Prospects launches Degree Fraud Awareness Week campaign
Prospects is uniting the higher education community and employers in the fight against degree fraud with the launch of a week-long campaign
Degree Fraud Awareness Week will take place from 6 to 10 July 2020 with a series of virtual events, competitions and content to inform higher education institutions, employers and screening agencies about the risks and preventative actions.
Prospects, which runs the Hedd degree fraud reporting service on behalf of the Office for Students, will kick the week off by bringing together universities to unify policy across different institutions by committing to a Degree Fraud Charter.
On Tuesday a global webinar will see Prospects Hedd, the Office for Students and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education discuss aligning degree fraud strategies internationally, academic integrity and essay mills.
Fraud prevention service Cifas will host a webinar on the risks of fraud inside organisations on Wednesday. This session, aimed at employers, will cover the risks of improper degree verification while on Thursday, the Screening Agency Forum along with PwC will share degree verification best practice and how to protect businesses now and in the future.
Chris Rea manages Prospects Hedd at Jisc. 'Sadly there are many instances of fake degree certificates, embellishment of grades and misrepresentation of universities in the UK and globally. Bringing the higher education community and employers together is critical to stopping degree fraud.
If a candidate lies about their qualifications it can be a disaster for organisations. Reputations can be damaged as well as resources wasted. Degree fraud also devalues our higher education system, as well as the investment made by genuine students. We hope to raise awareness and educate all those affected by degree fraud to go some way to stamping out the problem in the future.'
Media enquiries
Clare Tregaskis, c.tregaskis@prospects.ac.uk, 07792 429227.
About Prospects
Prospects has worked at the heart of higher education for nearly 50 years. Following a merger with Jisc in May 2020, Prospects continues to collaborate with government, universities and employers to improve student and graduate career outcomes through information, guidance and opportunities including:
- Prospects.ac.uk - visited by 2.1 million students and graduates each month for advice, jobs, apprenticeships, internships and unique tools such as Career Planner and Job Match.
- The UK's official postgraduate course database.
- Prospects Hedd - UK's official degree verification and fraud services. Its degree fraud services are managed on behalf of the Office for Students.
- Prospects Luminate - a central resource for graduate labour market information and research such as What do graduates do?
About Jisc
Jisc's vision is for the UK to be the most digitally advanced education and research nation in the world. At its heart is the super-fast national research and education network, Janet, with built-in cyber security protection. Jisc also provides technology solutions for its members (colleges, universities and research centres) and customers (public sector bodies), helps members save time and money by negotiating sector-wide deals and provides advice and practical assistance on digital technology. Jisc is funded by the UK higher and further education and research funding bodies and member institutions.