Guidance

Higher technical qualifications: criteria

Published 26 October 2026

Applies to England

Overview

Higher technical qualification (HTQ) is a government-backed quality mark. The Department for Education (DfE) awards the quality kite mark to level 4 and level 5 technical qualifications that it has approved against defined approval criteria. Following DfE approval, applicants may use the HTQ quality mark in their promotional and course materials.

These criteria explain how DfE assesses qualifications for HTQ approval.

They set out the requirements qualifications must meet to be recognised as HTQs.

Applicants should read the guidance on applying for HTQ approval, which explains the application process and evidence requirements.

Who the criteria apply to

The criteria are for organisations that manage technical qualifications, including Office for Student (OfS) regulated higher education providers and Ofqual-recognised awarding organisations.

What the criteria cover

The criteria are organised around 5 main areas:

• further details on the statutory tests we apply when making an approval decision within the HTQ category
• regulation and recognition: qualifications must be recognised organisations and meet any relevant statutory requirements
• employer engagement: applications must show employer demand for the qualification and demonstrate employer involvement in its development and review
• content coverage: qualifications must demonstrate substantial coverage of the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) set out in the relevant occupational standard
• assessment: qualifications must successfully balance the requirements of:
  • manageability
  • validity
  • reliability
  • comparability
  • minimising bias

How the criteria are used

DfE uses these criteria when applying the statutory tests for HTQ approval and making decisions on whether a qualification can be approved and awarded the HTQ quality mark.

HTQ approvals category

Core aim

The qualification:

• is at level 4 or 5
• aligns to the KSBs in an existing occupational standard
• enables entry to the aligned occupation (including providing occupational entry competence with the possibility for further learning or training in work to reach full occupational competence)

Qualifications in this category may be approved under section A2D5 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (ASCL 2009).

The appropriate tests for this category are:

• the alternative approval test (in section A2D5 (3) of the ASCL 2009)
• the employer demand test (in section A2D5 (6) of the ASCL 2009)

The alternative approval test is met if:

• a standard is published under section ZA11 of the ASCL 2009 for the occupation
• DfE is satisfied that by obtaining the qualification a person demonstrates attainment of as many of the outcomes set out in the occupational standard as may reasonably be expected to be attained by undertaking a course of education

The employer demand test is met if DfE is satisfied that there is, or is likely to be, demand from employers in the occupations for employees who have obtained the particular qualification.

How we apply our tests

DfE applies both the alternative approval test and employer demand test to the materials received as part of the applicant’s submission for HTQ approval in order to make an approval decision.

The criteria for approval are laid out in full in this guidance to ensure applicants are aware of the specific focuses of the tests DfE will apply.

DfE also receives feedback from statutory regulators, where relevant, and Skills England when reviewing and approving HTQs.

What you should know before applying

How to apply

Information on how to apply is available in our guidance for applicants.

Level 4 or 5 qualifications you can submit

All qualifications must be validated for delivery before submission.  

If submitting higher national qualifications, such as the higher national certificate (HNC) or higher national diploma (HND), you must ensure you have:

• received consent from Pearson
• submitted evidence of this consent

Submissions into the HTQ category must align to one or more occupations for which an occupational standard is published at level 4 or 5. DfE will only accept submissions of level 4 and 5 technical qualifications in this category. We will not consider any other level of qualification within the HTQ category.

DfE will accept the submission of level 5 qualifications against occupations at level 4. This may be appropriate because qualification content could go beyond the KSBs in the level 4 occupational standard. If your qualification covers both level 4 and level 5 content, level 5 content can be used to map against the level 4 occupational standard.  

We do not generally expect to approve level 4 qualifications against occupations at level 5 because it is unlikely that a qualification at level 4 could fully cover the KSBs of a level 5 occupation.

Contact the HTQ team at thtq.contact@education.gov.uk if you have a level 4 qualification that you feel aligns to a level 5 standard and meets all of DfE’s other criteria.

When to apply, including application duration, funding and ‘first teach’

During your pre-application support session, we will discuss with you:

• how long your approval may take
• when (if approved) your qualification’s ‘first teach’ date would be

Applications are on a rolling basis. DfE no longer sets an annual cut off for funding and ‘first teach’ purposes, as approval timelines will depend on the volume of submissions in progress at that time.

To maximise your chance of a qualification being approved in time for a targeted ‘first teach’ point, we recommend that you submit a clear and complete application as soon as possible.

We analyse applications in the order they are received. However, applications sent back to the applicant for further evidence or clarification may not retain their original place in the processing order. This will be explained to affected applicants.

As soon as your application is approved you may start to advertise your qualification’s HTQ status.

In the application form, you must clearly identify the occupational standards the qualification aligns to.

