“In an age tragically marked by terrorist atrocities, we need to know that those charged with keeping us safe are appropriately trained and qualified through a rigorous system of assessment and accreditation,” says a statement from the Industry Qualifications awarding body.
But at present, Mr Clarke says, there is insufficient gathering of information and record-keeping about fraud and inadequate efforts to pursue those responsible.
And he fears that when fraud is caught in one part of the education sector or type of qualification, it moves to another.
“If you lift the carpet, there’s a lot going on under it,” he said.
Mr Clarke’s own awarding body was caught up in a case of fraud exposed by the BBC, when a college was found to be helping students to gain its qualifications fraudulently.
Undercover researchers found colleges that would sit or forge exams for a fee, for students wanting to get qualifications needed for a Security Industry Authority card.
But Mr Clarke says that the “worrying fact” is that people involved in such frauds “could still be active in the delivery of regulated qualifications elsewhere – nobody knows”.
He warns that for awarding bodies there is insufficient up-to-date information to alert them of fraudulent activity.
He is calling for better co-ordination with the police and ways to prevent fraudsters from returning to the education sector.
“A failure to confront the issue serves the interests of nobody other than the fraudsters,” says Mr Clarke.
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