Endorsement Terms and Conditions (old T&C's)

Detailed below are the terms and conditions of endorsement that all training providers are required to sign up to as part of their application and subsequent endorsement.

1. The application
1. Applicants must fulfil the endorsement evidence requirements to the satisfaction of an independent evaluator to achieve endorsement.
2. Applicants must agree to the Code of Conduct and Practice for Endorsed Providers and these Terms and Conditions in order to submit their application.
3. Once submitted, the endorsement application is a legally binding agreement to pay all fees pertaining in full, whether continuing with the application or not.
4. If the evaluator’s report gives an Approval Pending status, the applicant must complete the actions detailed within the time frame provided to continue. If the applicant fails to complete the actions either within the time frame or not to the standard required, the report status will change to Further Evidence Required.
5. If the evaluator’s report gives a Further Evidence Required status, the applicant must pay a fee of £200+VAT to continue as additional evaluation time will be required. If the applicant fails to complete the actions either within the time frame or not to the standard required, the submission will be closed.
6. Submissions are accepted on the understanding that no member of the training company applying has been involved in any activities that have resulted in or may result in a ban or conviction which impacts on their learners, PD:Approval, or their membership organisation, nor have been refused recognition by any professional body, awarding organisation or quality kitemark. Post endorsement, any such occurrence must be reported to PD:Approval immediately and may result in termination of the endorsement.
7. Endorsement for the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) operates under English law irrespective of the endorsed providers' location and registered business address.
8. The criteria for approval may be subject to change and if so any legislative change must be implemented by applicants taking part in the endorsement process if it affects the product they are applying for.
2. Qualifications delivery
1. PD:Approval will only endorse providers whose qualifications are recognised by their membership organisation in accordance with that membership organisation's published framework.
2. Any qualification included in an endorsement application that gives entry or another level on the register must have either: at least one full day workshop to deliver the practical element of the qualification and an observed assessment; or 20 hours work experience with a REPs professional in a gym setting with a portfolio of evidence signed off by the gym manager, verified at each stage by the training provider.
3. PD:Approval will not accept endorsement applications that contain qualifications that give entry or another level on the register that are delivered 100% online.
4. Any endorsed provider offering qualifications as part of their endorsement whose status changes from Low Risk to either High or Medium Risk or who are suspended from delivery by their awarding organisation must immediately notify PD:Approval who has the right to terminate all endorsements linked to that provider.
5. If any endorsed provider offering qualifications as part of their endorsement is suspended by their awarding organisation, their endorsement will be immediately terminated and they will be placed on a ‘Not Recognised’ list on the appropriate affiliate website.
3. CDP delivery
1. Before submitting training for endorsement, it is the training provider’s responsibility to check they are not in breach of trademark laws (www.trademarks.ipo.gov.uk).
2. Where an application for CPD endorsement includes a trademark name in the course title or materials, evidence of permission from the trademark owner must be provided.
3. PD:Approval is not responsible for mediating if a trademark dispute arises and will suspend the endorsement in question until the training provider has resolved the dispute and provided PD:Approval with official proof from the Intellectual Property Office.
4. If an endorsed provider authorises another provider to deliver their endorsed CPD, they cannot deliver it as endorsed or offer CPD points unless they are endorsed by PD:Approval themselves.
5. The delivery team involved in the tutoring, assessing and internal quality assurance of endorsed CPD must take part in the relevant PD:Approval training day if they do not hold qualifications in those areas.
6. The same person carrying out the role of tutor and assessor is permissible but where possible must be separate members of the delivery team.
7. The appointed internal quality assurer cannot also be the tutor or assessor for the learners on the programme they are quality assuring.
8. All endorsed CPD must have a pass mark of 75%.
4. Intellectual Property (CDP delivery only)
1. Any continuing professional development (CPD) training programme included in an endorsement application must be the intellectual property of the applicant or the applicant’s organisation, or be supported by evidence of the permission of the intellectual property holder. Any contravention could lead to termination of approval.
