IMPORTANT CHANGES TO LCL AWARDS CERTIFICATES
Last update: 26 October 2026
The first phase will launch on Monday 16 November 2026.
From this date, all certificates generated through LCL Awards RQF (Regulated Qualification Framework) Portal & MLP Gas will be issued digitally rather than as paper certificates. This represents a significant change in how LCL Awards certificates are issued, accessed and shared, providing learners with quicker access to their achievements and a secure way of demonstrating their qualifications to employers and other third parties.
To help centres prepare for the transition, LCL Awards has outlined the key changes and arrangements below.
Centre Access – From 13 November 2026
Centres will be able to access the Digital Certification Platform from Friday 13 November, ahead of the official launch.
This will provide an opportunity to check that your login credentials are working correctly and familiarise yourself with the platform before digital certificates begin to be issued. There will of course be no certificates in the platform to view, but we encourage centres to take advantage of this early access to ensure that any login issues can be resolved before the launch date.
Issuing Digital Certificates – From 16 November 2026
From Monday 16 November, certificates generated through LCL Awards RQF system will be issued digitally.
The transition to Digital Certificates will be introduced in phases. The initial launch will apply to certifications processed through LCL Awards RQF system. For assessments and certifications managed outside LCL Awards RQF system, the move to Digital Certificates will take place at a later stage. Existing certification arrangements (including redirection) will remain in place for these assessments until the transition is completed, and we will provide further information to affected centres in due course.
Once a learner has been certificated digitally , they will receive an email providing access to their certificate through the LCL Awards Learner Portal.
Learners will be able to access their certificates online, view their achievements and securely share their certification information with employers or other third parties.
Digital certificates can be verified electronically, providing reassurance that the information being presented is authentic and has been issued by LCL Awards.
Learner Email Addresses
As previously advised, it is essential that each learner has their own unique, personal email address recorded on Parnassus.
This email address will be used to provide the learner with access to their Digital Certificates and Learner Portal. It is therefore important that the email address belongs to the learner and is one they will continue to have access to after completing their training.
Each learner must have their own unique, personal email address, as the Digital Certification Platform links each email address to an individual learner. It is not possible for multiple learners to access their certificates using the same email address.
Shared or generic email addresses must therefore not be used. Workplace email addresses should also be avoided, as learners may lose access to their certificates if they change employment. We recommend that learners use a personal email address that they will retain access to in the future.
Certificate emails will be sent directly to the learner, using the email address within Parnassus. Centres will not be able to redirect these emails to their own email addresses or to another recipient.
Please ensure that learner email addresses are checked for accuracy before submitting certification requests.
Sharing Certificates with Employers and Third Parties
One of the key benefits of Digital Certificates is the ability for learners to securely share their achievements with employers, prospective employers and other third parties.
Through the Learner Portal, learners will be able to generate a secure, time-limited link to share their certification information. This allows the recipient to view and verify the learner’s achievements without requiring the learner to provide a paper certificate.
Employers and other third parties can also ask learners to share their certification information directly with them.
This approach ensures that learners remain in control of who can access their certification information, while providing employers with a reliable means of checking qualifications.
Confirmation Letters for Employers
We recognise that centres may still need to provide confirmation of a learner’s achievements to employers or other organisations.
To support this, centres will be able to download a confirmation letter from the Digital Certification Platform. This letter will confirm the qualification achieved and the date of award and can be provided to employers or other third parties where written confirmation is required.
The letter is not a replacement certificate but provides a convenient means of confirming achievement without the need to issue a paper certificate.
Where independent verification is required, the employer or third party can ask the learner to share their Digital Certificate directly through the Learner Portal.
Employer Notifications
We recognise that some centres currently arrange for certificates to be sent directly to employers, particularly where employers have funded the training or need confirmation that their employees have successfully completed their qualifications.
We are working with our Digital Certification Platform supplier to explore the introduction of an automated employer notification facility. However, this is a core platform feature that would require development across the wider system, which is also used by universities, colleges and other further education providers. As such, the development and implementation timescales are outside LCL Awards’ direct control.
While we will continue to work with the supplier to progress this functionality, it will not be available for the initial launch.
In the meantime, centres can download confirmation letters to provide to employers, and employers can request that learners share their Digital Certificates directly through the Learner Portal. This provides employers with a secure means of verifying qualifications while ensuring learners retain control over access to their certification information.
Preparing for the Launch
Ahead of 16 November, we would ask all centres to ensure that learner records on LCL Awards RQF system are accurate and up to date, particularly the personal email addresses and National Insurance numbers required for digital certification.
We also encourage centres to familiarise their administration teams, tutors and assessors with the changes, so that learners can be advised of the new arrangements when completing their courses.
We appreciate that this is a significant change to an established process, and we will continue to provide guidance and support to centres throughout the transition.
The introduction of Digital Certificates is an important step forward for LCL Awards, improving the security, accessibility and verification of certificates while giving learners greater control over how their achievements are shared.
Thank you for your continued support as we introduce this new service.
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Previous update: 17 September 2026
Dear Customer,
LCL Awards is introducing a new digital certification system designed to improve certificate security and help combat the circulation of fraudulent, altered or otherwise invalid certificates.
The system will use blockchain-supported verification technology to create a tamper-resistant certification record. Instead of relying on the appearance of a paper certificate, photocopy or downloaded PDF, employers and other organisations will be able to verify the certificate against the authoritative record held within LCL Awards’ secure system.
This is intended to provide a stronger chain of trust between LCL Awards, the learner and the employer verifying the qualification. It will also reduce the risks associated with paper certificates and static electronic copies being lost, duplicated, altered or presented fraudulently.
Digital certificates will therefore become LCL Awards’ primary method of certification. We are writing to explain how this change will affect both self employed or employers who arrange and pay for their employees’ training and assessment through Complete Construction Training Services Ltd (CCTS).
When will the change take effect?
LCL Awards intends to introduce digital certificates in phases:
• The first phase will cover courses and qualifications registered through the LCL Awards online registration and
grading system. This includes, but is not limited to, RQF (Regulated Qualifications Framework) qualifications and
Managed Learning Programmes (MLP).
• ACS, OFTEC, HWSS and other certification routes will follow in a later phase.
The precise implementation dates have not yet been confirmed. LCL Awards is currently aiming to introduce the first
phase in early to mid-October 2026, with the remaining certification routes following by the end of 2026.
Please keep an eye on this News feed for further updates.
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