The purpose of this framework if to establish the procedures related to the issuing and re-issuing of certificates for the successful completion of the short courses and qualifications offered at the Fashion Institute of Advanced Learning’s learners. The procedures include establishing the verification of the completed program, and that the certificate itself (physical or digital) is valid prior to it being issued to students. This policy ensures that the Institute’s and its students integrity can be trusted when they leave the school, as a sign that they have accrued the knowledge and skilled required in the industry they are about to enter. For the Institute, this policy ensures transparency and a consistency in the validation process and the issuing of certificates to its students.
T/the Institute: FIAL. Fashion Institute of Advanced Learning
Certification: An official attesting to a status or level of achievement.
Extenuating circumstances: A situation or condition that provides an excuse for an action.
WIL: Work Integrated Learning.
LMS: Learner Management System.
Allocate: Distribute resources or duties for a particular purpose.
Unauthorised: Not having official permission or approval.
Affidavit: A sworn statement in writing made especially under oath or on affirmation before an authorised magistrate or officer.
Hard copy: A printed version on paper of data held in a computer.
Sensitive Information: Includes data that required protection because its loss, misuse, modification, or unauthorised access will negatively impact the welfare, privacy, assets or security of an organisation or individual.
Revocation: The official cancellation of a decree, decision or promise.
Fraud: Wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain.
Misrepresentation: A false or misleading statement or a material omission which renders other statements misleading, with the intent to deceive.
The Fashion Institute of Advanced Learning is committed to ensuring that its students are given a fair and equal chance so that the can obtain grades which give them the best possible knowledge and skills, and also make them eligible for certification so that they are able to go into the industry as certified workers and entrepreneurs.
The Institute will ensure that students are given a fair chance through the use of different types of assessment, projects and tests which will bolster their chances to be certified by the Institute. This certification verifies that they have been trained and given the knowledge to confidently work in the ever-transforming fashion industry.
This policy framework is in place to ensure the FIAL issues certificates, rightfully, to student who have met the required obligations of successfully completing their qualification. It is also in place to ensure that there is a process available for those who may need a copy of their certification due to accidents or issues beyond their control. The Certification policy is committed to ensures that the bearers of FIAL’s certifications are a good representation of the Institute, not only in the industry but by the larger society as law abiding citizens.
The following requirements are required from students in order for them to be eligible to receive a certificate form the Fashion Institute of Advanced Learning:
Attend the required amount of lessons for the qualification.
Successfully complete coursework, assignments, projects and exams.
Attend internships and WIL if its required by the qualification.
All school fees are paid in full to the Institute.
Outside of extenuating factors such as extended absence due to illness, without meeting all the criteria mentioned above, students will not receive certification. The extenuating circumstances will be evaluated by FIAL’s Senior Leadership and the Academic board to determine certification for the student.
The verification process ensures that the students meet all the criteria which allow them to receive certification for the completion of their qualification at the Fashion institute of Advanced Learning. This process is headed by the Head of Academics and senior lecturers of their respective departments.
An academic review will be performed for the student’s marks on projects, course work and exams. This is to ensure that students’ academic eligibility is verified.
Students’ attendance will be reviewed, this is to verify that students have attended all their lessons.
Student attendance applies to both online and face-to-face lessons.
Students who have been absent to classes will be evaluated on the reasons for their absenteeism, if they were ever provided, to ensure that the reasons fall under the umbrella of being extenuating circumstances.
Extenuating circumstances include but are not limited to:
Illness
Injury
Death in the family
Natural disasters
Unplanned power outages
Strikes
Students’ attendance of WIL programmes and internships will also be reviewed and taken into consideration.
Students absent due to suspension will also be reviewed, the nature and its duration shall be considered during this time.
A review of students’ fee payment for the qualification will be performed.
The creation of certificates is one that is taken with extreme care due to the accessibility of students’ sensitive information during this process. The following steps will be taken during the creation of students’ certificates:
Students must ensure that their details on the LMS are spelled and ordered correctly because the information required to go on the certificate will be derived from there.
A senior staff member who is responsible for the process of certification will be appointed by FIAL’s Head of Leadership.
The senior staff member shall be the only person responsible for the creation and safe keeping of certificates.
The appointed senior staff member will ensure the safe guarding of students’ sensitive information at all times during this time.
