What ASDAN does

ASDAN is a UK education charity and awarding organisation (registered charity number 1066927), founded circa 1990 and headquartered in Bristol, operating with approximately 149 employees. The organisation delivers skills-based courses, accredited programmes, and UK-regulated qualifications from pre-Entry to Level 3, targeting learners with diverse needs including mainstream secondary students, SEND learners, further education students, care leavers, and prisoners. Its core regulated products include the Personal Effectiveness Qualifications (PEQ) suite at Entry 3 through Level 3, the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ, up to 28 UCAS points), and legacy qualifications (AoPE and CoPE, now closed for new registrations with transition to PEQ). Non-regulated offerings span Personal Development Programmes (Bronze/Silver/Gold), Short Courses across topics such as Esports and Environmental, and SEND-specific programmes (Towards Independence, New Horizons, My Independence, Transition Challenge). In October 2025, ASDAN launched Equitas, a dedicated digital learning platform using Microsoft CIAM authentication that supports online course delivery, evidence uploading, and progress tracking. The business model combines recurring annual centre memberships (auto-renewing unless terminated with 30 days notice) with per-candidate registration fees ranging from £34-£41 for AoPE/CoPE qualifications to £40 for PEQ and £60 for EPQ, plus usage-based Equitas pricing tiers of £4-£12 per registration. Distribution occurs exclusively through approved member centres — schools, colleges, PRUs, training providers, and justice system institutions — across the UK and internationally including Qatar and Western Australia, with many qualifications fully funded by UK government bodies (ESFA, QiW, Department for the Economy).

Name

ASDAN

Legal name

ASDAN Ltd

Website

https://asdan.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ASDAN is a UK education charity and awarding organisation delivering skills-based courses and regulated qualifications (pre-Entry to Level 3) to schools, colleges, SEND settings, and further education providers through a membership model and its new Equitas digital learning platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Education and Qualifications

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Curriculum, Instructional Materials & Practice Testing for GED/HiSET (EDAAABAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online/Hybrid ASE Programs & Virtual Classrooms (EDAAABAG), Tutoring, Study Skills & Learning Strategies for ASE (EDAAABAL)

Keywords

• Education charity services
• Awarding organisation qualifications
• Skills-based education programmes
• Personal development courses
• Accredited learning qualifications

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees for centres to access ASDAN courses, qualifications, resources, and support. Membership auto-renews annually unless terminated with 30 days written notice.
2. Candidate/Student Registration Fees: Per-candidate registration fees for qualifications. Personal Effectiveness Qualification (all levels, all sizes): £40 per candidate. Extended Project Qualification Level 3: £60 per candidate.
3. Student Books and Materials: Sale of student books and resources. Personal Development Programmes student book 2021: £15.95 per learner. Certification fee: £7.50 per learner per certificate.
4. Equitas Digital Short Courses: Volume-based pricing for digital Short Courses on Equitas platform. Discounts offered based on quantity: 1-9 learners at £12/registration, 10-19 at £8, 20-29 at £6, 30+ at £4 per registration.
5. Training Workshops: Revenue from mandatory and optional training workshops for educators delivering ASDAN courses. Training is mandatory for qualifications such as EPQ and AoPE/CoPE.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ASDAN is an education charity and awarding organisation that offers courses, accredited programmes, and UK-regulated qualifications from pre-Entry to Level 3 to educational institutions through a membership model. Its core products include Personal Effectiveness Qualifications, Extended Project Qualification, Personal Development Programmes (Bronze/Silver/Gold), Short Courses, and a suite of SEND-specific programmes, all delivered through member centres and increasingly through the new Equitas digital learning platform. The organisation also provides mandatory and optional training workshops, student books, and certification services to support educator delivery.

Product overview

ASDAN is an education charity and awarding organisation offering a comprehensive portfolio of courses, accredited programmes, and UK-regulated qualifications from pre-Entry to Level 3. The core offering consists of the Equitas digital learning platform (supporting the full learning cycle with Short Courses and expanding to all courses), combined with regulated qualifications including Personal Effectiveness Qualifications (PEQ), Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), Foundation and Higher Project Qualifications, and legacy qualifications (AoPE, CoPE - both now closed for new registrations with transition to PEQ). Non-regulated programmes include Personal Development Programmes (Bronze/Silver/Gold), Short Courses, Moving On (care leavers), My Independence, Towards Independence, New Horizons, Transition Challenge, and Lifeskills Challenge. All qualifications are externally certificated and many carry UCAS tariff points for higher education entry. The organisation serves mainstream schools, SEND settings, further education, justice system, and community education providers across the UK and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Equitas: ASDAN's dedicated digital learning platform designed to improve access and ease of delivery for educators and learners, supporting the full cycle of learning in a streamlined and secure environment.

