Prospects announces degree fraud roundtable events
Prospects is bringing together employers and universities to identify solutions and reach a common understanding on reducing degree fraud
The 'Fighting Degree Fraud' roundtable events will discuss how to tackle the growth in fake degree certificates and bogus institutions, which undermines the reputation of UK higher education and the investment of genuine students.
The roundtables will be of interest to anyone who works within the areas of degree certification, document verification, HR, admissions and legal services or has a general interest in academic integrity. There will be a mixture of presentations, guest speakers, workshops and group discussions.
Speaking at the London roundtable on 30 May is Lord Storey, co-chair of the Committee on Education, Families and Young People, who has launched a campaign to ban contract cheating. Gavin Burton, Director of Identify Insight Consulting, will join him to share his experiences of dealing with counterfeiting in the police.
Chris Rea is Head of Higher Education Services at Prospects, which runs the Hedd Degree Fraud Service on behalf of the Department for Education. He said:
'Degree fraud is a booming billion-pound worldwide industry with hundreds of fake certificates available to buy for a few pounds online and fake universities that copy genuine institutions. Universities and employers need to get to grips with how they can better work together to protect themselves and those the fraudsters look to cheat. These events aim to start those conversations, identifying common areas of concern and best practice.'
Prospects Fighting Degree Fraud Roundtables will take place:
- Prospects House, Manchester - 12-3pm, Thursday 16 May 2019
- Swansea University - 12-3pm, Tuesday 21 May 2019
- British Medical Association, London - 12-3pm, Thursday 30 May 2019
For more information or to attend email e.irving@prospects.ac.uk
Media enquiries
Clare Tregaskis: Prospects, 07792 429227, c.tregaskis@prospects.ac.uk
About Prospects Hedd
- Managed by Prospects, Hedd was launched in 2011 as an efficiency initiative within the remit of the Universities Modernisation Fund. It provides a degree verification service for job applications or entry onto postgraduate courses. It seeks to protect UK graduates, universities and employers from degree fraud. Hedd covers more than 100 universities in the UK and is able to verify more than 80% of graduates of UK universities.
- In 2015 the Department for Education commissioned Prospects to target bogus institutions and perpetrators of degree fraud as part of its Hedd service. Hedd is reducing the number of fake institutions through investigation and awareness-raising. The project also aims to combat degree fraud by individuals by getting employers and universities to make more verification checks when recruiting students and graduates.
- Prospects signed an agreement with the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange to be the official partner for validating the UK degrees of graduates entering or returning to China to work. This is the UK's first official international collaboration to help prevent degree fraud.
- HEDD has produced free toolkits for education providers and employers, explaining how to institute robust policies to prevent and combat fraud.
- Follow us @hedd_UK
About Prospects
Prospects has worked at the heart of the higher education sector for almost 50 years and is the only careers organisation to invest its profits back into education through its parent charity, the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU). Prospects HECSU is the Universities UK agency responsible for student and graduate employability.
Prospects' mission is to provide all students with expert careers information, advice and opportunities leading to a bright future. Activities include:
- Prospects.ac.uk, visited by more than two million students and graduates a month for careers advice, jobs, courses, internships and unique tools such as Career Planner and Job Match.
- Prospects Hedd, UK higher education's official degree verification and university authentication service.
- Prospects manages the government-supported Graduate Talent Pool, an online service that matches employers with graduate interns.
- Graduate labour market research such as What do graduates do?
- Prospects Luminate, the home of student and graduate labour market information and research.