How to become an awarding body

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An awarding body is an entity with the authority to award specific market qualifications included in the IQS, i.e. to issue documents (e.g. certificates) formally confirming that a person has attained the qualification. Issuing a certificate culminates the process of assessing the knowledge, skills and social competences of a person seeking to attain a given qualification. The awarding body is also responsible for organising the awarding process. This process is called “validation” in the terminology of the Integrated Qualification System.

Who can become an awarding body

An awarding body can be any entity conducting business activities that does not have tax arrears and can prove that it has the appropriate organisational conditions and personnel to perform validation in accordance with the requirements specified in the description of the qualification.

How to become an awarding body, i.e. the authorisation process

An interested entity submits an application to award certificates for a given market qualification through the Integrated Qualifications Register. The completed application includes information about the entity, a declaration on the absence of tax and social benefits arrears, as well as information on meeting the organisational and personnel requirements of the validation process.

A one-time fee of 10,000 PLN must be paid when submitting the application. This fee is 5,000 PLN for entities submitting an application to become an awarding body for a specific qualification (which they themselves submit) together with an application to include said qualification in the IQS.

The submitted application is then assessed by the relevant minister. If the result of the assessment is positive, the minister grants the applicant the authorisation to award the qualification by means of an administrative decision.