Inclusive

All stakeholders have a say in how OHTA works

We promote an equal partnership between employers, education and training providers, and professional associations. Whilst we are a not-for-profit organization, we recognise the need for a sustainable business model so that partners can get a return on their investment: we allow our materials to be used for commercial training purposes and we permit approved training providers to promote their courses through ohtatraining.org.

Straightforward

We want to encourage students to become hygienists and gain professional OH qualifications

We achieve this by making it easy for students to climb the qualifications’ ladder and by trying not to put obstacles in their way

  • First, by helping students to find training providers and courses on offer in their region
  • Second, by providing links to the national associations and promoting these interfaces with the hygiene community

We keep administration to an absolute minimum to discourage bureaucratic barriers. Wherever possible we draw on the resources of partner organisations and the hygiene community to avoid duplicating systems.

Transparent

Everyone should be able to see how OHTA works: no secrets, no surprises

Hence we:

  • Make the syllabus and training materials freely available to all
  • Promote a climate of trust and professional integrity. For example, we ask training providers to oversee practical exams
  • Solicit constant feedback from all stakeholders to ensure accountability and as a spur for continuous improvement.
  • Post a list of qualification holders for added recognition and as a marker for excellence.

Accessible

We want OH training to be accessible to all and reach out to the widest OH community possible

OHTA is a registered UK charity (charity number 1168722). We provide free online access to all our training materials. This is made possible by the huge amount of unpaid, voluntary effort put in by our supporters and by the generous funding we receive from sponsors.

Course fees are set by the training providers not by OHTA. We do, however, make a modest levy on Approved Training Providers based on the number of their students who take OHTA qualifications. This is necessary to cover the limited operating costs that we incur in employing paid staff to provide services and maintain standards. We encourage provision of scholarships to help those students who would not otherwise be able to afford to take the courses.

Engaging

Read more about how we engage with our many stakeholders in our Organisation and Governance section.