Standard status
- Current published edition
- ASCB TC:2025, Course Standard v2.0, comprising ASCB TCL1-2025, TCL2-2025 and TCL3-2025, with Virtual and eLearning variants
- Assessments conducted against
- ASCB TC:2025, at the type that matches the course
- Scheme type
- Training course accreditation
ASCB TC:2025 is ASCB's standard for accrediting an individual training course. It assesses the course itself: the training need it was built to meet, its objectives and intended learning outcomes, how the courseware is developed, how it is delivered, how learners' progress is assessed, and how the benefit of the course is evaluated and fed back into improving it. It covers training in any sector, delivered in a classroom, live online or by eLearning. A course can be accredited on its own, through the individual course module, or as one of the courses held by a provider accredited under ASCB TP:2025. ASCB offers accreditation against ASCB TC:2025.
How does course accreditation relate to provider accreditation?
They are separate accreditations against separate standards. ASCB TC:2025 assesses a single course; ASCB TP:2025 assesses the organization and the systems behind its training. A course can be accredited under ASCB TC:2025 without the provider holding ASCB TP:2025, which is what the individual course module is for. Every ASCB TP:2025 provider accreditation includes at least one course assessed against ASCB TC:2025, so the two are commonly held together.
What ASCB TC:2025 requires
The standard works through the life of a course, and a course is assessed against these areas at the type that matches it.Assessing training needs
The course begins from an identified need rather than from content: who the training is for and why, what preparation and prior learning are recognized before it starts, and, at the higher types, the entry standards and learning levels a learner is expected to start from.
Setting the objectives
The course objectives and the learning outcomes a learner should achieve, with the criteria by which achievement is assessed. From the second type, the business objective behind the course is set alongside the training objective.
Course development
How the courseware is designed and built: the delivery method and its limitations, the course content and materials, non-discrimination and accessibility, trainer materials, and configuration management with version control. The higher types add a structured content model, fuller user-experience and design requirements, and material-level version control of delegate and trainer materials.
Course delivery
How the course is actually run, including the modes of delivery and, at the higher types, documented exemptions, extension times and prior-learning requirements.
Staffing
From the second type, the qualifications of the people delivering the course are documented and evidenced at course level, along with how delegates are engaged.
Course progress
How a learner's progress is tracked and assessed, including progress reports, assessment methods and classification, and, from the second type, the handling of deferrals and extensions.
Benefit evaluation
How the course evaluates whether it delivered its intended benefit, using learner and trainer feedback to judge whether it is fit for purpose and what should change, and feeding that back into the course. The higher types add post-delivery evaluation.
The three types of course accreditation
The standard has three types. A course is assessed at the type that matches how it is built and delivered, and each type builds on the one below.
• Type 1 (ASCB TCL1-2025): the minimum requirements for a robust course, covering assessing training needs, setting objectives and outcomes, developing the courseware (including non-discrimination, accessibility and version control of materials), delivery, progress and benefit evaluation. Designed for a course created and delivered by a business function or department for internal use.
• Type 2 (ASCB TCL2-2025): builds on Type 1 and adds the business objective behind the course, a structured course-content model, pre-learning assessments, advertising and course descriptions, documented trainer qualifications and delegate engagement, fuller assessment methods and classification, the handling of deferrals and extensions, and post-delivery evaluation. Suited to courses delivered across a department or to third parties.
• Type 3 (ASCB TCL3-2025): builds on Type 2 and adds defined learning levels and threshold entry standards, a fuller user-experience and design section, material-level version control of delegate and trainer materials, and documented exemptions, extension times and prior-learning requirements. Designed for organizations and institutes whose primary business is training. A Type 3 course accreditation does not imply or constitute provider accreditation.
The individual course module and the delivery-method add-ons
Alongside the three types, the standard offers one module and two add-ons:
• Individual course module: for a course that needs accreditation on its own, outside an accredited provider context. It is used where the course needs accrediting but the provider does not, or where the provider holds provider accreditation from a different route.
