QA Policies

Quality Policy​

It is the policy of Quality Academy to achieve and maintain a high standard of quality in all aspects of its business operations and to continually satisfy the expectations of our clients in respect of the whole range of services we provide.​​​​​​​​​​​

QA is committed to providing high quality, health & safety management, effective training courses and outstanding customer service. All services are conducted to a high professional standard which ensures our client’s needs are met or exceeded.

In order to maintain a high quality level of service QA will ensure that:

• We make ourselves accessible and approachable to our clients at all levels of management.

• We fully understand our client’s requirements and will adapt our business where necessary to accommodate them.

• All appropriate documentation is maintained, controlled and archived.

• Staff responsibilities and duties are clearly identified.

• Our team are appropriately trained to enable them to undertake their tasks and given appropriate authority within the scope of their responsibilities.

• Sufficient resources are provided to facilitate the work

• This quality policy is upheld and supported by management

Health & Safety Policy

Quality Academy accepts its responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work and associated legislation, to provide and maintain safe and healthy working conditions, equipment and systems at work for all its employees, students and visitors, and to provide such information, instruction and training as may be necessary for this purpose.

Quality Academy considers health and safety management responsibilities ranking equally with responsibilities for cost, quality, customer care and similar matters.

In addition, it also accepts its responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of people who may be affected by its activities.

The involvement of all parties is actively encouraged to both fulfill their own obligations and accomplish the company's policy of continual improvement in health and safety standards.

Sufficient resources will allocated to health and safety to ensure the health and safety of all persons affected by the company’s activities.

The application of its procedures is mandatory for all employees and contractors.

The policy and its implementation will be reviewed annually, or as often as is necessary, in the light of changing working conditions or new legislation or  other factors which may make the policy no longer valid.

Environmental Policy

​Quality Academy recognizes its responsibility for protecting the environment and this policy is a statement of that commitment. Therefore, QA will:

• Continue to reduce the environmental impact of its activities, products and services.

• Continue to invest in cost effective energy efficiency and conservation.

• Use natural resources efficiently and with careful planning.

• Control and reduce waste and recycle material wherever possible.

• Strive to eliminate any emissions or effluents, which may cause environmental damage.

In order to ensure effective management of this policy, we will:

• Audit and review environmental performance.

• Recognize and encourage the contribution every employee can make towards improving our environmental performance.

Responsibilities:
Environmental matters are a wide-ranging, complex and developing subject. To ensure that the policy, legal obligations and experience are applied  effectively, responsibility for the implementation, operation and satisfactory performance of the environmental policy lies with management. Specific responsibilities of management in relation to environmental issues are arranged as follows:

• Review and development of the environmental policy

• Access to training services

• Up-to-date information on legislation 

• Dissemination of information and advice to employees

• General overview of environmental performance

The following is a summary of responsibilities of all employees:

• All employees have a duty to co-operate with the company and its customers in all matters relating to environmental issues

• Employees are encouraged to participate in environmental matters

Training:
Management is responsible for ensuring that staff are adequately trained and capable of undertaking the roles allocated to them.

Equality Policy

Quality Academy is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. As an employer and training provider, QA is committed to equality and valuing diversity within its workforce. Our goal is to ensure that these commitments, reinforced by our values, are embedded in our day-to-day working practices with all our customers and learners. We will provide equality of opportunity and will not tolerate discrimination on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation – or any other grounds.

Every person working for QA has a personal responsibility for implementing and promoting these principles in their day-to-day dealings with everyone – including members of the public, other staff and employers. In appropriate behavior is not acceptable.

We think it is important that all our people can contribute to the achievement of QA objectives. Courses will be accessible to all learners and any learner; who wishes to discuss any requirements that they may need to have in place are encouraged to notify our team prior to the course taking place so that arrangements can be made.

Customer Care Policy

​Quality Academy is committed to delivering a service which is entirely customer focused. QA has a straightforward approach to our customer care – we treat all our customers as we would expect to be treated ourselves. QA recognizes that customers, together with our employees, are the organizations most important people and are the purpose of our work.