Where a qualification aligns to more than one occupation, the approval criteria must be met in full for each occupation for the qualification to be considered for HTQ approval.

What happens once you have submitted an application

Once you have submitted an application, we will begin the analysis of your application.

We will discontinue our analysis if we conclude that any of the criteria are not met. DfE will update you if the application does not meet requirements at any stage in the process, and you’ll have the opportunity to resubmit your qualification at a later point after making changes or gathering further evidence.

Resubmitted applications will be processed according to their resubmission date, which may affect approval timelines, funding and first teach dates.  

Missing, incomplete or unclear evidence will result in the review of your application being delayed or your application being returned.

Statutory regulation and recognition criteria

OfS and Ofqual registration and recognition

Qualifications submitted for HTQ approval must either:  

• be awarded by a HE institution with foundation degree or degree awarding powers that is registered with OfS  
• be awarded by an awarding body with the relevant sector or subject area in their scope of Ofqual recognition and be on the Ofqual register

If your organisation is regulated by OfS, you must:

• continue to meet the definition of ‘an English HE provider’
• demonstrate that you satisfy the ongoing general conditions of registration applicable to the category of the Register in which you are registered, as set out in the Securing student success: Regulatory framework for higher education in England

If your organisation is regulated by Ofqual, you are expected to be compliant with the General Conditions of Recognition and, where relevant, any applicable qualification-level conditions and subject-level conditions that apply to specific kinds of qualifications.

Regulated occupations

Certain occupations are regulated by law, which means that there is a legal requirement to have certain qualifications or experience (or meet an alternative condition or requirement) to undertake certain professional activities or use a protected title.

Where a submitted qualification relates to an occupation that is regulated by law, you must show that the relevant regulator agrees that the qualification is sufficient (along with any other conditions stipulated by the regulator) for an individual to practice in the occupation.

Qualifications submitted for HTQ approval in regulated occupations must already be approved or recognised by the relevant regulator as a standalone or ‘direct entry’ qualification and published as such on the regulator’s list of approved qualifications. It is not sufficient for the associated apprenticeship to have regulator approval.

As part of the application process, OfS, Ofqual or the relevant statutory regulator may advise DfE about any relevant ongoing or impending regulatory action into a relevant qualification, awarding body, HE provider or HE institution. DfE may take this information into account when deciding whether to approve the application.

We are likely to withhold making a final approval decision until we are satisfied that any relevant ongoing or impending regulatory action has concluded. When making a decision about whether to pause and withhold a decision, we will consider the specific circumstances of each case. This includes the nature of the regulatory action and the timeframes anticipated for any action to be resolved. You will be notified in writing if your application is paused.

Qualifications aligned to the Early years lead practitioner occupational standard must either:

• be recognised as ‘full and relevant’ by DfE before submission to DfE for HTQ approval
• stipulate an entry requirement that all students already hold an existing qualification from the ‘full and relevant’ list

This is to ensure that all HTQ early years graduates count toward staff ratios in childcare settings.

Employer engagement criteria

All applications to DfE must demonstrate that there is, or is likely to be, demand from employers in the occupations for employees who have obtained the particular qualification (the employer demand test).

This must be evidenced by:

• submitting evidence that assures DfE of employer demand in the occupation for the qualification. Evidence of demand collected more than 2 years before submission of the qualification will not be considered
• demonstrating collaboration with employers during the development of the content of the qualification and providing details of an annual process in place for future employer reviews

Application requirements

Employers must be credible and representative of the occupation.

If your qualification maps to multiple occupations, we expect credible employer engagement evidence for each occupation.

We may contact employers cited in the application – for example, to verify skills gaps or demand for the qualification – and you should inform any cited employers that they may be contacted by DfE.

Employer demand

You must provide at least one of the following types of evidence to demonstrate that the qualification is in demand and supported by employers:

• a survey response from a relevant employer, where they have been asked their opinion of the qualification
• reports or comments from employers, industry bodies, think-tanks, professional bodies or combined authorities about skills needs in the occupation or difficulties recruiting
• a letter of support from a relevant employer
• graduate progression data that shows progression into the aligned occupation
• testimony from graduates about their progression from the qualification to the aligned occupation

Employer collaboration and future employer reviews

You must provide the following evidence regarding employer collaboration and regular processes that ensure the qualification continues to fulfil sector needs:

• relevant employer membership of forums, boards or committees that discuss qualification development
• evidence of amendments to qualifications being made (or considered but rejected for valid reasons) following employer suggestions – for example, a change log

For evidence of employer involvement in the maintenance of the qualification, you must provide at least one of the following types of evidence: 

• relevant employer membership of forums, boards or committees that discuss qualification development being recurrent
• (for new qualifications) plans to involve employers in qualification maintenance

You should ensure you engage with a range of employers relevant to the occupation.  

