“When we receive the final results for a programme, we download all the e-Certificates and email them to the delegates with the results. There are so many benefits to working in this way: the process can be managed remotely, we don’t have to wait for hard-copy certificates to come in the post and postal addresses to be obtained, and we are reducing our carbon footprint. Ultimately, it saves us time and money, and our experience is that delegates are more than happy to receive their certificates in this format.”
Julie Magnante, QA Ltd
"The e-Certificates service is easy to use and has really improved the way I do my job."
Hetul Vara, Strive Training
What are e-Certificates?
e-Certificates is a free service offered by City & Guilds/ILM which enables customers to view and download electronic PDF versions of full certificates, certificates of unit credits (cucs) and other results paper 24 hours after the results are published on Walled Garden. Centres have been able to access verifiable electronic copies of all City & Guilds certificates from 1 April 2013 and ILM certificates from 8 January 2016.
Will e-Certificates replace traditional certificates?
Centres will still continue to receive printed copies of full certificates alongside an electronic PDF of the paper certificate. However, to reduce our environmental impact we are currently reviewing the other certificates/paper we issue – and would ask you to opt out of receiving paper versions if you no longer want to receive some of these as hard copies. Please see the short video on how to update your certificate preferences in Walled Garden.
Dealing with the administration of certificates is time consuming – can e-Certificates help with this?
If you are interested in removing the administrative burden of dealing with paper certificates and results list’s you could distribute the e-certificates to your learners by email saving time and postage costs. Please see ‘e-Certificates Testimonials’ for more information.
Are e-Certificates secure and how can they be verified?
e-Certificates are secure. Each e-Certificate is issued with a unique QR code (a two dimensional barcode) and a certificate authentication code linked to the learner’s name. The authenticity of an e-Certificate can be checked and assured by either:
- Scanning the QR code on the certificate using a QR reader and following the on-screen prompt or
- By visiting the e-Certificate verification web page and entering the learner name and certificate authentication code.
Do e-Certificates comply with Ofqual’s General Conditions of Recognition?
Yes e-Certificates comply with the requirements set out in Conditions I3 ‘Design and content of certificates’ and I4 ‘Issuing certificates and replacement certificates.’
How much will it cost?
Our e-Certificates service is completely free of charge to all centres and is one of the many value-added services we provide to support customers.
How do I get started?
The e-Certificates service is available to all City & Guilds centres and can be accessed via the Walled Garden. To gain access to e-Certificates the user must have access to either a Primary or Secondary user profile on the Refreshed Walled Garden or Exams Profile on Walled Garden (Classic).
If your centre has migrated to Refreshed Walled Garden your Primary user within your centre can assign a Primary or Secondary user profile to you. Once assigned one of these profiles please contact customersupport@cityandguilds.com to be issued access to the e-Certificates add-on.
If your centre is using Walled Garden Classic your head of centre can request an Exams user profile for you. Once assigned an Exams User profile please contact customersupport@cityandguilds.com to be issued access to the e-Certificates add-on.
Which Walled Garden user profiles can be used to access e-certs?
If you are using Refreshed Walled Garden only Primary and Secondary users can have access to e-Certificates. Users with Finance, Tutor and read only accounts will need to make contact with their centre Walled Garden Primary user for their account to be changed to Secondary (recommended for non-exams personnel). If you are a Primary or Secondary user and do not have access to e-Certificates please contact customersupport@cityandguilds.com to be issued access to the e-Certificates add-on.
If you are using Walled Garden (Classic) you must have an Exams user profile. If you have an Exams User profile and do not have access to e-Certificates please contact customersupport@cityandguilds.com to be issued access to the e-Certificates add-on.
I currently receive paper from City and Guilds and I would prefer to just receive these electronically?
Customer need to amend their preferences within walled garden, go to centre settings, and within centre preferences you can change the setting to opt out and not receive results lists, NCR and CUCS.
Help and support
If you’re an existing e-Certificates user and require help and support with using the e-Certificates service please contact customersupport@cityandguilds.com.
Customer feedback
To ensure we provide the best possible service we’d love to hear your feedback. If you have any suggestions or comments please contact customersupport@cityandguilds.com or speak to your Business Manager.