2. Endorsed providers who have been given the authority to use the intellectual property of another programme must operate all their own organisation’s policies and procedures for that programme and its learners in the same way as they do for their own training.
3. Where the endorsed provider has been given permission to use the intellectual property of a programme/s, they hold the responsibility for any sanctions PD:Approval may impose on their training company in relation to their endorsement.
4. If the owner of the intellectual property withdraws their permission, the endorsed provider must notify PD:Approval immediately as the endorsement will no longer be valid. Delivering an endorsed course without the necessary permissions in place could have insurance implications for learners.
5. If the intellectual property permission is removed then the programme will remain endorsed for a period of grace to enable the current learners to complete the training.
5. Insurance for register members
1. Learners who are members of REPs will only be covered by their register insurance if the training they undertake is endorsed at the time they commence the programme.
2. Skills learnt through previously endorsed training delivered outside of an endorsement period are not covered by their register insurance.
6. Professional register membership
1. There is no mandatory requirement for tutors, assessors, IQAs and authors to be members of REPs or any other professional body, although it is considered best practice to be members of a professional body where the training is underpinned by that organisation’s framework.
2. Where the Technical Evaluator deems it necessary for a particular professional membership to be in place, this will be detailed to the applicant as part of an action plan.
3. Once endorsed, providers must be committed to REPs and abide by its Code of Ethics and Conduct.
7. Logos
1. Endorsement logos are issued on confirmation of approval and cannot be used by the applicant until then.
2. Endorsed providers must adhere to the Logo Guidelines.
3. Endorsed providers must use the endorsement logos to promote endorsement and their professional organisation by adding the CPD point logo to all digital marketing, and other marketing where appropriate.
4. Endorsement logos must only be displayed next to the CPD or qualification/s included in the endorsement.
5. Endorsed providers issuing certificates of attendance or achievement may only add the REPs Training Provider and REPs CPD point logos if the recipient is a REPs member. Other learners will receive a certificate with the PD:Approval Endorsed logo only.
6. PD:Approval is not responsible for any costs incurred in printing material with the endorsement logos, should they be withdrawn or amended.
7. Any unauthorised usage of the endorsement logos will contravene the copyright and could result in legal action.
8. If an endorsed provider is suspended by PD:Approval, the endorsement logos must be removed from their website. If conditions are not met to lift the suspension, this will result in a termination of endorsement and all logos must be removed within five working days from wherever the provider has placed them, including where it involves a third party..
9. If an endorsement is discontinued, either by non-renewal or termination by either the provider or PD:Approval, the endorsement logos must be removed within five working days from wherever the training provider has placed them, including where it involves a third party. If the provider fails to comply they will be added to the 'not-recognised' page on the REPs website and reported to the Trading Standards Authority.
10. Any organisation using endorsement logos without authority will be placed on the ‘not-recognised’ list on the REPs website.
8. Dropbox
1. The Endorsement Dropbox provided on approval is the property of PD:Approval.
2. The contents of the Dropbox must be confined to information and materials relating to the provider’s endorsement.
3. Editing rights are granted for the provider to be able to upload new material, on the understanding that nothing is deleted by the provider from the Endorsement Dropbox unless with the prior permission of PD:Approval.
9. Renewals
1. Once submitted, the renewal application is a legally binding agreement to pay all fees pertaining in full, whether continuing with the renewal or not.
2. Renewal invoices must be paid in full by the invoice due date. Failure to pay by the due date may result in an additional fee.
3. No refunds of the renewal fee or associated costs will be made.
4. PD:Approval will support the renewal process by issuing a timely reminder, but it is the endorsed provider’s sole responsibility to ensure they renew by the expiry date and PD:Approval cannot be held accountable for reminders not received.
5. Endorsed providers must report any changes to the endorsed programme as part of the renewal process.
6. Renewal must be completed by the expiry date to ensure register members’ insurance is not invalidated by the provider running training outside of the endorsement period.