Products and services

• Personal Effectiveness Qualifications (PEQ) Regulated qualifications at Entry 3, Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 designed to support learner progression through six core skills (learning, communicating, decision-making, thinking, team working, self-awareness). Available as Award, Extended Award and Certificate sizes at £40 per candidate.
• Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) Level 3

Quantifiable outcome

• ASDAN qualifications improve performance in English and mathematics, which have double weighting in school performance measures such as Progress 8
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Skills Builder Partnership UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 April 2026Partnership to strengthen essential skills development, aligning ASDAN's six core skills framework with the Skills Builder universal framework for essential skills.
• Studio 12 LeedsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Digital media initiative that invests in creative talents of disadvantaged young people. Partner school West Oaks visited to begin developing understanding of media production.
• Leeds UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016University students support West Oaks students to develop key transferable skills through partnership around school radio station project.
• Chartered College of TeachingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with the professional body for teachers, sharing commitment to supporting learners and strengthening education across the UK.
• Big Education: Enrichment for all coalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership focused on enrichment for all learners, aligned with ASDAN's mission to engage, elevate and empower diverse learners.
• Federation of Awarding BodiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership in the federation of awarding bodies, collaborating on sector-wide issues and maintaining standards in qualifications.
• Fair Education AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership working to close the gap in educational attainment for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• The Foundation for Education DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership contributing to education development across the UK through collaborative advocacy and policy work.
• globalbridgecoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration to empower learners and enhance employability through integration of services.
• NASS (National Association of Special Schools)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with the national association representing special schools, supporting learners with SEND.
• National Education AssemblycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership contributing to national education dialogue and reform efforts.
• NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the largest voluntary sector umbrella body in England, supporting community-based education delivery.
• Whole EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership network of schools committed to providing a broader, more enriching education experience.
• Youth Employment UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting young people's employment outcomes through quality work experience and skills development.
• National Association for Advancing AutismcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting education for learners with autism, aligned with ASDAN's SEND provision.
• COBIS (Council of British International Schools)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting associate relationship with British international schools network.
• UK Skills PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting skills development across the UK.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Pearson: Pearson is the world's largest education company and operates Edexcel and BTEC qualifications, directly competing with ASDAN's Level 3 vocational and project qualifications. It is much larger and more diversified but overlaps in the UK regulated qualification market.
• City & Guilds: City & Guilds is one of the UK's largest vocational awarding organisations offering a broad portfolio of qualifications across industries. It competes with ASDAN in the vocational skills space but operates at much greater scale across multiple industry verticals.
• OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations): OCR is a major UK awarding body (part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment) offering GCSEs, A-levels, and vocational qualifications including Cambridge Technicals. It competes more on academic qualifications but overlaps in some vocational Level 3 areas.

Direct peers

• Highfield Qualifications: Highfield Qualifications is a UK awarding organisation offering regulated vocational qualifications and apprenticeship-end-point assessments. It directly competes with ASDAN for centre membership and candidate registrations in the FE and training provider segments.
• NCFE: NCFE is a UK awarding organisation and educational charity that offers vocational qualifications and skills-based programmes, very similar in scale, mission, and operating model to ASDAN. Both target schools, FE colleges, and training providers with regulated qualifications from Entry to Level 3.
• TQUK (Training Qualifications UK): TQUK is a UK awarding organisation offering regulated qualifications across multiple sectors. It competes directly with ASDAN for training provider and FE college memberships with comparable pricing and qualification breadth.
• CACHE (Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education): CACHE is a UK awarding organisation specialising in care, health, and education qualifications, now part of NCFE. It overlaps with ASDAN in education and care-focused qualifications for similar learner populations.
• AIM Awards: AIM Awards is a smaller UK-based awarding organisation offering regulated qualifications, particularly in education and training, sport, and public services. It targets similar centre types as ASDAN and competes on flexibility and price.

Others

• nasen (National Association for Special Educational Needs): nasen is the UK's leading SEND membership organisation supporting practitioners in special educational needs provision. While not a direct awarding competitor, nasen serves overlapping audiences (SEND schools and practitioners) and represents both a partner and an adjacent ecosystem player for ASDAN's SEND portfolio.

Emerging players

• Skills Builder Partnership: Skills Builder Partnership is an emerging UK organisation promoting a universal framework for essential skills development. ASDAN has formally partnered with Skills Builder to align its six core skills framework, and they target similar learner segments with complementary offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/asdan_uk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/asdanTV
• Facebookfacebook.com/asdanuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asdan
• Instagraminstagram.com/asdan_uk

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 ASDAN