Any documents or other media containing student’s sensitive information shall be kept in a safe place at all times, where no one else will have access to it.
Any documents or other media containing students’ sensitive information cannot be taken from the Institute’s premises.
Any documents or other media containing students’ sensitive information cannot be taken, kept, sold and used for personal reasons.
A private room, printer and computer is allocated for the compiling and printing of the certificates.
During this time, no one except the appointed senior staff member is allowed to have access to this room, the computer or printer. This is to safe guard students’ sensitive information and to ensure that there is no unauthorised fraudulent or accidental printing of certificates.
Each certificates will have its own unique serial number for easy identification.
Each certificate shall have an electronic signature of the current Executive Dean and Head of Academics.
The senior staff member is required to keep a register of the printed certificates. This register will be available electronically and a back-up soft copy.
The soft copy of the register will be stored in a fire and water resistance storage area, once the creation and printing of the certificates is complete.
The information on the register includes but is not limited to the student’s name, their student number and their certificate’s unique serial number.
Once all the certificates are printed, they will be stored alongside the soft copy register in a fire and water resistant storage area until the day of graduation.
An annual audit of the register will be performed to verify the printed out certificates.
Damaged and blank certificates will be taken into account to corroborate the usage of certificate papers and the certificates that are handed to students.
The following steps shall be taken for the issuing or collection of an eligible student’s certificate:
On the day of graduation, the certificates will be handed over to an appointed lecturer, who will be responsible for handing the certificates to the students.
This lecturer will be appointed by the Head of Academics.
The certificates will only be handed to the students who were are verified to be eligible for certification for their qualification.
Students who will be granted certification in absentia must communicate with the administration department prior to the graduation date.
Their certificate will be stored in a fire and water resistant storage area.
When they do come to the Institute to collect the certificate, the student must produce the following:
A certified copy of their proof of identity.
They must sign a form acknowledging that they have collected their certificate.
If a student who is eligible for certification but is unable to pick up their certificate due to extenuating circumstances such as illness or being a different province or country, the following documents are required so that their certificate can be collected by a third party:
An affidavit explaining the student’s inability to collect the certificate.
A certified copy of the student’s proof of identity.
A certified copy of the proof of identity of the person collecting the certificate.
They must sign a form acknowledging that the certificate has been collected.
In the unfortunate event that a student who is eligible for certification has passed on, the following documents are required so that their certificate is collected:
A certified copy of the student’s death certificate.
The student’s proof of identity.
A certified copy of the proof of identity of the person collecting the certificate.
The person collecting the certificate must sign a form acknowledging that the certificate has been collected.
Certificates which have not been picked up for a duration of 10 years after the completion of the student’s qualification will be destroyed and unavailable after that period.
At the Fashion Institute of Advanced Learning, the process of the replacement of certificates begins with a written request to the Institute, together with satisfactory evidence. Replacement due to theft, loss, damage and administrative errors such as incorrect spelling are reasons where the Institute can move forward with granting the request.
The replacement of a certificate due to name change after the student has graduated will not be granted. Certificate replacement requests with the duration of 10 years after the completion of the student’s qualification will not be granted.
Requests for a certificate replacement will be charged at a fee of R 300.00. Please note that the fee does not include courier fees. The courier of certificates will be organised by the student. The banking details and instructions are available on the request form. Courier and postage will be discussed and arranged with FIAL’s administration staff.
A replacement request will be sent to support@fial.co.za. A form will be sent back to the student to fill in. The student will send back the filled in form and supporting documents to the same email address. The re-issued certificate will be available for collection or postage between 7 and 14 working days.
The following documentation is required for the replacement of a damaged certificate:
Pictures of the certificate, clearly showing where the certificate is damaged.
Filled in replacement request form.
Proof of payment of the replacement fee.
Certified copy of student’s proof of identity.
A certificate with the same serial number as the original certificate will be issued to the student. However, next to the serial, in brackets, a number indicating how many copies of the certificate have been re-issued will be displayed, e.g. 1111111111 (2) for a certificate that has been re-issued twice.
The original issue date of the certificate will appear.
For this request, the Fashion Institute of Advanced Learning will first review the information available on the LMS. It is important that students keep their profile up to date and report any administration errors prior to the conclusion of their qualification. Once it is found that the error is on the side of the Institute, the request will be granted and the R 300.00 will be forfeited. However, the fees for postage or courier will still be charged or the students can pick up the certificate on campus.