Where an individual or organisation engaged in the development or validation process has a vested interest or conflict of interest (for example, a commercial partnership with the applicant), this should be declared within the evidence submission and, in such circumstances, DfE may seek additional information.

Content coverage (knowledge, skills and behaviours) criteria

All applications to DfE must demonstrate that by obtaining the qualification a person demonstrates attainment of as many of the outcomes set out in the occupational standard as may reasonably be expected to be attained by undertaking a course of education (the alternative approval test).

Knowledge, skills and behaviours

DfE will assess the KSBs in line with the following principles:

Knowledge statements

We expect knowledge statements to be fully covered in the content of the qualification. Exceptionally, we may consider justification of partial coverage – for example, if a specific employer procedure is explicitly referred to in the knowledge statement, meaning that the knowledge could only be acquired when in the workplace.

Skills statements

All standards include skills, where knowledge is actually demonstrated in practice.

Usually, DfE expects skills statements to be fully covered in the content of the qualification. We expect skills delivery facilities that reflect the demands of the occupation, and many skills can be obtained in a peer-to-peer setting, through simulation, scenario or other training device.

You must be specific about how students acquire and demonstrate skills.

Behaviour statements

We would typically expect behaviour statements to be fully covered within a course of education. Where this is not reasonable, we expect a minimum of partial coverage.

For example, if the behaviour statement requires adapting to situations as they arise, we need to see in which module and assessment method this is demonstrated.

Example evidence

Students will learn adaptability skills through role plays and workshop activities [quote modules] and gain a deeper understanding in their practice placement settings. This will be assessed in the role play exercises, evidenced in the personal development and reflection plans.

Some KSBs may only be partially achieved in a course of education. Justifiable reasons include but are not limited to:

• that to practice a particular skill, access is required to specialist machinery or equipment, which may not be readily available – however, this should not discourage submission of qualifications that have been designed for specialist providers
• the KSB statement requires the individual to be based in an organisation – for example, understanding a particular company’s brand, goals and commercial objectives, or having access to the use of an organisation’s systems or processes

DfE will make a judgement as to whether each KSB (in the occupational standards to which the qualification relates) can reasonably be attained by undertaking a course of education. We may follow this up or request further information where you propose excluding KSBs that we consider could be delivered, either fully, or at least partially, in a course of education.

Qualification pathways and alignment to standards

You must submit one application form per qualification. A qualification can include multiple optional units, modules or occupational pathways. 

In qualifications containing more than one pathway, learners can select different module combinations that result in various ‘pathways’ through the qualification. It is common for each pathway to result in separate specialism or deliver into different occupations.

DfE will only approve qualifications where all possible module, unit or occupational pathway combinations cover the KSBs in the occupations to which the qualification relates.

We will not approve qualifications where it would be possible for students to avoid learning certain KSBs, through their choice of optional modules or units, or where a qualification or programme contains occupational pathways of study that are not mapped to an occupational standard or standards in scope for HTQ approval.

Where a qualification aligns to more than one occupational standard, the applicant must make it clear (in the specification) which specific units or modules combine to create each individual qualification or occupational pathway.

Qualifications may include units or modules that do not cover KSBs in the occupational standards. This additional content must be relevant to the occupation and valuable to employers.

DfE expects the vast majority (substantive element) of the qualification to cover the KSBs within the occupational standards. You may need to justify the relevance of any content that does not align directly with the standard. We may request employer engagement evidence and offer suggestions on the relevance of additional content.

Assessment criteria

All applicants to DfE must demonstrate that:

• the qualification successfully balances the requirements of manageability, validity, reliability, comparability and minimising bias
• the assessments in the qualification provide an opportunity for learners to demonstrate attainment of as many of the outcomes set out in the occupational standards as may reasonably be expected to be attained by undertaking a course of education
• the assessments in the qualification suitably cover the breadth of the qualification outcomes
• the qualification, as a minimum, operates a pass or fail grading structure
• where modularity exists, there is evidence that the use of modular assessment does not compromise a learner’s ability to demonstrate competence in the occupational area. Any modular approach must ensure that any combination of modules (if there is optionality within the qualification structure) covers the range of the KSBs in the related occupational standard
• the applicant has in place suitable arrangements to ensure qualification delivery standards are maintained over time
• the submitted sample assessment materials suitably reflect the applicant’s ability to deliver the approaches described within the assessment strategy

Application requirements (Ofqual-regulated organisations)

As part of your submission, all Ofqual-regulated organisations must provide an assessment strategy or syllabus explaining the choices you have made in developing the qualification, as well as your approach to its ongoing monitoring.

