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Employers and higher education institutions’ responsibilities

Information about employers and higher education institutions (HEIs) registration responsibilities.

Employers and higher education institutions (HEIs) have responsibilities for supporting registration. 

This includes nominating signatories to act on their behalf, verifying and endorsing applications, and assessing competence through employer assessment. 

Find out more about HEIs responsibilities

What are signatories?

Employers and HEIs must nominate appropriate people to act as signatories. Signatories endorse applications and help keep the Register up–to-date.

There are three types of signatories:

  • lead signatories – someone in a senior role with access to HR records. This role will have overall responsibility for the registration process on behalf of the organisation, including endorsing any application. 
  • additional signatories – nominated by a lead signatory, they can endorse applications sent to them. 
  • competence assessors – registered managers, or if there isn’t a registered manager at an organisation the Responsible Individual can nominate somebody. A lead or additional signatory might have this role too.

Find out more about signatories, and what signatories need to do at each step of the registration process.

More information about signatories

Endorsing and verifying applications

Lead and additional signatories can endorse and verify applications. 

Endorsement

Endorsement means checking that an applicant’s information is accurate. As a signatory, when you endorse someone, you’re confirming you don’t have any issues with their character, competence or fitness to practise, and they’re suitable for registration. 

Find out more about the endorsement process, why endorsements are necessary and what steps endorsers must follow. 

More information about endorsement

Verifying documents

Verifying means that you check an applicant’s original documents, such as their ID or qualifications. 

To verify, you should write the following on photocopies of each document: 

  • write your full name, job title, email address and the date
  • sign your name
  • write “I have seen the original and this is a true copy”.

The applicant should then submit the verified photocopies to us through their SCWonline account. 

Employer assessment

One of the routes to register is called employer assessment. We ask registered managers to confirm the suitability of an applicant, having assessed them against a list of competencies. 

Find out more about employer assessment

Frequently asked questions

Find answers to questions employers and signatories often ask on our FAQs page.

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