The following documentation is required for the replacement of a damaged certificate:
A certified copy of the certificate.
Filled in replacement request form
Proof of payment of the replacement fee
Certified copy of student’s proof of identity.
A certificate with a new unique serial number will be issued to the student. The original issue date of the certificate will appear.
The physical collection process for replaced certificates will follow that listed in points 11.1 and 11.2.
The process for certificates that require to be sent via courier will go as follows:
The student will stipulate on the request form that the certificate will be sent back via courier services.
Once the printing of the certificate has be completed, the student will receive a notification from the Institute via email.
The student must organise their own courier for the pick-up of the certificate. The waybill document must be sent a day in advance so that the certificate can be prepared for collection.
Once the certificate has been collected, an alert will be sent to the student to notify them.
The Fashion Institute of Advanced Learning is not liable for any loss or damaged that occurs during transit.
The revocation or withdrawal of a certificate will occur when an student of the Institute is found to have obtained their qualification through unethical or dishonest means or they have represented the Institute poorly through criminal or unethical means.
Here are some ways (but not limited to these actions alone) that may call for a revocation or withdrawal of one’s certificate:
Academic Dishonesty: This includes but is not limited to being found to have plagiarised a lot of the course work, cheated on tests and exams, falsifying research data for assignments or any other form of research misconduct.
Fraud or Misrepresentation: This includes when it is found that the student falsified or misrepresented their academic records or academic achievements, gaining admission to the Institute with the use of a fraudulent identity or information.
Criminal Behaviour: The revocation under this term includes serious misconduct in the workplace in connection to their academic work or participating in crimes such as fraud or embezzling which reflect poorly on the Institute or are connected to the use of the student’s. qualification.
Violation of FIAL Policies: This occurs when it is revealed the student had previously violated the policies of the Institute, such as integrity and transparency, which fall under the Institute’s Code of Conduct or had continuously committed acts of plagiarism without being discovered at the time of their schooling.
Administrative Error: This includes instanced where the Institute later discovers that the student had not completed all their course work, their grades were miscalculated or did not attend and complete WIL, thus not meeting the certification requirements.
The preliminary assessment investigates looks to validate whether there is reasonable cause to investigate the certification of a student. This process goes as follows:
Preliminary Assessment
A preliminary review will be conducted to determine the validity of revocation. This involves:
Assessing the credibility of the evidence provided.
14.2.1.2.Determining whether the reported issue falls within the scope of the Certification Policy.
14.2.1.3.Deciding if a full investigation is warranted.
Outcome of Preliminary Assessment
If valid: The case proceeds to a full investigation.
If invalid: The reporter will be notified of the decision, and no further action will be taken.
A committee comprising the Head of Academics, the Senior Leadership, the Executive Dean, and an impartial third party or senior lecturer involve will be formed to investigate the case.
Investigation Timeline:
The full investigation must be completed within 14 working days from the receipt of the report to ensure a timely resolution.
Steps in the Investigation:
Collection of Evidence:
In the case of academic dishonesty, this is the gathering all relevant materials, including the submitted work, original sources, and any digital evidence from plagiarism or AI detection tools (e.g., Turnitin, Grammarly).
The gathering of the alleged true identity documents, academic records, certificates or any other relevant documents which prove fraud or misrepresentation. The documents such as the academic record, identity document or any other relevant documents which were submitted to the Institute by the student, which are alleged to be fraudulent or are a misrepresentation.
In criminal cases, this will be an investigation of the crime itself and how its association and impact to the school for in the present time and in the future will impact the Institute’s public image and reputation. This will include criminal reports and my include legal aid.
For the violation of FIAL’s policies, all the students’ actions, any material produced (all relevant materials, including the submitted work, original sources, and any digital evidence from plagiarism or AI detection tools) and the policies they are accused to have violated.
All of the course work, projects, assignments, research, exams or other relevant work done during their time at the Institute, their marks and the rubrics used to assess their work.
Analysis:
Comparing the submitted work and documents against potential sources to identify instances of academic dishonest, fraud or misrepresentation, criminal acts, the violation of FIAL policies or administrative error.
Evaluating the severity and reason which would constitute for revocation based on the definitions and examples outlined in Section 13.1.
Student Notification:
The student will be informed of the allegations and provided with the evidence gathered.
