What Does an Accredited Qualification Actually Mean?
Ofqual, awarding organisations and training centres are three different things. How to tell whether your certificate is a regulated qualification — and when it matters.
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Quick answer
A regulated qualification is one awarded by an organisation recognised by Ofqual (England), Qualifications Wales or CCEA (Northern Ireland), and listed on the regulated qualifications framework at the stated level. Anything else — including certificates from reputable professional bodies — is a non-regulated certificate. Neither is automatically better, and UK food hygiene and health and safety law does not require a qualification at all. But if a customer, insurer, contract or inspector asks for a “Level 2 accredited certificate”, a regulated qualification is the one that answers the question without argument.
This page previously reported the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health surrendering its recognition as a regulated awarding organisation in 2017. That is long settled, so we have widened it into the question people are actually asking: how do you tell whether a certificate is properly accredited?
Three different things, all called “accreditation”
| Who | What they do | Examples | What they do not do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulator | Recognises awarding organisations and holds them to standards; maintains the register of regulated qualifications | Ofqual, Qualifications Wales, CCEA | Does not award qualifications or deliver training |
| Awarding organisation | Designs and awards the qualification; approves and monitors training centres | The name on your certificate | Does not usually deliver the training itself |
| Training centre | Delivers and assesses the qualification under approval from an awarding organisation | Providers like us | Cannot accredit itself |
Conflating these is where the confusion starts — and where some marketing gets away with more than it should. A training company describing itself as “accredited” has told you nothing until you know by whom, and for what.
Regulated vs non-regulated
| Regulated qualification | Non-regulated certificate | |
|---|---|---|
| Awarded by | An organisation recognised by Ofqual, Qualifications Wales or CCEA | Anyone — a professional body, a training company, an employer |
| On the certificate | Full title, level, awarding organisation, qualification number | Varies; may be just a course name and a company logo |
| Verifiable | Yes — against the regulator’s register | Only with the issuing body |
| Quality assured | External verification by the awarding organisation, which is itself regulated | Depends entirely on the issuer |
| Quality of training | Can be excellent | Can also be excellent |
| When it matters | When a contract, insurer, client or inspector specifies one | Where you simply need competent people and can evidence it |
The honest summary: a non-regulated certificate is not worthless, and a regulated one is not automatically better training. The difference is in how easily it answers somebody who has specifically asked.
What CIEH’s change actually meant
In 2017 the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health chose to surrender its recognition as a regulated awarding organisation. It did not disappear, and it did not stop being a credible body — CIEH holds a Royal Charter and continues to offer food safety and health and safety training programmes today.
What changed is the status of the piece of paper. A CIEH training certificate is a certificate from a well-regarded professional body. It is not a regulated qualification on the framework. For many businesses that distinction never comes up. For a business whose contract, insurer or client specifies a regulated Level 2 qualification, it very much does.
Our advice is unglamorous: find out which one the people asking you for it actually mean, before you book.
How to check a certificate
- Look for the awarding organisation’s name on the certificate — not the training provider’s. If only the training company’s name appears, it is a certificate of attendance from that company.
- Look for a level and a full qualification title, for example “Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering”. A certificate that just says “Food Safety Certificate” is telling you very little.
- Look for a qualification number, and check it on the regulator’s register of regulated qualifications.
- Check the training centre is approved by that awarding organisation to deliver it.
- Check the date, and whether your own policy says it needs refreshing.
What to do if a certificate does not check out
It does not necessarily mean the training was bad. It means you cannot evidence it the way a contract or an inspector may require. Options: ask the provider which awarding organisation stands behind it; ask the person who requires it whether a non-regulated certificate satisfies them; or book a regulated qualification and treat the previous training as the refresher it effectively was.
The part people get wrong about the law
It is worth saying plainly, because a lot of training is sold on a misunderstanding of it.
| Area | What the law actually says | What it does not say |
|---|---|---|
| Food safety | Food handlers must be “supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activity” (Reg. 852/2004, Annex II, Ch. XII) | Does not name any qualification or level |
| HACCP | Those developing and maintaining HACCP-based procedures must have had adequate HACCP training | This one is specific — and is the one most often overlooked |
| Health and safety | Adequate training on recruitment and on exposure to new or increased risks (MHSWR 1999) | Does not name a course |
| First aid | Adequate and appropriate provision, decided by a needs assessment | HSE has not approved providers since October 2013 |
So the law asks for adequate training you can evidence. A regulated qualification is the cleanest evidence available, which is why we use regulated qualifications — not because a statute names one.