7. If the renewal date is exceeded, the endorsement will be closed and the provider will no long have the authority to use endorsement logos which must be immediately removed from their website and marketing along with all references to being endorsed. The provider must also inform their current and prospective learners and maybe added to the ‘not-recognised’ list.
8. If not renewing, the provider must remove all endorsement and CPD point logos from websites, marketing, social media and anywhere else they are displayed, including third party, as well as all references to being endorsed, to be completed by the date of expiry.
9. If not renewing, a full list of current learners at the time of expiry must be supplied to PD:Approval to ensure that they can claim their CPD points and still be covered by their insurance.
10. Bookings
1. All bookings fees for PD:Approval activities must be paid in advance otherwise the participant will not be able to take part.
11. Cancellations
1. Once an application for endorsement has been submitted by the applicant it cannot be cancelled and all fees pertaining will still be due.
2. Once an application for renewal has been submitted by the endorsed provider it cannot be cancelled and all fees pertaining will still be due.
3. Once an instalment agreement has been reached it can only be cancelled by paying the balance in full.
4. The following conditions apply to cancellation of booked PD:Approval activities by participants:
1. More than 14 days before the activity takes place: full refund less a £10 administration fee.
2. 14-7 days before the activity takes place: 50% refund less a £10 administration fee and any non-refundable expenses incurred on behalf of PD:Approval.
3. Within 7 days of the activity taking place: no refund; any non-refundable expenses incurred on behalf of PD:Approval will be invoiced to the applicant.
5. The following conditions apply to cancellation of booked PD:Approval activities by PD:Approval:
1. More than 7 days before the PD:Approval activity: PD:Approval will offer a new date for the activity if available but there will be no reimbursement of travel expenses incurred by the participant. If the new date is not acceptable, the full fee will be reimbursed.
2. Within 7 days of the PD:Approval activity: PD:Approval will reimburse reasonable travel expenses incurred by the participant against receipts and offer a new date if available. If the new date is not acceptable, the full fee will be reimbursed.
6. The following conditions apply to cancellation of external quality assurance visits agreed with PD:Approval by endorsed providers:
1. More than 14 days before the visit: no charge
2. Within 14 days of the visit: a cancellation fee of £230 will be charged to cover the fee of the external quality assurer; any non-refundable expenses incurred by the external quality assurer will also be charged to the endorsed provider.
3. If PD:Approval is forced to cancel an external quality assurance visit, no costs incurred by or on behalf of the endorsed provider will be reimbursed.
7. The following conditions apply to cancellation of technical support visits agreed by PD:Approval with training providers or their representatives:
1. More than 14 days before the visit: a full refund will be made.
2. Within 7-14 days of the visit: a full refund will be made, however any non-refundable expenses incurred by the technical support consultant will be charged to the training provider.
3. Within 7 days of the visit: a part refund will be made to allow for a cancellation fee to be paid to the technical support consultant, which will be a proportion of the invoiced fee; any non-refundable expenses incurred by the technical support consultant will also be charged to the training provider.
4. If PD:Approval is forced to cancel a technical support visit, no costs incurred by or on behalf of the training provider will be reimbursed.
12. Refunds and reimbursements
1. No refund of any fees associated with an endorsement application, endorsement approval period or endorsement approval termination will be made by PD:Approval, whether the provider is to continue with endorsement or not.
2. No reimbursements of any costs associated with an endorsement application, endorsement approval period or endorsement approval termination will be made by PD:Approval, whether the provider is to continue with endorsement or not. This includes but is not exclusive to the costs of additional training, consultancy, creation of materials, filming, as incurred as part of the submission process.
3. No refunds for downloadable products can be made once they have been downloaded.
13. Technical Support
1. The technical support cost must be paid before the support takes place.
2. No refund of any fees associated with the agreed technical support will be made by PD:Approval.
3. No reimbursements of any costs associated with the agreed technical support will be made by PD:Approval. This includes but is not exclusive to the costs of additional training, consultancy, creation of materials, filming, as incurred as a result of the technical support process.