We enjoy good, ongoing working relationships with our clients, which allow our employees, consultants, trainers and associates to create and develop friendly and supportive partnerships. Clients are provided with direct telephone numbers for key members of the team so that there is always someone available to talk to between the Company’s working hours, which are typically 8.30am – 05.30pm Saturday – Thursday.

QA aim to meet customer’s needs by:

• Providing an efficient, friendly service at all times
• Promising that when a proposal / quotation is accepted there will be no hidden extras on top of the original, agreed price
• Giving customer care a high corporate priority
• A qualified consultant being available during office hours, to give advice, information & support over the phone or email
• Recognizing and respecting the particular and specific needs of some clients
• Facilitate a teamwork approach with all involved parties to ensure clients expectation are realized
• Treating all clients with respect and sensitivity
• Making every effort to answer queries in a timely manner
• Seek to minimize disruption to customers in the performance of our contract works
• Welcoming customer feedback on all our services and suggestions for improvement and development
• Referring customers onto an associate or another organization where possible if we cannot meet customers requests
• Demonstrating our commitment to our Equal Opportunities Policy
• Regularly monitoring and reviewing our performance

Ultimately it is the responsibility of the Managing Director to ensure this policy is reviewed accordingly and customer care procedures are updated as necessary to continuously improve quality and delivery of service.

01. Scope and Purpose

QA seeks to maintain its reputation as a firm delivering high quality services. QA is also committed to maintaining its responsiveness to the needs and concerns of our clients.

The Policy is designed to provide guidance on the way QA receives and handles complaints made against QA, its sub-contractors, its tutors and its employees. The objective of the Policy is to assist QA and employees in resolving complaints in an efficient, effective and professional manner.

02. Definitions

• QA - Quality Academy
• CRB - Course Registration Body
• AB - Accreditation Body
• Customer - QA's Learner or Organisation
• Sub-Contractor - An Individual or an Organization not permanently employed or owned by QA, delivering QA’s services on behalf of QA under a Contractual Agreement.
• Employee - QA’s Administration Employees
• Tutors - Lead and/or Support Tutors unless specifically defines
• CQI and IRCA - Chartered Quality Institute & International Registered of Certificated Auditors
• EGAC - Egyptian Accreditation Council

03. Introduction

3.01 Background

In preparing this Policy, QA has endeavored to align our procedures with the relevant legal requirements and current best practice. This Policy is designed to satisfy the requirements of all CRBs related to all our courses.

3.02 What is a complaint?

A complaint is an expression of “customers” dissatisfaction regarding a QA’s decision or service. Dissatisfaction may arise from the service provided by QA.

A complaint is when you tell us you are not happy about the service we provide. It can be about anything and could include:

1. When we don’t deliver a service on time;
2. When we give you wrong information;
3. When you receive a poor-quality service
4. When you have a problem with a member of staff and/or Sub-contractor;

Any person or organization (the complainant) who is dissatisfied with a service provided by QA, for any reason, may contact QA to complain. A complaint may be oral or written. At times, complaints can be by way of negative feedback, which may not require a resolution or formal follow-up.

04. Guiding Principles of Effective Complaints Handling

Subcontractors and employees should consider the following guiding principles of effective complaints handling:

05. Handling a Complaint

5.1 How a complaint may be made?. Where a complaint is about a service or employee, and you are familiar with the engagement team working on your matter, you may wish to address your complaint to an appropriate member of that engagement team by email or fax.

If you are not sure to whom to refer your complaint, please write to: info@qualityacademy.org ; or file your complaint online through our website.

5.2 What information is required when making a complaint?

When making a complaint, please provide the following information:

1. Your Name, Position and contact details;
2. Your contact person within QA or Sub-Contractor;
3. The nature of the complaint (including when the conduct giving rise to the complaint occurred).

Please note that in case you choose to report a complaint anonymously; we will not be able to respond to you.

5.3 Assistance with making a complaint

If you need assistance in formulating or lodging a complaint, please contact a member of QA’s Customer Support Division.

5.4 Acknowledgement of complaints

We are committed to acknowledging all complaints immediately upon receipt. Once a complaint has been received, we will undertake an initial review of the complaint.

