Evaluation of the Open University HE in FE (validation) project

Between 2022 and 2025, the Office for Students (OfS) commissioned the Open University to deliver a pilot validation service for high quality Level 4 and 5 vocational and technical courses. The project aimed to support further education colleges and other providers to expand their higher education offer in line with government priorities. Five partner colleges completed the project, which concluded in July 2025.

Commissioned by the OfS, the evaluation is based on a contribution analysis approach to understand lessons learned from the project and impact.

Below are the evaluation report and two learning digests that share key learnings about validation partnerships for validators and colleges.