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Modern Slavery Statement

Modern Slavery Statement

PeopleCert Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking Statement 2024

HRMPO03 Modern Slavery Act Statement ver40This statement is published by PeopleCert Holdings UK Ltd and its subsidiaries (“PeopleCert”). It covers the financial year ending 31 December 2023. The board of directors of PeopleCert Holdings UK Ltd has overall responsibility for management of PeopleCert companies, and has approved this statement on 4 April 2024.

1. PeopleCert’s Business

PeopleCert is the global leader in the assessment and certification of professional skills, partnering with multi-national organizations and government bodies to develop and deliver market leading exams worldwide. PeopleCert began issuing certification solutions in 2000 with ECDL Foundation, the most established certificate for ICT skills globally. We have since expanded our offering from a single product to a comprehensive portfolio of 700+ exams delivered in 25 languages across 200 countries, including the global programs of ITIL® and PRINCE2® as the owner of AXELOS and LanguageCert English language exams.

PeopleCert develops and delivers a comprehensive range of solutions and services for the secure assessment and certification of professional and language skills. Its key activities include: qualification and assessment design and development; secure delivery of internationally recognised qualifications/examinations; certification and accreditation; delivery of information and reporting on examination results; and publication and distribution of books and training materials related to our qualifications. PeopleCert is also approved by UK Visas and Immigration, to deliver Home Office approved, Secure English Language Tests (SELT) in the UK and globally. Our SELT offering forms part of our Ofqual and Qualifications Wales regulated English Language Test portfolio.

2. Our Policy on Modern Slavery

PeopleCert does not tolerate any form of modern slavery. This commitment is embedded in our Supply Chain Policy and the PeopleCert Code of Ethical Conduct (Code), which applies to all PeopleCert directors, managers, employees, contractors, trainees and volunteers, and to third-party entities and individuals when doing business with PeopleCert. We are not aware of any modern slavery in our supply chain.

Although we had approximately 1000 employees at the end of 2023, PeopleCert remains a close-knit organisation. Because of this we are confident that most types of modern slavery are highly unlikely in our supply chain. Our work to eliminate modern slavery focuses on fair pay and working conditions among the organizations who distribute our testing services – these appear to be the largest modern slavery risks in our supply chain. We also remain vigilant regarding other types of modern slavery.

With respect to fair pay, it is our policy to pay significantly in excess of the minimum wage for all of our employees: our current policy is that our lowest-paid employees are paid between 10-13% in excess of the minimum wage. We ensure fair working conditions for all of our employees, and we have an admirable record of employee longevity. For companies in our supply chain, the Code and Supply Chain Policy encourage pay of at least the minimum wage and fair working conditions.

3. Due Diligence

In the examination and certification business, it is critical to ensure the integrity of all parts of the supply chain. PeopleCert has three main types of third parties in its supply chain:

  • Accredited Organizations and Test Centers: organizations approved by PeopleCert to administer and deliver examinations, and associated training
  • Suppliers/Subcontractors: organizations used by PeopleCert for the delivery of standard operational services, such as ICT suppliers, printers and couriers
  • External Associates: individuals who provide services that require specific expertise necessary for the delivery of PeopleCert services, such as invigilators, psychometricians and mystery shoppers

Third parties in PeopleCert’s supply chain are subject to specific selection criteria and processes, described in dedicated procedures and manuals, and designed to detect and prevent the use of inappropriate third parties. PeopleCert conducts extensive efforts to ensure that those in our supply chain meet our high quality standards, and we conduct regular audits of our partner organizations around the world. We believe that these combined efforts are likely to detect any significant instances of modern slavery in our supply chain.

4. Training

All PeopleCert staff are required to be familiar with the Code (including its provisions on modern slavery). Our programme of Safeguarding (child and vulnerable adult protection policy and procedure) training for staff, which was adopted in 2020, includes modern slavery awareness .

5. Policies and Procedures

In addition to our Code and supply chain policy, the following are in place within PeopleCert and support our commitment to zero tolerance of any form of modern slavery: