RCVS divesting RCVS Awards
At the VN council meeting on 11th October, it was agreed that the RCVS should divest its awarding organisation, "RCVS Awards". This step is a positive move by the RCVS to separate the regulatory side of its duties from that of a qualification provider. Separation of these functions is an Ofqual regulatory requirement to avoid conflicts of interest.
Divestment of products for regulatory reasons is quite common when pharmaceutical companies merge and the veterinary industry has seen quite a lot of these in last few years. This RCVS has not indicated which awarding bodies have been approached. This is usual practice as they are likely to be in a process of "due diligence" and working under a non-disclose agreement.