FAO is
A Federation & Gateway
A coordinating and gateway organisation that provides access to UK awarding bodies, centre approval support, quality assurance guidance and workforce development solutions.
About FAO
A Gateway, Not just an Awarding Body
The Federation of Awarding Organisations connects training providers, colleges, employers and government organisations with recognised UK awarding bodies — and supports them to deliver regulated qualifications to standard.
6+
Awarding Partners
50+
Countries Reached
25+
Industry Sectors
300+
Active Partnerships
Who We Are
A Federation Built Around Access
FAO exists to remove the complexity that stops capable organisations from delivering internationally recognised qualifications. Instead of negotiating separate relationships with multiple UK awarding bodies, organisations work with FAO — a single gateway to a portfolio of regulated qualifications across more than 25 industry sectors.
We operate across the Middle East and beyond, supporting training institutes, colleges, corporate academies and government workforce agencies through centre approval, quality assurance and long-term workforce development.
The UK awarding bodies within the FAO network hold their own regulatory recognition from Ofqual and equivalent bodies. FAO's role is to provide the coordination, market access and operational support that enables those awarding bodies to operate effectively in international markets — and that enables international organisations to access their qualifications.
Headquartered in Dubai, FAO has particular depth across the Middle East and beyond, with specialist understanding of the regulatory environments, labour markets and sector dynamics of international markets.
Important Clarity
What FAO Is — and What It Is Not
Being clear about our role protects everyone in the system — our partner awarding bodies, the centres we support and, ultimately, learners.
FAO is not
An Awarding Body
FAO does not issue qualifications. Qualifications are issued by the UK awarding bodies within the FAO network, each of which holds its own regulatory recognition independently.
FAO is not
A Training Provider
FAO does not deliver training to learners. We support the organisations that do — helping them access qualifications, gain centre approval and maintain quality compliance.
Our Mission
Strengthening UK Qualification Delivery Across International Markets
Our mission is to make UK qualifications, quality assurance and workforce development expertise accessible to organisations across the Middle East and beyond — supporting training providers, employers and government bodies to build genuine capability, not just access certificates.
Three Pillars
How FAO Creates Value
01
Access
Providing organisations with a practical, expert-guided route to regulated UK qualifications and awarding body approval — removing the barriers that stop capable organisations from accessing the qualifications their learners and workforce need.
02
Quality
Supporting centres in building the internal quality systems, policies and compliance processes that qualification delivery demands — so that approval is the beginning of a quality journey, not the end of a compliance exercise.
03
Development
Working with employers, government agencies and professional institutes to build workforce development programmes that are anchored in UK-regulated qualifications and aligned to real sector demands.
“FAO exists to give training providers, colleges, employers and government organisations practical access to UK qualifications, quality assurance and workforce development expertise — a genuine gateway, not a gatekeeping body.”
FAO Position Statement
Work With FAO
If your organisation wants to deliver UK-regulated qualifications, strengthen its quality systems or build a workforce development programme, we would like to hear from you.