4. Upon approval, the training, any further development, and the endorsement will be the full responsibility of the training provider for whom the support was carried out.
14. Quality assurance
1. All endorsed providers will be subject to quality assurance checks.
2. Where the quality assurance involves a visit, PD:Approval reserves the right to choose which endorsed training programme to quality assure and on what date.
3. Endorsed providers who operate outside the UK will be liable for all travel expenses incurred by the external quality assurer in carrying out a visit.
4. The external quality assurer will apply a risk rating – Unsatisfactory, Requires Improvement, Good, Outstanding. An Inadequate rating will mean an additional visit is required which will incur a further fee of £380.
5. PD:Approval will inform the appropriate awarding organisation if an endorsed provider offering qualifications is deemed high risk through their CPD quality assurance visit.
6. Endorsed providers carrying out a self-evaluation check agree to complete it within the given timeframe and will be used as supporting evidence if visited as part of the quality assurance sampling process.
7. If a quality assurance visit is required as a result of an investigation into the endorsed provider’s actions by PD:Approval, the endorsed provider agrees to pay the visit fee of £380.
8. The head of the endorsed training organisation is responsible for any actions of their staff in relation to endorsement or anything else that may affect their standing with PD:Approval or their membership organisation, in accordance with the Code of Conduct and Practice for Endorsed Training Providers.
15. Social media
1. PD:Approval has a zero tolerance policy towards social media that is used inappropriately and will if necessary apply sanctions that could lead to termination of endorsement.
16. Marketing
1. Endorsed providers must ensure that their endorsement is marketed under their own organisation name, as approved by PD:Approval.
2. Endorsed providers cannot market their endorsed training under the name of another organisation.
3. Qualifications included in an endorsement must be marketed under the name provided by their awarding organisation and approved under their endorsement.
4. Qualifications included in an endorsement that appear on the REPs framework must reflect the levels and disciplines.
17. Additional services
1. PD:Approval provides additional services over and above the core endorsement offer for endorsed providers who have paid an endorsement submission fee. These services are not part of the endorsement offer but are added value products. Access to these services is not a right of endorsement and PD:Approval offers no guarantee of their continuous availability. These additional services include the PD:Portal, PD:Promotion, PD:Approval's online Shop, and any items for sale in the Shop.
18. Endorsement policing
1. Where their actions may be to the detriment of a registered member of PD:Approval affiliates, PD:Approval is obliged to share information relating to endorsed providers to regulatory body/s.
2. If PD:Approval receives information from an awarding organisation, membership organisation, professional association or body, or other similar institution about an endorsed provider that could by association affect the standing and reputation of PD:Approval and/or its affiliates, PD:Approval has the prerogative to immediately terminate their endorsement.
3. If PD:Approval receives information from an awarding organisation, membership organisation, professional association or body, or other similar institution about a training provider that could by association affect the standing and reputation of PD:Approval and/or its affiliates, PD:Approval reserves the right to refuse their application for endorsement.
4. PD:Approval has the prerogative to terminate any endorsement based on irrefutable evidence being presented of non-compliance to these terms and conditions or the Code of Conduct and Practice for Endorsed Providers, and reserve the right to refuse any further request for endorsement once terminated.
19. Information changes
1. PD:Approval reserves the right to amend any documentation or online information relevant to endorsement at any time.
2. It is the provider’s responsibility to ensure that they have up to date information by referring to the website for the latest information.
3. The criteria for approval may be subject to change and if so any changes must be implemented in current endorsements after approval has been granted. All endorsed providers will be required to comply in order to continue their endorsement.
4. It is the endorsed provider’s responsibility to ensure that PD:Approval is informed of any change in contact details. PD:Approval is not responsible for any consequences should communications not reach the correct person.