qualifications are better understood

qualifications are better understood

Compliant International Recruitment and UK NARIC

International Student Recruitment Seminar10 May 2012London

Simon PotterNational Sales ExecutiveUK NARIC


Overseas Recruitment and Compliance

Achieving and maintaining HTS is the primary focus

Compliance is the key

Adopting Best PracticeAbility to follow a courseCounter fraud


UK NARIC

UK NARIC is the National Agency responsible for providing information, advice and expert opinion on vocational, academic and professional skills and qualifications from overseas.


UK NARIC

UK NARIC’s role:

• recognition of international qualifications• comprehensive and up-to-date information on

the education systems of other countries• developing and maintaining systems to help

members to compare international qualifications• identifying fraudulent documents• research services offering more in-depth

analysis and benchmarking comparisons• assistance in the immigration and managed

migration process


Good Practice

Sponsorship Audit

Policies and procedures – have information to hand

Need to clearly demonstrate that following good practice


Policies and Procedures

How decisions are made

What criteria is used

How can this be evidenced?

Not just now, but in the past (and the future)

UK NARIC Membership - certificates


More Good Practice

How to demonstrate good practice?

QAA “Review of education oversight”

18 criteria including

• Staff development

• Admissions policy

• Student Assessment


Staff Development

Keeping staff up-to-date

Newsletters (QAA, IEU, AUA, etc.)

Training courses and conferences (UCAS, UKCISA, NSA, etc.)

Policy (why you’re here!!)


Admissions Policy

Is it written down!!

What is your policy on particular countries/institutions?

What sources of information do you consult?


Student Assessment

How do you assess an individual’s ability?

Previous qualifications

Test

Interview


Assigning a CAS

Things to consider

382. You may only assign a CAS under Tier 4 if you are satisfied that a student both intends and is able to follow the course of study concerned.

(more…)


Assigning a CAS

385. You must assess a student’s ability to follow a course of study. You must state on the CAS what evidence you have used to make this assessment. For example, you might:• confirm any qualifications the student

already has which make them suitable for the course you are offering, such as checking a masters degree if they are going to do a PhD; or

• base the assessment on their progress in their existing course or a recently completed course.


Education Fraud

How do you know whether a qualification is legitimate?

Who should you consult?

What is education fraud?

Education Fraud

No developed country is safe from the risk of falling victim to fake credentials unless they have the knowledge and skills to combat education fraud and safeguard genuine and good quality education


What is Education Fraud?

Education fraud falls into two areas:

By an individual

By an institution


Who commits fraud


Individuals wishing to ‘improve’ themselves through claiming to have qualifications

They believe they are doing no harm; it is merely in order to gain access to jobs, education or to entry to countries

Who commits fraud


In fact they are committing a crime;

‘…if a person applies for an advertised job which demands that the applicant holds a particular degree, they commit the offence of obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception if they dishonestly obtain the job as a result of a deception that they have the degree…’

Who commits fraud (cont)

Working with bogus qualifications

Education fraud can effect us all; it is important that regulated professions are protected by increasing awareness of bogus qualifications and how to combat them.

'Bogus forensic expert bought degree on web' Manchester Evening News, Jan 2007


Degree Mills

Degree Mill: An Institution of higher education operating without supervision of a state or professional agency and granting diplomas which are either fraudulent or worthless because of the lack of proper standards

Degree Mills do not equal Unrecognised Institutions


Degree Mills

Common features:• Strong emphasis on fee levels and payment plans.

Often prices are very low• Short duration of courses – days or weeks• Long list of accreditation agencies and affi l iated bodies• Offer to accredit l ife experience• Links such as ‘Order Now’ and ‘free evaluation forms’

are often found at the lower end of the market• Unlikely degree titles• No contact address• Contact details that differ from claimed location of the

institution


Examples of Degree Mills

Los Angeles and Honolulu! It is unusual to have the records office and the campus over 1000 miles apart!

So many campuses in all these countries!


The brochure The reality

Examples of Degree Mills


My favourite!


http://www.superiorfakedegrees.com/

Degree or Diploma Certif icate – $230.00 (includes two copies of degree cert if icate)

Degree or Diploma Transcripts – $250.00 (includes two copies of degree transcripts)

Degree Certif icate and Transcripts Package – $380.00 (includes 2 copies of degree or diploma cert if icate along with 2 copies of transcripts) You Save Over 20%!

2 Degrees + 2 Transcripts (2 different degrees, corresponding transcripts) – $600.00

3 Degrees + 3 Transcripts (3 different degrees, corresponding transcripts) – $850.00

It gets better


GCSE and A-Level Certificates – $180.00 USD

Replicated-Fake Training Certificates (TOEFL and Training Certificates)

Off i c ia l /P la t inum Opt ion (des igned to look 100% iden t i ca l to the o r ig ina ls inc lud ing iden t i ca l secur i t y g rade t ranscr ip t paper, iden t i ca l wa te r mark ings , ra ised- ink c res ts , embossed sea ls , co r rec t ca rd s tock we igh t (60 -100 lb depend ing upon ins t i t u t ion spec i f i ca t ions )

Custom Training Certificate (includes TOEFL) – $240.00

Simp le Rep l i ca ted Packages (des igned to look au then t ic (o f f i c ia l ca rd s tock bu t miss ing the p la t inum secur i t y fea tu res )

It gets even better



Birth, Marriage or Death Certificate $120.00

Premium/Platinum Package $2500.00 ( inc ludes Passpor t , va l id c i t i zensh ip (your cho ice o f 8 coun t r ies ) , b i r th , and mar r iage ce r t i f i ca tes , V isa o r Mas te rCard , U t i l i t y B i l l s , Lease ag reement (s ) and Bank Accoun t )

Gold Package $1500.00 ( inc ludes c i t i zensh ip – your cho ice o f 3 coun t r ies , passpor t , b i r th , and mar r iage ce r t i f i ca tes , u t i l i t y b i l l s , lease ag reement (s ) , Mas te rCard and Bank Accoun t )

Silver Package $1000.00( Inc ludes c i t i zensh ip – your cho ice o f 3 coun t r ies , passpor t , b i r th and mar r iage ce r t i f i ca tes )

It gets even better

UKBA’s view on fraud

UKBA would encourage Sponsors to take all reasonable steps to verify the authenticity of a document; it is in the Sponsor’s interests to do so

Rooting out the non bona fide applications before issuing a CAS would save them from paying a CAS fee for a student who won't enter the UK

If an institution repeatedly sponsors applicants with non bona fide documents it may affect their Sponsor rating and could ultimately lead to their removal from the register


Combating fraud

Red flags

Lack of official stamp

Signatures

Misalignment

Spelling mistakes

Variety and types of fonts

Paper quality

Hand writing

Unlikely degree titles

Inconsistent terminologyqualifications are better understood

Genuine


Fake


Genuine or Fake?


Fake 1

Fonts


Fake 2

Spacing


Fake 3

Wording



Combating Fraud

Many of UK NARIC’s members are using

the counter fraud service to compile their

own database of genuine certificates (creating their own White / Black lists)

62% increase in the number of assessments

that UK NARIC is undertaking


Overseas Recruitment and Compliance – a recap

Maintaining HTS is the primary focus

Compliance is the key

Adopting Best PracticeAbility to follow a courseCounter fraud

qualifications are better understood

Documents

better understood slide

spacing qualifications

wording qualifications

reality qualifications

fonts qualifications

los angeles

records office

education fraud