The following information should be provided within your assessment strategy:

Assessment design

This includes:

• the purpose of the qualification
• the approach used to determine controls for each assessment, including non- examined assessments
• where centre adaptation of tasks is permitted:
  • an explanation of the extent to which this is permitted
  • measures in place to support and monitor centres
  • the rationale for the approach
• the approach taken to match the qualification’s level with the demand of assessments
• the types of mark schemes and marking criteria used and their suitability for the assessment method
• how mark schemes will provide differentiation between grades and how they are applied consistently
• the approach to developing mark schemes and marking criteria, and how the approach has been reviewed over time
• how assessments will be delivered consistently from series to series over the qualification’s lifecycle
• quality assurance processes used when designing assessments

Content coverage

This includes:

• content in scope to be addressed by each unit or component of assessment
• how content covered by each assessment is varied over time where relevant
• where content covered by each assessment is not varied over time, the rationale for this and how inappropriate predictability is mitigated

Marking approach

This includes:

• how examiner recruitment, training or standardisation (including ongoing continuing professional development requirements and training guidance, where appropriate) ensures reliability
• how you review examiner marking and adjust it where necessary to mitigate risks, including where centres carry out assessments

Minimising bias

This includes how you minimise bias when developing and administering your assessments.

Grading approach

This includes:

• the range of qualification-level and (if applicable) component-level grades available
• how component grades contribute to overall qualification grades (if applicable) and whether requirements for awarding component grades are defined before or after the assessments take place
• the overall awarding process (for example, academic board process)
• if a compensatory approach is applied, how you ensure this does not compromise a learner’s ability to demonstrate occupational competence
• moderation processes and any internal verification undertaken

Standard setting

This includes:

• how you set and maintain standards over time and between different cohorts
• how you maintain comparability where there are multiple modes

Ensuring manageability

This includes:

• module and course summative assessment windows
• how you ensure your assessments are manageable for learners and providers

Assessment evidence must cover the following policies:

• conflict of interest
• reasonable adjustments
• accessibility
• malpractice
• health and safety

Application requirements (OfS-regulated organisations)

All OfS-regulated organisations should provide the following with their applications:

Assessment policy and regulation documents

As part of the submission, you must provide assessment policy documents, handbooks, manuals, academic regulations or similar, covering the following areas:

• marking approach
• appointment of examiners and markers
• grading approach – compensatory approach
• overall awarding process
• annual review and periodic revalidation
• maintaining standards over time and between cohorts
• conflicts of interest
• reasonable adjustments and accessibility
• malpractice and health and safety

Sample assessment materials (SAMs)

SAMs must not be more than 2 years old, and the date must be included in the SAM.

You must provide 3 complete sets of SAMs. Each set of SAMs must be from a different module or unit within your qualification and include:

• live or sample question papers or task briefs
• associated mark schemes, grade descriptors and marking rubrics for each question paper or task brief
• a module or unit specification document, course descriptor or similar

Where a qualification contains multiple pathways, you are required to submit one additional SAM per pathway, which must be specific to the aligned occupations.  

Submitted SAMs must be at the appropriate level. If a qualification contains both level 4 and level 5 content, we require a minimum of one submitted SAM to be set at level 5.

Supporting guidance

Assessment design

HTQs should prepare learners to enter a highly skilled occupation. Employers will therefore expect learners to achieve a wide range of outcomes relating to the KSBs in the relevant occupational standard. Assessment should be used to promote competence in relation to the occupational area covered by the qualification.

Assessment design should give learners opportunities, as appropriate to the occupation, to demonstrate competence across the breadth of the qualification’s outcomes. Consequently, we discourage using compensatory approaches, if this could result in learners achieving a pass for the qualification having failed to demonstrate sufficient competence for one or more of the occupational requirements. Where compensation is applied, you must explain within your submission how your approach to compensation does not compromise a learner’s ability to demonstrate occupational competence. Any compensation that is applied should be reflected in the overall grading of the learner’s achievements – no unit of learning should be simply discounted when assessing the learner’s overall attainment.

Modularity

Modularity should support flexibility. Where a course is modular, DfE expects the learner to be able to demonstrate competence within the occupational area and across the breadth of occupational requirements. Achieving small tasks in isolation is not sufficient for a learner to demonstrate competence within the occupational area.

Grading

The achievement of technical qualifications is intended to signal to employers that a learner has achieved a level of competence suitable to perform a job role or function within the occupational area.

DfE encourages applicants to differentiate grading above the pass grade if employers have indicated this is valuable to them for recruitment purposes. Where qualifications help progression to further study, differentiation should match progression requirements. To maintain comparability between their own qualification offers, we suggest that applicants consider using a consistent grading scale approach.