We will endeavor to resolve complaints within 10 working days of receipt. Where our review exceeds 10 days, we will contact you to inform you of the reasons for the delay, and indicate to you when we expect to be able to complete our review of the complaint.

5.4 Your rights during the complaint process

You have the right to enquire as to the status of your complaint by contacting employee who has been identified to you as handling your complaint or by email to info@qualityacademy.org .

5.5 Response to a complaint

Once we have reviewed your complaint, we will provide you with the response. If you are dissatisfied with QA’s response, you have the right to ask for reconsideration of the response by the Customer Service Department.

5.6 Further action

If you are dissatisfied with the way your complaint has been handled, you have a right to refer the matter to our top-management department:

• Mr. AYMAN BARAKAT - Managing Director
  Phone: +97165340895 / +201003523570
  Email: abarakat@qualityacademy.org

5.7 Contacting CRBs Directly

If you are dissatisfied with the way your complaint has been handled by our top management, you have a right to refer the matter to related CRB / AB for your delivered services (Training, Examinations and/or Certificationss); as following contact details;

06. Our Quality Control

Complaints will be analyzed by the Customer Service Department on either annually or for operational reasons, for the identification of systemic or recurring problems. If such problems are identified, QA will consider what actions it may need to take to address these problems.

The complaints handling process will be reviewed periodically, and at least annually, to aim to enhance its delivery of efficient and effective outcomes. This review will be performed by the Customer Service Department or an appropriate appointee. QA will consider what actions it may need to take to address any deficiencies identified in the review.

Where appropriate, issues that arise as a result of the complaints handling process may be incorporated in the process for monitoring and evaluating sub-contractor and employee performance.

Please contact the Customer Service Department if you have any comments or suggestions in respect of the contents of this Policy.

07. Privacy Notice

The information you supply via your compliant will be used for the purpose of responding to your feedback, or to resolve your concern or request. Your personal details will not be disclosed to any other person or agency external to QA without your consent unless required or authorized by law.

Privacy Policy

QA is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.

We may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from 2012.

What we collect

We may collect the following information

• name and job title

• contact information including email address

• other information relevant to customer surveys and/or offers

• recordings or pictures for the reason of training and examinations

Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorized access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online. 

Sharing your personal data to third parties

Your personal details as (Name, Date of Birth, Email Address), or course and examination recordings may be shared with third parties as; Registration Bodies (eg. CQI & IRCA, NEBOSH, …etc) due to the certification process, as your course/examination registration.

Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

Controlling your personal information

• You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:

• whenever you are asked to fill in a form on the website, you have to clarify that you do not want the information to be used by anybody for direct marketing purposes.

• if you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by writing to or emailing us.

• If you make a payment for products or services on our website, the details you are asked to submit will be provided directly to our payment provider via a secured connection.

We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which we think you may find interesting if you tell us that you wish this to  happen.

Maladministration and Malpractice Policy and Procedures

Quality Academy treats all cases of suspected malpractice and maladministration very seriously and will investigate all suspected and reported incidents of possible malpractice. The purpose of this Policy is to set out how allegations of malpractice and maladministration in relation to all our awarding bodies (NEBOSH, CQI/IRCA, IASSC, ..etc) qualifications respectively are dealt with. The scope of the policy is to provide:

• a definition of malpractice and maladministration
• examples of student and centre malpractice and maladministration;
• possible sanctions that may be imposed in cases of malpractice.

1. INTRODUCTION

• The term ‘malpractice’ in this policy is used for both malpractice and maladministration.
• The term ‘awarding body’ in this document refers to CQI & IRCA, NEBOSH, IASSC, IOSH, HABC, MEDIC, or any other organization that Quality Academy is an approved training provider for.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 For the purpose of this document ‘malpractice’ is defined as:

Any act, or failure to act, that threatens or compromises the integrity of the assessment process or the validity of related awarding body qualifications respectively and their certification. This includes: maladministration and the failure to maintain appropriate records or systems; the deliberate falsification of records or documents for any reason connected to the award of related awarding body qualifications respectively; acts of plagiarism or other academic misconduct; and/or actions that compromise the reputation or authority of QA, or related awarding body, subcontractors, their officers and employees.