More detail: do I need a Level 2 food hygiene certificate?, health and safety training and how to choose a first aid training provider.
What the levels mean
The number is not a difficulty rating invented by the training company — it refers to the level on the regulated qualifications framework:
| Level | Broadly | Typical training examples |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Basic awareness | Food Safety Awareness; Health & Safety Awareness |
| Level 2 | Applying knowledge in your own role | Food Safety in Catering; Health & Safety in the Workplace; Manual Handling; COSHH |
| Level 3 | Supervising others and making judgements | Supervising Food Safety; Health & Safety for supervisors; Risk Assessment |
| Level 4 | Managing systems | Managing Food Safety |
What we deliver
Deals
Food Safety Courses
Level 1 Food Safety Group Training Course
Price range: £370.00 through £450.00 Excluding Vat
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Level 1 Food Safety Online Course
£20.00 Excluding Vat
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Level 2 Food Safety Group Course
Price range: £445.00 through £545.00 Excluding Vat
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Level 2 Food Safety Online Course
£25.00 Excluding Vat
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Level 2 Food Safety Open Course
£65.00 Excluding Vat
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Level 3 Food Safety Group Course
Price range: £1,495.00 through £1,875.00 Excluding Vat
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See also our health and safety courses and first aid courses.
For the wider picture — what the law requires, the minimum every employer must have, how many first aiders, which course, certificates and the 2024 changes to HSE’s guidance — see our guide to workplace first aid requirements.
Frequently asked questions
That the qualification is awarded by an organisation recognised by a qualifications regulator — Ofqual in England, Qualifications Wales, or CCEA in Northern Ireland — and appears on the regulated qualifications framework with a level, title and qualification number.What does an accredited qualification actually mean?
CIEH surrendered its recognition as a regulated awarding organisation in 2017 and continues to offer food safety and health and safety training programmes today. A CIEH certificate is a certificate from a chartered professional body, but it is not a regulated qualification on the framework. Whether that matters depends on what your contract, insurer or client is asking for.Is a CIEH certificate still valid?
No. Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires food handlers to be supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene commensurate with their work activity, and names no qualification. A regulated Level 2 certificate is simply the clearest way to evidence that duty.Does the law require an accredited food hygiene qualification?
No. HSE stopped approving first aid training providers in October 2013. Employers are now responsible for checking that a provider is competent — trainer qualifications, the awarding organisation behind the certificate, and the provider’s quality assurance arrangements.Does HSE approve first aid training providers?
Look for the awarding organisation’s name, a full qualification title including its level, and a qualification number — then check that number against the regulator’s register of regulated qualifications. A certificate showing only the training company’s name is a certificate of attendance.How can I check whether my certificate is regulated?
No. Training from a credible body can be perfectly good training, and the law asks for adequate training rather than a specific qualification. The difference is in how easily it answers someone who has specifically asked for an accredited Level 2 qualification.Is a non-regulated certificate worthless?
They refer to the level on the regulated qualifications framework rather than to course length. Broadly: Level 1 is awareness, Level 2 is applying knowledge in your own role, Level 3 is supervising others and exercising judgement, and Level 4 is managing systems.What do the levels actually mean?
No. A training centre delivers qualifications under approval from an awarding organisation, which is itself recognised by a regulator. A company describing its own certificate as accredited has told you nothing until you know by whom.Can a training company accredit itself?
It does not necessarily mean the training was poor — it means you cannot evidence it the way a contract or inspector may require. Ask the provider which awarding organisation stands behind it, ask whoever requires it whether a non-regulated certificate satisfies them, or book a regulated qualification.What should I do if a certificate does not check out?
Not sure what you have been asked for?
Send us the wording — from the contract, the insurer or the inspection report — and we will tell you which qualification satisfies it. Call 0845 838 4643 or use the enquiry form on this page.
The same question is worth asking of any provider, including us — our first aid at work courses and food safety courses are listed with what they lead to.
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