The purpose of this verification process is to provide a clear, transparent, and consistent approach to verifying online courses within the Skills for Agriculture (SfA) Framework. By applying a standard set of criteria and a structured review process, we aim to help learners identify credible, high-quality professional development opportunities that align with the skills in the framework. This process outlines how courses are identified, assessed, scored, verified, and monitored, ensuring the SfA ‘Verified’ tag reflects a trusted indicator of quality and relevance.
Identify courses for inclusion in the Skills for Agriculture (SfA) Framework through provider submissions, internal recommendations, or desktop research.
- Consider both established providers and niche organisations.
- Niche organisations may be eligible where they demonstrate recognised expertise, government affiliations, institutional partnerships, or a strong reputation within their specialist field.
- Both free and paid courses may be considered.
- Paid courses may be particularly relevant for senior-level learners.
- Short courses intended for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) purposes will be considered.
- Diplomas and degree programmes are excluded.
Collect and document publicly available information about the course and provider. Capture information such as:
- Course title and provider details
- Course description
- Learning objectives and outcomes
- Duration
- Delivery format
- Instructor or author information
- Certification details
- Cost (free or paid)
- Provider affiliations and partnerships
Where information is limited, note whether key details are hidden behind a login or enrolment wall. If access is restricted, alternative criteria, such as provider reputation, accreditation, or learner feedback, should be used for verification.
Assess whether the course meets the eligibility requirements before proceeding to verification. Confirm that:
- The course is delivered entirely online.
- Courses requiring face-to-face attendance, location-specific activities, or blended delivery are excluded.
- This exclusion is communicated within the SfA Terms and Conditions.
- The course aligns with the professional development focus of the Skills Framework.
- Sufficient information is available to undertake the verification process, or alternative evidence can be obtained.
Apply the verification checklist to evaluate the quality and credibility of the course.
The checklist should assess:
Provider Credibility
- Institutional accreditation (where applicable)
- Provider reputation
- Government affiliations
- Institutional partnerships
- Demonstrated expertise
Authorship
- Identification of course authors
- Evidence of relevant qualifications or subject expertise
Content and Curriculum Quality
- Transparency of learning objectives
- Curriculum structure and relevance
- Currency and accuracy of content
- Alignment between: learning objectives, instructional materials, and assessments
Instructional quality should be assessed within this category.
Limited Access to Content
Where course content is hidden behind a login:
- Record that access is restricted.
- Assess available information only.
- Use alternative indicators, such as: provider reputation, accreditation, certification standards, and learner feedback.
Certification Standards
- Institutional identification
- Accreditation references (where applicable)
- Relevance to CPD
Learner Feedback
- Independent learner reviews
- Professional endorsements (for example, LinkedIn)
- Evidence of learner outcomes
Consider the possibility of AI-generated or manipulated reviews when evaluating feedback.
Apply the agreed scoring and weighting system to the completed checklist.
- Allocate scores against each criterion.
- Apply weighting where certain criteria are considered more important.
- Calculate the overall verification score.
- Record evidence supporting the scoring decisions.
Courses meeting the agreed threshold proceed to the next stage.
For courses that pass through the verification stage:
- Assign the Verified status.
- Map the course to the relevant Skills for Agriculture category and skill(s).
- Update the associated metadata.
- Record the rationale for verification.
Courses that do not meet the threshold may be rejected or revisited if additional evidence becomes available
Publish verified courses on the Skills for Agriculture website. This includes:
- Displaying the Verified tag.
- Updating the SfA database and website records.
- Ensuring provider information is accurate.
- Applying the relevant Terms and Conditions.
Undertake ongoing quality assurance of verified courses. This should include:
- Reviewing learner feedback periodically.
- Monitoring provider changes or updates.
- Reassessing courses where concerns arise.
- Updating or removing verification status if courses no longer meet the agreed standards.
- Reviewing and refining the verification criteria over time as the framework evolves.
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