British Horse Society the first national equine body to gain government accreditation

The British Horse Society (BHS) is pleased to announce that its British Horse Society Assistant Instructor (BHSAI) professional qualification has been accredited by the Qualifications & Curriculum Authority (QCA) to the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), the first approval of its kind to be granted by government to the equine industry.

The BHSAI is now recognised as being a benchmark standard qualification, having undergone robust Quality Assurance. All its component parts, Stages 1 - 3 and the Preliminary Teaching Test, plus the BHS S/NVQ Levels 1, 2 and 3 are now part of the National Qualification Framework which is managed by the QCA.

BHS head of examinations, Annette Robinson, said, "We first started looking at accreditation three years ago so we are delighted that our work has reached a successful conclusion. The Society is the first national equine body to achieve approval for this type of examination, placing it as the industry leader in professional qualifications.

"The approval will provide added confidence to all candidates and employers that the BHS examination system is of the highest standard. We are now looking at submitting the BHS Intermediate Instructor qualification for accreditation in the New Year."

Kay Driver, BHS chief executive, added, "The BHS vocational training structure is the established, unique passport to a career in the horse industry, within the UK and world wide. This QCA recognition confirms our status."

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