QA will report all relevant cases of suspected malpractice to related awarding body , accepting that in certain circumstances related awarding body may take action of its own, including imposing sanctions.

2. MALPRACTICE BY STUDENTS

2.1 Some examples of student malpractice are described below. These examples are not exhaustive and all incidents of suspected malpractice, whether or not described below, will be fully investigated, where there are sufficient grounds to do so.

• Obtaining examination or assessment material without authorization.
• Arranging for an individual other than the student to sit an assessment or to submit an assignment not undertaken by the student.
• Impersonating another student to sit an assessment or to submit an assignment on their behalf.
• Collaborating with another student or individual, by any means, to complete a coursework assignment or assessment, unless it has been clearly stated that such collaboration is permitted.
• Damaging another student’s work.
• Inclusion of inappropriate or offensive material in coursework assignments or assessment scripts.
• Failure to comply with published related awarding body examination regulations.
• Disruptive behaviour or unacceptable conduct, including the use of offensive language, at centre or assessment venue (including aggressive or offensive language or behaviour).
• Producing, using or allowing the use of forged or falsified documentation, including but not limited to: personal identification; supporting evidence provided for reasonable adjustment or special consideration applications and related awarding body results documentation, including certificates
• Falsely obtaining, by any means, a related awarding body certificate.
• Misrepresentation or plagiarism.
• Fraudulent claims for special consideration while studying.
• Possession of any materials not permitted in the assessment room, regardless of whether or not they are relevant to the assessment, or whether or not the student refers to them during the assessment process, for example notes, blank paper, electronic devices including mobile phones, personal organizers, books, dictionaries / calculators (when prohibited).
• Communicating in any form, for example verbally or electronically, with other students in the assessment room when it is prohibited.
• Copying the work of another student or knowingly allowing another student to copy from their own work.
• Failure to comply with instructions given by the assessment invigilator, ie, working beyond the allocated time; refusing to hand in assessment script / paper when requested; not adhering to warnings relating to conduct during the assessment.

3. MALPRACTICE BY CENTRE EMPLOYEES AND STAKEHOLDERS

3.1 Examples of malpractice by, teachers, tutors and other officers, invigilators and examination administrators) are listed below. These examples are not exhaustive and all incidents of suspected malpractice, whether or not described below, will be fully investigated, where there are sufficient grounds to do so.

• Failure to adhere to the relevant related awarding body regulations and procedures, including those relating to centre approval, security undertaking and monitoring requirements as set out by related awarding body.
• Knowingly allowing an individual to impersonate a student.
• Allowing a student to copy another student’s assignment work, or allowing a student to let their own work be copied.
• Allowing students to work collaboratively during an assignment assessment, unless specified in the assignment brief.
• Completing an assessed assignment for a student or providing them with assistance beyond that ‘normally’ expected.
• Damaging a student’s work.
• Disruptive behaviour or unacceptable conduct, including the use of offensive language (including aggressive or offensive language or behaviour).
• Allowing disruptive behaviour or unacceptable conduct at the centre to go unchallenged, for example, aggressive or offensive language or behaviour.
• Divulging any information relating to student performance and / or results to anyone other than the student.
• Producing, using or allowing the use of forged or falsified documentation, including but not limited to:
  • personal identification
  • supporting evidence provided for reasonable adjustment or special consideration applications; and
  • QA or related awarding body results documentation, including certificates
• Falsely obtaining by any means a related awarding body certificate.
• Failing to report a suspected case of student malpractice, including plagiarism, to related awarding body.
• Moving the time or date of a fixed examination.
• Failure to keep examination question papers, examination scripts or other assessment materials secure, before during or after an examination.
• Allowing a student to possess and / or use material or electronic devices that are not permitted in the examination room.
• Allowing students to communicate by any means during an examination in breach of regulations.
• Allowing a student to work beyond the allotted examination time.
• Leaving students unsupervised during an examination.
• Assisting or prompting candidates with the production of answers.

