a degree programme, a qualification or a CPD course, our new framework offers transparency in order to help you make a confident and informed decision.

As the sport and physical activity sector’s Chartered Institute, we endorse and quality assure the learning and training provision that our education partners deliver to help you develop your professional status and improve the services you provide. In order to continue this and support our Training Provider Partners in offering excellent learning opportunities, each provider has been supplied with a rating that has been awarded based on an independent external review.

The new framework allows those looking for a course to check providers ahead of signing up to ensure that it meets CIMSPA’s quality standards, and reassures you that the product aligns to the standards in the sector. With an increasing number of professionals and employers only using CIMSPA-endorsed training, this gives a ‘stamp of approval’ for the training offer.

Our reviews are based on supplied evidence and evaluated against our framework, supported by our policies, procedures and relevant legislation. A provider’s rating will be based on the following principles:

  • Quality of education provision
  • Learner journey
  • Marketing and promotion


What does each rating mean?

There are three outcomes that a CIMSPA education partner can receive:

Enhancing: the provider has evidenced best practice within most of their operations, processes and procedures, and are seen to be offering the highest quality provision to its learners.

Enabling: the provider has evidenced some good practice within their operations, processes and procedures with minimal areas for development.

Emerging: the provider has met the minimum operating standards required, but have key actions needed to be completed to ensure adherence to CIMSPA standards and expectations of its endorsed provision. CIMSPA will provide bespoke support to providers to ensure sufficient quality developments to achieve an enabling or enhancing outcome at the next quality assurance review.

This framework will be used as part of our regular reviews with all of our Training Provider Partners to support them with offering the best quality provision possible. Providers ratings may change depending on their latest review.

Those searching for an education provision should look out for the CIMSPA Quality Assurance logos above, which state the category the provider falls in to.

Currently, the quality assurance rating is optional for a provider to display, however CIMSPA will be sharing all education partner’s ratings publicly in due course.

 

Linzi Waite, Quality Assurance Manager at CIMSPA said:

“The CIMSPA quality assurance outcomes act as a standard for ongoing improvement in the industry, motivating education providers to aim for excellence and improve their services regularly.

By promoting accountability and transparency, the quality assurance framework benefits professionals seeking learning opportunities and encourages a shared dedication to elevating standards across the sport and physical activity sector.”

 

If you are looking for an education, learning or training provider to support you with gaining a qualification, or enhancing your professional development by undertaking a CPD course, make sure that you use our education partner directories to choose CIMSPA endorsed and quality assured provision:

CIMSPA Partner Directory

CIMSPA Endorsed Training Directory


If you are a training or education provider and would like to know more about becoming a CIMSPA education partner, visit:

CIMSPA Education Partner

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.