The student will have the opportunity to respond to the allegations and present any supporting evidence or explanations.
Decision Making:
The committee will deliberate and determine whether the call for revocation is valid, and the appropriate consequences are applied.
If found valid, the certificate will be revokes.
This will mean that the student is not qualified and further use of the certificate will be considered as fraud.
The investigation and outcome will be on the student’s record.
If found invalid, the certification will remain valid.
This policy shall be managed the Executive Dean, who will be responsible for its implementation and compliance.
The Executive Dean is also responsible for the annual auditing of the certificate registry.
It is the responsibility of the Fashion Institute of Advanced Learning to keep students’ academic records, student personal information, student numbers, certificates and other important information and records for 10 years after the completion of their qualification.
It is the responsibility to of FIAL to ensure the availability of its policies so that students are aware that actions committed, even when they have graduated and have left the Institute, may have consequences which will result in the revocation of their certificate.
It is FIAL’s Head of Leadership’s responsibility to choose a senior member for the compilation and printing of certificates. It is their responsibility to choose a member of staff that can be trusted with sensitive student information and who can efficiently perform the duties of the compilation and printing.
It is the responsibility of the appointed senior staff member responsible for the compilation and printing of certificates to safe guards student information, printing registry and certificates. It is also their responsibility to ensure that no one else has access to the room, printer and computer where the compilation and printing occurs, this is to avoid the unauthorised and fraudulent or accidental printing of certificates.
It is the responsibility of the appointed senior staff member to double check that the information printed on the certificates is the same as that on the LMS.
It is the responsibility of the students that they read and follow the rules, codes of conduct and policies which are made available to them by the Fashion Institute of Advanced Learning on the Institute’s website while they study to ensure they do not violate any rules or policies that might cause a revocation of their certificate should they be found in violation, even when they have left the Institute.
It is the responsibility of students to behave as productive and law-abiding citizens, by not committing any criminal acts at the Institute or in wider society. Doing contrary to this may, by association, place the Institute in bad standing with its students, stake holders and the wider society. By the student committing acts of misrepresentation, fraud or any other criminal offences, the student will be in violation of this policy.
It is the responsibility of students to ensure that the information on the LMS is correct prior to the end of the qualification. The information on the LMS will be used for the compilation of their certificates.
It is the responsibility of lecturers to be verify all student grades before they are submitted as final assessment marks so that miscalculations are prevented. It is also their responsibility to use AI and plagiarism detection tools when marking students’ work. Lectures shall verify citations given to them by students, to ensure that they are correct and that students have not committed any form of plagiarism.
All guidelines and procedures outlined in section 14 must be followed. Failure to comply with the certification policy will result in the following consequences:
The revocation of a student’s certification.
The refusal of printing of students’ certificate, due to the record-keeping time lapsing or the lack of correction of student information prior to their exit at FIAL.
The suspension or dismissal of a the senior staff member if, upon auditing of the registry, it is found that missing certificates are not accounted for or unauthorised printing occurred and it was not reported.
The suspension or dismissal of a the senior staff member if, upon investigation, sensitive student information was not stored correctly, the information was stolen from them or the information was available to the public.
An evaluation of all the work assessed by a lecturer who submitted the incorrect grades. The magnitude of incorrect information and grades given to students which resulted to them graduating may result in consequences of suspension or dismissal.
FIAL senior leadership Team shall conduct and impact assessment from time to time as new cases which constitute the revocation of certification occur. The impact assessment shall seek the following:
Determine whether the policy has fostered a stronger sense of honesty and transparency within the FIAL community.
Review previous certificate revocation cases to identify trends. Look at the frequency, causes of revocation, and effective actions to ensure early detection of actions which could lead to the revocation of one’s certificate.
Assess how consistently and fairly the policy has been applied across different courses and departments.
Compare FIAL’s certification policy and outcomes with those of similar institutions, ensuring that FIAL remains competitive and aligned with best practices.
Assess how the revocation of a former student affect the Institute’s standing among its students, staff and the wider community.
This Policy shall be reviewed every three years, or as necessary, to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of FIAL and its stakeholders. Feedback from students, faculty, and staff will be used to inform any adjustments to the policy. The senior leadership team in consultation with board of FIAL shall overseeing the policy review process following the impact assessment report recommendations for changes.