Response to Guardian article (3 January 2025) 

A spokesperson for Ecctis said: “We recognise the seriousness of these historic allegations. After an audit in 2023, we swiftly commissioned our own investigation and internal review, and reached an agreement with the DfE in performance of obligations under our contract with them. 

“Ecctis now has a new senior leadership team and board, fully committed to the highest standard of ethics, and continuing to invest in our services, people and technology, for the benefit of our customers. 

“We have implemented reforms across the business including overhauling our governance procedures and transforming our financial management and reporting systems. 

“We continue to explore all legal remedies that may be open to us with regard to these historic allegations.”

The inaugural Ecctis Awards ceremony took place in London last week week (26 November).

The event was part of the Gala Dinner at the end of day one of UKENIC24 and celebrated best practice in admissions across the UK and internationally.

Around 100 guests - including from as far afield as Singapore - attended the night, which included a three-course meal and entertainment from BAFTA award-winning magician Fergus Flanagan. 

There were six categories, with awards handed out on the night by sponsors. Runners-up and highly commended organisations were also recognised. All organisations that were highlighted on the night will receive a digital badge to use on their marketing materials. 

And the results of the awards are as follows:  

·         Best UK based admissions team for diversity and inclusivity, sponsored by Skills for English

o    Winner: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

o    Runner-up: University of Dundee

o    Highly commended: Brit College

·         Best UK based admissions team for digital and technological innovation, sponsored by Password

o    Winner: INTO University Partnerships

o    Runner-up: ARU

o    Highly commended: Teesside University

·         Best UK based admissions team for sustainability and the environment, sponsored by AECC

o    Winner: BPP University

o    Runner-up: MLA College

·         Best UK based admissions team for international student experience, sponsored by Oxford Test of English

o    Winner: Teesside University

o    Runner-up: BPP University

o    Highly commended: TEG London

·         Best UK based admissions team (overall), sponsored by Enroly

o    Winner: INTO University Partnerships

o    Runner-up: University of Portsmouth Global Admissions Team

o    Highly commended: ARU

·         Best overseas admissions team (overall), sponsored by Oxford International Digital Institute

• Winner: Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University
• Runner-up: Lingnan University
• Highly commended: CQ University

A special thanks to our judges Rachel Hollister-Short (Ecctis) and Anne-Marie Graham (UKCISA), as well as category sponsors, who whittled down a huge number of entries.

Congratulations to all winners, runners-up and highly commended organisations.

Please note: These awards were conferred by Ecctis and not UK ENIC, the Department for Education, or any other UK Government department.

Ecctis has been awarded accreditation that aims to raise the bar on business practices for employees, tax, the environment, customers and suppliers.

The Good Business Charter (GBC) exists for all UK companies, charities and public sector organisations across all industries and sectors.

At a time when people are caring more about who they work for and who they buy from, the GBC offers a straightforward accreditation, recognising organisations that prioritise and value their employees, customers, suppliers and the environment, whilst also paying their taxes according to the spirit of the law.  

Ecctis, one of the world’s leading providers of services in the recognition and evaluation of qualifications and skills, evidenced that it is on the way to meeting all 10 components of the charter, as part of the assessment.

It included providing information around Real Living Wage, fairer hours and contracts, employee wellbeing, employee representation, equality, diversity and inclusion, paying fair tax, commitment to customers, ethical sourcing and prompt payment to suppliers.

Simon Fox, Chairman of the GBC Board, said: ‘The Good Business Charter brings together 10 standards, most of which already exist, but in separate places.

‘We have brought them together to give a coherent overall position for businesses to aspire to. We believe that the GBC has enormous potential to change business practice for good.’

Other accredited organisations include FTSE100 companies, partnerships, local authorities, universities, SMEs, charities and sole traders.

Catherine Winter, Interim Chief Executive at Ecctis, added: ‘We’re incredibly proud to have received the Good Business Charter accreditation, which highlights our continued focus to be a best-in-class employer that provides a high-quality customer experience.

‘It’s a great opportunity for us to work with others to promote responsible business behaviour and show how much we value our customers, suppliers and the environment.’

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The most recent survey of applicants to our comparability statement services for individuals showed record ratings of customer satisfaction, with 96% of applicants saying they had a positive experience of the service.

This is a considerable achievement in the face of the challenges of our teams' remote working due to COVID-19 restrictions and historically very high numbers of applications for qualification comparison statements. Despite these challenges, operations and service levels are being sustained and enhanced.

The survey showed that among our individual applicants, our services have a 'Net Promoter Score' of 75. This is well ahead of the typical average score of 44 and ahead of the scores for a number of prominent brands.

Applicants said that they were particularly pleased with the new website, the simplicity of the application process, and the speed of service.

We conduct regular surveys of our individual applicants and actively seek feedback from them, to continuously improve and develop our services.

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UK NARIC took part in a recent Westminster Higher Education Forum (WHEF) conference alongside other leading sector bodies and experts to discuss the current challenges and opportunities for transnational education (TNE).

Participants shared views on the current landscape for UK TNE, recent trends, institutional and sector-wide strategies for growth, and possible post-COVID scenarios.

UK NARIC’s representative at the event, Head of Quality Benchmark Services Dr Fabrizio Trifiro, delivered a presentation outlining the work UK NARIC is doing to improve the international recognition climate for TNE qualifications through the TNE Quality Benchmark (TNE QB) service.

'There is a pressing need to work together with the international community to develop global solutions capable of transcending and bridging existing national ideas for the quality assurance and recognition of TNE qualifications', he said.

'The TNE QB service is designed to provide a solution and help improve international understanding of, and confidence in, TNE qualifications.'

The conference also discussed the relationships between TNE and international student mobility, and the extent to which COVID-19 is challenging the sustainability of the predominant model based on international student mobility. These aspects will be discussed at a forthcoming free UK TNE webinar on 4 February with leading experts Janet Ilieva and Prof Nigel Healey, who also presented at the WHEF conference.