Training
The Education Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network runs three training programmes in Network standards. Each programme ends in an examination, and a pass is a condition of the corresponding certification. What each programme teaches, module by module, is set out in the Syllabus.
- Foundation programme
- An introduction to the Network's standards, vocabulary and governance for staff of member organisations. No prior knowledge is required.
- Three days. Written examination.
- Operator programme
- Practical training for staff who install, run and maintain systems certified against Network standards. Completion of the foundation programme is required.
- Five days. Written and practical examination.
- Assessor programme
- Training for those who examine the conformance of systems and organisations on behalf of the Department. Open to certified operators with two years of experience.
- Five days. Written examination and supervised assessment.
Programmes are delivered by the Department and by training providers it has approved. The Department's own deliveries up to March 2027 are listed below; each is timed to end in the week before a sitting on the examination timetable. Approved providers publish their own dates.
Deliveries by the Department, October 2026 to March 2027
| Dates | Programme | Examination sitting |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 12 to Wednesday 14 October 2026 | Foundation | Monday 19 October 2026 |
| Monday 12 to Friday 16 October 2026 | Operator | Tuesday 20 October 2026 |
| Monday 9 to Wednesday 11 November 2026 | Foundation | Monday 16 November 2026 |
| Monday 9 to Friday 13 November 2026 | Operator | Tuesday 17 November 2026 |
| Monday 16 to Friday 20 November 2026 | Assessor | Monday 23 November 2026 |
| Monday 7 to Wednesday 9 December 2026 | Foundation | Monday 14 December 2026 |
| Monday 11 to Wednesday 13 January 2027 | Foundation | Monday 18 January 2027 |
| Monday 11 to Friday 15 January 2027 | Operator | Tuesday 19 January 2027 |
| Monday 8 to Wednesday 10 February 2027 | Foundation | Monday 15 February 2027 |
| Monday 15 to Friday 19 February 2027 | Assessor | Monday 22 February 2027 |
| Monday 8 to Wednesday 10 March 2027 | Foundation | Monday 15 March 2027 |
| Monday 8 to Friday 12 March 2027 | Operator | Tuesday 16 March 2027 |
Joining a programme
Step 1: Choose a programme and a provider
Staff new to the Network begin with the foundation programme. Programmes are delivered by the Department on the dates above and by approved providers on dates they publish. Your organisation may have its own approved training unit.
Step 2: Ask your organisation to sponsor you
Every candidate is sponsored by a member organisation, which confirms that the candidate is a member of its staff and, for the operator and assessor programmes, that the prerequisite is met.
Step 3: Enrol
For a Department delivery, write to the Department with your name, sponsoring organisation and the delivery you wish to attend at least fifteen working days before it begins. Places are confirmed in writing. For a provider delivery, enrol with the provider.
Step 4: Attend every module
Attendance at every module is recorded and is a condition of sitting the examination. A candidate who misses a module completes it at a later delivery before sitting.
Step 5: Sit the examination
Candidates are registered for the sitting that follows their delivery unless they ask otherwise. The Department or the provider confirms completion of the programme before the sitting.
Fees and enquiries
Fees for the Department's programmes have not yet been set and no charge is made for a delivery until they are published. Approved providers set their own charges and must state them in writing before a candidate enrols. Enquiries may be sent to contact@education.gov.vin. For what follows an examination, see Certification; for how a provider is approved, see Approved providers.