Staffing of Accredited Courses
This applies to all ISEB Training Provider accreditation applications
(note this does not apply to BSD Examination Provider applications).
Background
It has become clear that terms such as ‘Course Director’ and ‘Course Tutor’ have
different meanings for different organisations. Therefore, in order to avoid ambiguity,
the following definitions will be used by ISEB.
Course Director
This is the person with overall responsibility for the content of the course and the
necessary authority to remedy deficiencies on the course, the tutors, the facilities
made available for the course and examinations or any aspect of the administration
surrounding the candidates, course or the examinations. The Course Director is also
responsible for ensuring that all Course Tutors have been approved by ISEB prior to
the delivery of courses and vouches for the information provided on the Course Tutor
forms. Specific requirements for the role include:
 A full time permanent senior member of staff (although exceptions will be
considered) who is responsible for ensuring that the course materials conforms to
the format approved by ISEB;
 Does not necessarily have to train on the relevant course;
 Who can be contacted within a reasonable amount of time throughout the course
and the subsequent written examination to consult with ISEB as necessary on any
issues which the delegates, tutors or ISEB wish to raise;
 Is responsible for all contributors to the courses;
 Should have two years’ experience either as a Course Director on other ISEB
accredited courses or as a Course Tutor on relevant course leading to the
qualification that he/she has applied for, or can demonstrate equivalent
experience;
 Is formally approved by ISEB
1st Course Tutor
 Is accountable to the Course Director;
 Is responsible for all or part of the course, ensuring that sessions conform to the
ISEB syllabus;
 Has the required level of practical experience¹ in IT (where appropriate) and the
syllabus areas of the qualification and has a demonstrable knowledge in the
qualification area
 Holds the ISEB Certificate in the relevant course ²
 Has suitable amount of previous training experience OR can demonstrate an
ability to deliver training OR taken a ‘train the trainer’ course.
 Delivers at least 30% of the course material; ³
 Is formally approved by ISEB
ISEB/Guide/Accred/1.3/010/08
Copyright © The British Computer Society 2008
2nd Course Tutor / Understudy
A Course Tutor may be designated by ISEB (or the Training Provider) as a 2nd tutor if
he or she currently lacks either training or subject area experience and needs to gain
the missing experience.
If a Course Tutor has limited training experience then the 2nd Course Tutor will be
expected to understudy a 1st Course Tutor for a minimum of four courses. A 2nd
Course Tutor may provide training only whilst a fully approved tutor is present. After
four courses have been completed, the Course Director may write to ISEB,
confirming the dates of the courses attended, and requesting that the tutor has their
status amended to a fully approved 1st Course Tutor. It is normally expected that a
2nd Course Tutor will observe on the first course, participate in the second and third
course and then deliver the training on the fourth course under the supervision of a
1st Course Tutor, but this can be amended at the discretion of the 1st Course Tutor.
If a Course Tutor has limited practical experience, it is expected that they will remain
as a 2nd Course Tutor until they can demonstrate that they have gained the relevant
amount of experience. It is anticipated that this experience will be gained over a
period of time from six months to eighteen months (dependent on the amount of
previous experience). If a Course Tutor falls into this category, the Course Director
will be required to resubmit the entire application once the applicant is deemed to
have the appropriate service management experience. Guidance will be provided by
ISEB on the approximate timescales anticipated for the re-application timeframe.
Specific requirements for the role include:
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Is accountable to the Course Director;
Holds the ISEB Certificate in the relevant course ²
Helps deliver of the course material observed by the 1st Course Tutor; ³
Must have a suitable mix of practical skills in IT and in the qualification area
Has suitable amount of previous training experience OR can demonstrate an
ability to deliver training
 Is formally approved by ISEB
Course Administrator
 The Course Administrator deals with course administration for both candidates
and Course Tutors and is the main point of contact for ISEB on routine
administrative matters. The Training Provider must ensure that there is cover for
the Course Administrator in cases of both planned and unplanned absence. This
role does not need to be approved by ISEB.
ISEB/Guide/Accred/1.3/010/08
Copyright © The British Computer Society 2008
Minimum Requirements
An accredited Training Provider must have as a minimum:
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One Course Director
Two Course Tutors for Foundation / Essentials courses
Three Course Tutors for any other qualification
One Course Administrator.
It is acceptable for one individual to fulfil more than one of the above roles, e.g.
Course Director and Course Tutor.
Guest Speakers (Project Management Certificate, PPSO, Data Protection and
Practitioner Certificates in Software Testing only)
A guest speaker is expected to be an expert the particular area of the syllabus and
may offer up to 30% of the accredited training under the supervision of an accredited
Course Tutor. All guests must use the accredited materials and follow the agreed
timetables. They do not need to be accredited by ISEB.
¹
Business Analysis, Systems Development, Project Management Certificate /
IT Service Management - ISEB requires that each tutor will have at least five
years’ experience in training and hold the relevant qualification. ISEB
requires that all Course Tutors hold both the Foundation and Higher Level
Certificates as appropriate. If the Course Tutor has passed the examination
via another Examination Institute, then ISEB will require a copy of the
Certificate to validate that they hold the relevant qualification.
BMS – ISEB requires that each tutor will have held a managerial position for
at least five years and will have had experience of at least five of the
following: line staff, budget, project, programme, service, technical and
strategic management. They must also have had at least two years’
experience in a training or lecturing capacity.
Data Protection – ISEB requires that each tutor will have a minimum of one
year’s experience in the Data Protection field and hold the Certificate in Data
Protection.
²
ISEB requires that all Course Tutors hold both the Foundation and Higher
level Certificates as appropriate. Trainers applying to become a course tutor
any of the BSD qualifications must hold the relevant Diploma or be a current
Oral Examiner.
³
Project Management - No one person may teach more than 60% of the
Project Management course and at least 70% of the course content must be
taught by approved staff.
IT Service Management - More than one Course Tutor must be present for a
minimum of 75% of the tuition hours, in order that the in-course assessment
of candidates’ practical work can be properly conducted.
BMS – Two Course Tutors must be present for the entire duration of the
course.
ISEB/Guide/Accred/1.3/010/08
Copyright © The British Computer Society 2008