Before you register, you’ll need to spend some time thinking about how you’ll scope your application for the Standard. Which parts of your organisation will need to be assessed and which won’t?

The basic questions to ask yourself are:

• What is the organisation that will be presented to employers?

If you intend to use the TQS badge alongside a particular identity you use to market your services to employers, then the starting point is that all services which may typically be presented through that identity must be covered.

The simplest answer to this is to assume that the whole of the organisation presented publicly – through the use of stationery or a website – is included, and then demonstrate why specific parts can reasonably be excluded.

• Which operations would not be reasonably expected to come into contact with employers?

This is a practical question and one where caution is needed. A department with hardly any outside contact, covering subjects of little interest to employer customers could be taken out of scope; one that has occasional contact would still need to be covered.

If in doubt, do not exclude. Some operations which appear not to be part of your employer delivery will often need to remain in scope – for example, every time a customer queries a bill, the finance team may get a call. It’s better to include the irrelevant than exclude the relevant.

Scoping Part B

Whatever Part B(s) you apply for can only include operations that were (or are being) assessed through your Part A assessment.

To apply for Part B Certification, you don’t have to deliver training in all areas relevant to that sector, but all areas that the organisation does deliver within that sector must be included in the scope of the Part B application.

For more information on scoping Part Bs, please click here.