4. POSSIBLE MALPRACTICE SANCTIONS

• Following an investigation, if a case of malpractice is upheld, QA may impose sanctions or other penalties on the individual(s) concerned. Where relevant we will report the matter to related awarding body, and related awarding body may impose one or more sanctions upon the individual(s) concerned. Any sanctions imposed will reflect the seriousness of the malpractice that has occurred.
• Listed below are examples of sanctions that may be applied to a student, or to a teacher, tutor, invigilator or other officer who has had a case of malpractice upheld against them. Please note that
  • this list is not exhaustive and other sanctions may be applied on a case-by-case basis
  • where the malpractice affects examination performance, related awarding body may impose sanctions of its own.

Possible sanctions that may be applied to students

• A written warning about future conduct.
• Notification to an employer, regulator or the police.
• Removal from the course.

Possible sanctions that may be applied to teachers, tutors’ invigilators, and other officers

• A written warning about future conduct.
• Imposition of special conditions for the future involvement of the individual(s) in the conduct, teaching, supervision or administration of students and/or examinations.
• Informing any other organisation known to employ the individual in relation to related awarding body courses or examinations of the outcome of the case.
• QA may carry out unannounced monitoring of the working practices of the individual(s) concerned.

5. PROCEDURE

5.1  Reporting a suspected case of malpractice

• This process applies to, teachers, tutors, invigilators students and other centre staff, and to any reporting of malpractice by a third party or individual who wishes to remain anonymous.
• Any case of suspected malpractice should be reported in the first instance to Ayman Barakat - Managing Director of QA.
• A written report should then be sent to the person identified in 5.2, clearly identifying the factual information, including statements from other individuals involved and / or affected, any evidence obtained, and the actions that have been taken in relation to the incident.
• Suspected malpractice must be reported as soon as possible to the person identified in 5.2, and at the latest within two working days from its discovery. Where the suspected malpractice has taken place in an examination, the incident be reported urgently and the appropriate steps taken as specified by related awarding body (NEBOSH, CQI & IRCA, ..etc) .
• Wherever possible, and provided other students are not disrupted by doing so, a student suspected of malpractice should be warned immediately that their actions may constitute malpractice, and that a report will be made to the centre.
• In cases of suspected malpractice by centre teachers, tutors’ invigilators and other officers, and any reporting of malpractice by a third party or individual who wishes to remain anonymous, the report made to the person in 5.2 should include as much information as possible, including the following:
  • the date time and place the alleged malpractice took place, if known
  • the name of the centre teacher/tutor, invigilator or another person(s) involved
  • a description of the suspected malpractice and
  • any available supporting evidence
• In cases of suspected malpractice reported by a third party, or an individual who wishes to remain anonymous, QA will take all reasonable steps to authenticate the reported information and to investigate the alleged malpractice.

5.2  Administering suspected cases of malpractice

• QA will investigate each case of suspected or reported malpractice relating to related awarding body qualifications respectively, to ascertain whether malpractice has occurred. The investigation will aim to establish the full facts and circumstances. We will promptly take all reasonable steps to prevent any adverse effect that may arise as a result of the malpractice, or to mitigate any adverse effect, as far as possible, and to correct it to make sure that any action necessary to maintain the integrity of related awarding body qualifications respectively and reputation is taken.
• QA will acknowledge all reports of suspected malpractice within five working days. All of the parties involved in the case will then be contacted within 10 working days of receipt of the report detailing the suspected malpractice. We may also contact other individuals who may be able to provide evidence relevant to the case.
• The individual(s) concerned will be informed of the following:
  • that an investigation is going to take place, and the grounds for that investigation;
  • details of all the relevant timescales, and dates, where known;
  • that they have a right to respond by providing a personal written response relating to the suspected malpractice (within 15 working days of the date of that letter);
  • that, if malpractice is considered proven, sanctions may be imposed either by QA or by related awarding body, reflecting the seriousness of the case;
  • that if they are found guilty, they have the right to appeal.
  • That QA has a duty to inform the related awarding body and other relevant authorities / regulators, but only after time for the appeal has passed or the appeal process has been completed. This may also include informing the police if the law has been broken and to comply with any other appropriate legislation.
• Where more than one individual is contacted regarding a case of suspected malpractice, for example in a case involving suspected collusion, we will contact each individual separately, and will not reveal personal data to any third party unless necessary for the purpose of the investigation.
• The individual has a right to appeal against a malpractice outcome if they believe that the policy or procedure has not been followed properly or has been implemented to their detriment.
• Records of all malpractice cases and their outcomes are maintained by QA for a period of at least three years, and are subject to regular monitoring and review.

1. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to ensure Quality Academy meets its moral responsibilities to learners and complies with regulatory and awarding body requirements. We will consider in advance any difficulties learners may have in accessing a Quality Academy authorised venue and participating in the learning process and summative assessment.

2. Definitions
A reasonable adjustment is any action that mitigate the effect of a physical or mental disability or any other difficulty that may put the learner at a disadvantage during the delivery and assessment of a qualification. The same standards of marking an assessment apply when a reasonable adjustment has been made.

A special consideration is a post-assessment adjustment applied to the mark of a learner’s assessment paper. It may be granted if there is sufficient evidence to suggest the learner may have been at a disadvantage during assessment.

3. Scope
The scope of this policy aligns with the Equality Act 2010 and special considerations and reasonable adjustment policies produced by awarding bodies (CQI & IRCA, NEBOSH, IOSH, IASSC and Highfield).

A reasonable adjustment is unique to the learner and may not necessarily be included in a predetermined list. Conditions that may require a reasonable adjustment include visual or hearing impairment, limited mobility, psychological factors, learning disabilities (dyslexia, autism, etc.) and limited functional skills in English.

4. Granting a Reasonable Adjustment or Special Consideration
An application for a reasonable adjustment must be made prior to the course start date as an awarding body may have to consider your application. There are several that will be considered in your application for a reasonable adjustment. These may include: the needs of the candidate, documentary evidence, the cost of the adjustment, and likely impact of the adjustment upon the learner and others attending the course.

You may be required to provide documentary evidence which outlines the characteristics (nature and severity) of your condition. This information should be from an appropriate independent professional. Evidence may include a witness statement, medical or professional assessment report. If this information is not available, the centre manager will contact the awarding body for further advice.

You can appeal in writing to centre manager if you are unsuccessful in attaining a reasonable adjustment. The centre manager will send you a copy of appeals policy.

5. Range of Reasonable Adjustments
The following range of reasonable adjustments available is not exhaustive:

• Additional time for the summative assessment (based on awarding body policy)
• Request different colour background or large font for the examination paper or training materials
• Request a *reader to read the examination paper. The reader must not be the course tutor, assessor, relative, friend or peer to the learner. The examination paper must be read in English.
• Request a *BSL signer.
• Use your own laptop with assistive software.
• Use a paper-based translation dictionary
• Request a *scribe to write answers for a written examination.
• Request training materials are sent to you prior to the course
  *This is not reasonable cost for the centre and must be supplied by the employer.

6. Applying for a reasonable adjustment or special consideration.
You can make an application in writing for a reasonable by sending an email to info@qualityacademy.org . This application must be submitted at before the course start date. An application for a special consideration is five working days after the assessment.

Quality Academy (hereafter referred to as “the company”) is committed to ensuring the highest level of education and development for all of its learners. This is particularly important during times of disruption which can be caused by a variety of different scenarios. As Managing Director, supported by the dedicated team, I will be responsible for the coherence and effectiveness of the company’s business continuity planning arrangements. This includes ensuring that the company is fully prepared to cope with any incident that may arise and providing a continued education and place of safety for the staff and learners. This Business Continuity Plan will enable Quality Academy to fulfil its obligations to:

• Protect the learners and staff
• Support the work of the Emergency Services
• Maintain business continuity when faced with any disruptive challenge. We will achieve this through:
  • Effective planning and preparation
  • Establishing roles, responsibilities and a leadership structure
  • Working towards a confident and controlled incident response and recovery
  • Tailoring this plan to meet the company’s specific needs; We recognise that it is the responsibility of every member of staff and the company’s personnel to be familiar with the plan and its contents. This plan will be regularly reviewed and kept up to date in order to fulfil the above obligations to a high standard.

Support the work of the Emergency Services

Quality Academy recognises the need to support the work of the Emergency Services, especially during times of disruption. The director and staff acknowledge their responsibility for providing a safe working environment and effective procedures for ensuring the safety of staff and learners, building and equipment maintenance, access and egress in an emergency and liaising with the emergency services.

