What Highfield Group does

Highfield Group, legally Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance Limited, is a UK-headquartered, family-owned regulated awarding organisation operating across compliance, vocational, and apprenticeship qualifications. Founded in 1982 in Doncaster and led by the Sprenger family — Richard Sprenger (Chairman), Jason Sprenger (CEO), Chris Sprenger (Managing Director) — the company is regulated by Ofqual, Qualifications Wales, Qualifications Scotland Accreditation, CCEA, and the Security Industry Authority (SIA), and is a government-regulated apprentice assessment organisation recognised by the Department for Education and Ofqual. It offers 600+ qualifications across food safety, first aid, licensing, security, customer service, health and safety, and functional skills, and operates an international headquarters in Dubai Healthcare City alongside its Doncaster UK headquarters and a Shaw Wood Way distribution centre.

The product portfolio spans multiple digital platforms: Highfield Core for functional skills exams, the Highfield Vault browser-based e-portfolio, an E-Assessment platform for multiple-choice exams, Remote Invigilation powered by the third-party ProctorExam software, Highfield Online Training (HOT), and Qualify at Home for distance learners. These are complemented by Highfield Products publishing (2 million+ titles sold annually), the CourseFinder Plus marketplace for approved centres, and Checkcert for online certificate verification. End-point assessment for apprenticeships is delivered through Highfield Assessment, which ranked as a top 3 Assessment Organisation in England for apprenticeship EPAs completed in 2024-2025, and the company offers a Course Accreditation Service that brands bespoke corporate training with verifiable Highfield certificates.

Commercially, Highfield operates a B2B channel-partner model monetising through qualification registration fees (≈£30+VAT per learner), UK centre application fees (£450 one-off), annual low-spend fees (£300+VAT), Vault subscriptions (£13-£26.25 per year), unit-priced manuals and resources (e.g., £15 per core manual), remote invigilation seats, and EPA professional services. Distribution flows through 57,000+ approved trainers and training providers across 100+ countries that deliver Highfield qualifications to end learners; 550,000+ certificates are awarded annually. Named enterprise customers span security (Securitas), facilities management (Mitie), retail (Superdrug), healthcare (Nuffield Health), government (Ministry of Defence Defence Logistic School, NaCTSO, Royal Marines), and digital training (The Digital College), and the company was awarded the King's Award for Enterprise in 2024.

Name

Highfield Group

Legal name

Highfield Awarding Body for Compliance Limited

Website

https://highfieldqualifications.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Highfield Group is a UK-regulated awarding organisation offering 600+ compliance, vocational and apprenticeship qualifications delivered through 57,000+ approved centres across 100+ countries, supported by digital assessment, e-portfolio and remote invigilation platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Qualifications and Apprenticeship Assessment Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Awarding Organizations & Credentialing Bodies (Certificates/Diplomas) (EDADAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

National/State Examination Boards & Testing Agencies (EDADAFAA)

Keywords

• Vocational qualifications
• Apprenticeship assessment
• E-portfolio solutions
• Regulated compliance training
• Awarding organisation

Headquarters

HQ city

Doncaster

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Qualification Registration Fees: Training centres pay per-qualification registration fees for each learner. Core revenue stream tied to volume of learners completing qualifications.
2. Centre Application and Approval Fees: One-off registration fee of £450 plus VAT for UK centre applications, plus qualification registration fees of £30 plus VAT per qualification. Annual fee of £300 plus VAT for centres spending under £1,000 annually.
3. Training Resources and Publications: Sale of training materials including core manuals (£15), books, workbooks, training kits, and presentations. Highfield Products publishes hundreds of titles with over 2 million sales annually.
4. E-Learning and Digital Solutions: Online training, e-portfolio licences (Vault), e-assessment services, and remote invigilation seats. Qualifications Vault Licence at £13, Apprenticeship Vault Licence at £26.25.
5. End-Point Assessment Services: Government-regulated apprentice assessment organisation providing EPA services for apprenticeship standards. Top 3 Assessment Organisation in England based on apprenticeship EPAs completed 2024-2025.
6. Quality Assurance and Compliance Services: External Quality Support (EQS) visits at £350, quality assurance engagements for centres, and compliance monitoring services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Highfield Group is a regulated awarding organisation that develops, sells and certifies 600+ vocational qualifications (food safety, first aid, security, licensing, customer service, health and safety) through a global network of approved training centres, and delivers apprenticeship end-point assessment services as a top 3 provider in England. The qualification framework is supported by an integrated digital stack covering e-assessment, e-portfolio, remote invigilation, e-learning, course discovery and certificate verification, complemented by a publishing arm that distributes over 2 million training resources per year.