• Virtual course add-on: additional criteria for live, synchronous online delivery.
• eLearning add-on: additional criteria for asynchronous, self-paced online delivery.
The two add-ons are available at all three types and are assessed on top of the type the course is accredited at.
Scheme and sector application
ASCB TC:2025 applies to a structured training course in any sector, whether it leads to a professional qualification, supports the use of a product, or develops a skill such as leadership, compliance, health and safety, sales, technical and IT, onboarding or first aid. It applies equally to a course built for internal use and one sold to external customers, and to classroom, live online and eLearning delivery through the add-ons above. ASCB accreditation is not higher education accreditation: where a course leads to a degree or other postgraduate award, the recognition of that award is a matter for the competent authority in the relevant jurisdiction.
Why seek ASCB accreditation against ASCB TC:2025
ASCB assesses a course against the requirements of ASCB TC:2025, sampling the course's design, materials, delivery records and evaluation evidence at the type the course is accredited at. For the organization that owns the course and the people who take it, that means independent third-party assessment against a published training course standard, applied on its own terms; a credential a buyer can check against requirements that are published and can be read, rather than take unverified, with the course record available on the IRQAO register and the accredited status confirmable on the ASCB register; and delivery by an established international accreditation body operating to ISO/IEC 17011 for more than 30 years; organizations certified by ASCB-accredited bodies operate in 140+ countries.
Where ASCB TC:2025 sits among the standards
ASCB TC:2025 is one of two ASCB training standards:
• ASCB TP:2025: the Training Provider Standard; accredits the organization and its systems, where TC:2025 accredits the individual course. The two are commonly held together, and every TP:2025 accreditation includes at least one TC:2025 course.
• ISO/IEC 17011: the requirements for accreditation bodies; the standard ASCB works to when it accredits a course.
• ISO 21001 and ISO 29993: related education and learning-services standards that exist and are certified by bodies elsewhere, covering different ground from course accreditation.
Common questions
Can a single course be accredited without the provider being accredited?
Yes. The individual course module exists for exactly that: a course accredited on its own, where the provider does not need or hold ASCB TP:2025 provider accreditation.
Does course accreditation assess the academic level or credit value of the course?
No. Course accreditation addresses the course's design, delivery, assessment and administration, and it does assess that the content aligns with the stated objectives and with any syllabus owned by a governing body. It is not an evaluation of the academic level or credit value of the course, or of its equivalence to any qualifications framework.
How do I know which type my course should be accredited at?
You do not need to decide that yourself. ASCB determines the type with you, based on how the course is built and delivered. If you are unsure, contact us and we will help.
What is the difference between a virtual course and an eLearning course?
The two terms are routinely used as if they mean the same thing, and the standard treats them as different delivery methods with their own criteria.
A virtual course is live: the trainer and the learners work at the same time but in different places, online, with video conferencing as the main channel and other technology supporting exercises and small group breakouts. It is closest to classroom delivery moved online, so its criteria concentrate on interaction and communication.
An eLearning course is self-paced: the learner works through the material without a trainer present in real time, so its criteria concentrate on whether eLearning genuinely suits the topic and the audience, whether the objectives can realistically be achieved and measured in that medium, and how a learner's understanding is assessed without a trainer in the room.
A course delivered both ways is assessed against the criteria for each method it uses.
What do the virtual and eLearning add-ons change?
Each add-on is assessed on top of the type the course is accredited at rather than instead of it, so a Type 2 course delivered online is assessed against the Type 2 criteria plus the criteria for that delivery method. The add-ons are appendices to the course standard and are not used on their own.
How to apply
How to apply for ASCB TC:2025 training course accreditation is set out on Become Accredited. Fees are quoted individually rather than published, because the standard tiers to the scale of the training operation and to the courses to be accredited, so the page asks a short set of questions in order to quote. The application form is provided on request.