In an evacuation, staff will congregate with learners and visitors in the main entrance area across the road; as this provides the safest area for the building. The staff member or director will ensure that the emergency services have been called and present themselves to them to support their enquiries.

QA Is fortunate in as much as it does not rely on the premises to be able to deliver its courses, as much of its delivery is conducted off site or at outsource meeting rooms by contacting with hotels. With good local links the company already has access to a range of training venues.

As part of the company’s resilience planning it has business interruption insurance in order to safeguard itself from times of disruption.

Working files are located electronically to minimise the requirement for physical files enabling continuity and available records in order to deliver effective services.

The managing director Ayman Barakat, takes overall responsibility for management and coordination of delivery of the continuity plan, supported by Malak Barakat and Ehab Barakat who manages the delivery and staff support, Aya Osama and Ehab Barakat who manages compliance and data processing and the delivery team who will provide stability for the learners.

The review of our policies and procedures provides us with an opportunity to develop confidence in our ability to respond in a timely and effective manner, to minimise disruption, maintain delivery and coordinate effective recovery from disruption.

Tailoring this plan to meet the company’s specific needs.

We recognise that it is the responsibility of every member of staff to be familiar with the plan and its contents. This plan will be regularly reviewed and kept up to date in order to fulfil the above obligations to a high standard.

01. PURPOSE:

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance and support to Quality Academy (hereafter “the company”) staff and any other relevant individuals or stakeholders handling possible conflicts of interest that may arise, as a result of their roles within the centre. This policy applies to all staff or other individuals whenever they interact or potentially interact with the company, in order to maintain the integrity of the company, the qualifications it delivers and stakeholders it works with.

The most important feature of the policy, is the instruction that individuals should always disclose an activity if there is any doubt about whether it represents a conflict of interest. The aim of the policy is to protect the company, associated stakeholders and the individuals concerned from any appearance of impropriety.

02. SCOPE:

This policy applies to staff and other individuals who interact or potentially interact with the work of the company. This includes individuals involved with all aspects of devising, setting, tutoring, assessing, marking, administering, invigilating, internally verifying or any other areas where conflict of interest may arise.

The individuals falling within the scope of this policy include full-time and part-time staff of the company and any associate staff including external examiners.

The content of the policy cannot cover every potential conflict and is not exhaustive, and must be interpreted in the light of the particular circumstances of each case. Staff have a responsibility to use their judgement and if in doubt, discuss their concerns and issues with their higher authority within the centre.

03. OBJECTIVES:

• to ensure that any possibility of conflict of interest is disclosed immediately.
• to identify and minimise the risk of conflict of interest arising within the company.
• to respond to any incident promptly and objectively;
• to standardise and record any incident to ensure openness and fairness;
• to protect the integrity of the company, awarding bodies and related stakeholders.

04. DEFINITION:

Conflict of interest can be defined as a situation/conflict between the official responsibilities of an individual (tutor, assessor, examiner, internal verifier) or organisation/centre/stakeholder which could compromise or appear to compromise their decisions. Conflicts of interest can arise in a variety of circumstances and are not exhaustive;

for example: A situation that has the potential to undermine the impartiality of an individual because of the possibility of a clash between the individual persons self-interest and professional interest or public interest. Personal interests – conflict with his/her professional position When one part of the company follows a procedure that conflicts with the organisation’s official policy and the requirements of its awarding bodies

05. PROCEDURE – (Actions/implementation):

If any person should declare a conflict of interest it must be done so in writing to the Company’s Managing Director - Mr. Ayman Barakat (failure to declare interest may be subject to disciplinary action).

Any information provided when declaring an interest will be treated in accordance with data protection principles. Data will be processed only to ensure that relevant persons act in the best interest of the company, the information will not be used for any other purpose.

Once a conflict of interest has been declared, the relevant person will be withdrawn from any activities which may be affected by the conflict.

06. POSSIBLE ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE COMPANY:

The company may take internal disciplinary action in line with Policy and Procedures. This action will be commensurate with the seriousness of the Conflict of Interest and comply with appropriate employment legislation and awarding body requirements who may impose penalties or sanctions.