Product overview

Highfield Group operates as a multi-platform education and compliance organisation offering a unified ecosystem of awarding, assessment, and learning solutions. The core offering is Highfield Qualifications, an awarding organisation providing 600+ regulated qualifications, which is supported by complementary digital platforms including Highfield Core (functional skills assessment), E-Assessment (multiple-choice exams), and Highfield Vault (e-portfolio). The group delivers these through Highfield Central (centre management), Remote Invigilation (online proctoring via ProctorExam), and Highfield Online Training (e-learning). Additional tools include Checkcert (certificate verification) and CourseFinder Plus (course marketplace). Training Resources provide supporting materials, while the Apprenticeship Assessment division handles end-point assessments. The Functional Skills Package bundles Maths and English qualifications with free resources. The group also offers course accreditation services for bespoke training programmes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Highfield Qualifications: Main awarding organisation brand offering regulated qualifications
• Highfield Assessment
• Highfield Online Training (HOT)
• Highfield Products
• Highfield e-learning
• CourseFinder Plus
• Highfield Core
• Checkcert
• The Vault
• Qualify at Home

Products and services

• Highfield Qualifications (Regulated Qualifications Catalogue) Awarding organisation offering 600+ government-regulated qualifications across multiple sectors, sold to approved training centres and employers.
• Functional Skills Package Maths and English qualifications at Level 1 and Level 2, with bundled free mock exams, video walkthroughs and digital workbooks.
• Apprenticeship End-Point Assessment (EPA) Full suite of end-point assessment services for apprenticeship standards delivered by Highfield Assessment.
• Highfield Core Standalone digital platform for on-screen functional skills exams (Maths and English at Level 1/2).
• E-Assessment Secure platform for multiple-choice exams with on-screen assessment capabilities.
• Highfield Vault (E-Portfolio) Browser-based e-portfolio system for learners on standalone qualifications or apprenticeship programmes, offered via annual licences.
• Highfield Online Training (HOT) Highfield's e-learning platform for delivering online training courses to learners and clients.
• Remote Invigilation Online exam proctoring service allowing learners to sit exams from home via ProctorExam with video monitoring, with individual RI seats sold per exam.
• Qualify at Home Distance learning solution that lets learners complete learning and assessments from home.
• Course Accreditation Service Accreditation service allowing employers and training providers to gain a Highfield-branded quality mark for bespoke courses, with verifiable certificates.
• Training Resources (Publications) Published training resources including core manuals (£15 each), books, workbooks, training kits and presentations supporting qualification delivery across sectors.
• Checkcert Self-serve online certificate verification portal that validates Highfield-issued certificates for employers and individuals.
• CourseFinder Plus Public course-discovery platform where approved training providers list their courses and learners can search by subject, location and course type.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95%+ customer satisfaction with service level
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• VICTA (Visually Impaired Children Taking Action)minorOthers · 1 January 2013Highfield adopted VICTA as its chosen charity in 2013. The partnership involves staff volunteering (4 days annually for VICTA family weekends), marathon running, hosting over 20 events yearly, and providing media support. Highfield has raised over £100,000 for VICTA and has a dedicated meeting room for VICTA work.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority): Scotland's national awarding body. Overlaps with Highfield's Qualifications Scotland accreditation pathway and Scottish vocational qualifications, but is a public-sector national authority rather than a private awarding body.

Direct peers

• TQUK (Training Qualifications UK): Ofqual-recognised awarding organisation offering vocational qualifications and EPA. Closely comparable mid-sized competitor to Highfield with similar end-point assessment and regulated qualification focus.
• VTCT: UK awarding organisation regulated by Ofqual, focused on vocational and technical qualifications including beauty, therapies and hair. Comparable awarding-body operating model with similar Approved Centre distribution structure.
• NCFE: UK awarding organisation offering vocational qualifications, apprenticeships and EPA services. Closely comparable to Highfield on regulated qualification portfolio, EPA scale and T-level/apprenticeship end-point assessment.
• AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance): Major UK awarding organisation regulated by Ofqual, providing vocational and general qualifications. Direct peer in the regulated qualifications space, particularly for employers and training centres sourcing accredited certifications.
• City & Guilds: One of the UK's leading awarding organisations, offering regulated vocational qualifications and end-point assessment services. Direct competitor to Highfield across the same Ofqual-regulated qualification and apprenticeship EPA categories.
• NOCN: UK awarding and End-Point Assessment organisation recognised by Ofqual. Comparable to Highfield in apprenticeship EPA, vocational qualifications and Approved Centre network model.

Others

• ProctorExam: Remote invigilation technology provider used by Highfield for its proctored online exams. Not a competitor but a key technology partner whose roadmap and pricing directly affect Highfield's digital assessment economics.

Emerging players

• RSPH (Royal Society for Public Health): UK awarding organisation offering health-related vocational qualifications including food safety and health & safety. Direct overlap with Highfield's food safety and H&S qualification lines, though smaller in scale.

Broad incumbents

• Pearson (Edexcel / BTEC): Global education incumbent operating the Edexcel/BTEC awarding brands. Overlaps with Highfield in regulated UK qualifications and apprenticeship assessment, but with a far broader portfolio and international footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highfield-qualifications

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Highfield Group