Recruitment Qualifications
A recruiter in the UK can take a regulated qualification, join a professional body, or do both. The two regulated recruitment qualifications awarded under BIOR’s Summit Qualifications UK brand are the Level 2 Certificate in Recruitment Resourcing, which carries the letters Cert RRec, and the Level 3 Certificate in Principles of Recruitment, which carries Cert PRec on the agency route and STAR on the in-house route. Both are on the Ofqual register. Separately, BIOR membership includes the certification assessment; pass it and you are certified for five years. This page explains each and how they fit together.
What qualifications can a recruiter get in the UK?
No qualification is required by law to work in recruitment. The two qualifications below are regulated by Ofqual, are taught by training providers approved by Summit Qualifications UK, and end with a multiple choice examination. A recruiter can also hold BIOR membership and certification, which is a different thing and is explained further down. Training courses that are not qualifications are listed on the recruitment training courses page.
Level 2 Certificate in Recruitment Resourcing (Cert RRec)
The Summit Qualifications UK Level 2 Certificate in Recruitment Resourcing, qualification number 610/2667/0, has been on the Ofqual register since 10 May 2023. It has four units, understanding the recruitment industry, sourcing candidates and advertising job roles, candidate screening and selection, and recruitment administration and compliance. Total qualification time is 170 hours for 17 credits, assessed by a multiple choice examination. On completion BIOR issues the letters Cert RRec. The specification is on the Summit Qualifications UK page and the entry is on the Ofqual register.
Level 3 Certificate in Principles of Recruitment (Cert PRec or STAR)
The Summit Qualifications UK Level 3 Certificate in Principles of Recruitment, qualification number 610/3306/6, has been on the Ofqual register since 2 October 2023. It has three mandatory units, recruitment business processes and compliance, candidate sourcing and selection, and running effective recruitment campaigns, plus one optional unit that sets the route. The agency route takes recruitment agency sales and business development and earns the letters Cert PRec. The in-house route takes in-house recruitment practices and earns the letters STAR, Specialist in Talent Acquisition and Retention. Total qualification time is 260 hours for 26 credits, assessed by a multiple choice examination and graded pass or distinction. The specification is on the Summit Qualifications UK page and the entry is on the Ofqual register.
How to take one
Both qualifications are delivered by training providers approved by Summit Qualifications UK and are available to learners in England. The provider sets the course fee and the timetable, and Summit’s own registration fee to the provider is published on its site. Summit’s pages record a LARS entry for each qualification, which lets it sit inside an apprenticeship as a mandated qualification. Start with a provider, or ask Summit at summitqualifications.co.uk.
Qualifications and BIOR certification are different things
A qualification is a course with an examination, awarded by Summit Qualifications UK, listed on the Ofqual register and held for good. BIOR certification is BIOR’s own assessment of a recruiter’s or an agency’s knowledge of the rules they work under. It is included in BIOR membership, taken on joining and again every five years, and a pass puts the certified mark on the member’s directory entry and verification page at ior.org/verify. It is not a regulated qualification and it carries no letters of its own; the membership letters are MBIOR and FBIOR for Personal Membership, which is £120 a year, and STAR for in-house recruiters through STAR membership. Agency Membership covers the business and every recruiter in it. Neither membership nor certification is required by law.
What “regulated by Ofqual” covers
Ofqual regulates awarding organisations in England and the qualifications they offer. Summit Qualifications UK is the awarding organisation named on the register entries above, so the two qualifications are regulated qualifications. That regulation covers the qualification and the awarding organisation. It does not cover a training provider’s teaching, and it does not cover BIOR membership, the certification assessment or the Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct, which are BIOR’s own and are not qualifications.
Older letters
Cert PRP, Cert HR, Cert RR and Dip BIoR were issued by BIOR to learners who completed earlier courses that no longer run. Holders keep them. The full list of BIOR letters, who may use them and how anyone can check them is on the designatory letters page.
Questions people ask
What qualifications can a recruitment consultant get in the UK?
Two regulated qualifications are awarded under BIOR’s Summit Qualifications UK brand, the Level 2 Certificate in Recruitment Resourcing (Cert RRec) and the Level 3 Certificate in Principles of Recruitment (Cert PRec on the agency route, STAR on the in-house route), both on the Ofqual register and taught by approved training providers. Separately, a recruiter can join The British Institute of Recruiters as a Member (MBIOR), which includes the certification assessment and a public verification page. No qualification or membership is required by law.
What do Cert RRec, Cert PRec and STAR mean?
Cert RRec is held by a learner who has achieved the Summit Qualifications UK Level 2 Certificate in Recruitment Resourcing. Cert PRec is held by a learner who has achieved the Level 3 Certificate in Principles of Recruitment on the agency route, and STAR (Specialist in Talent Acquisition and Retention) by a learner who took the in-house route. STAR is also the designation of BIOR’s STAR membership for in-house recruiters.
Is a recruitment qualification the same as BIOR certification?
No. A qualification is a regulated course with an examination, awarded by Summit Qualifications UK and held for good. BIOR certification is BIOR’s own assessment, included in membership, taken on joining and every five years, and shown on the member’s verification page at ior.org/verify. A recruiter can hold both.
What does “regulated by Ofqual” cover?
Ofqual regulates awarding organisations in England and their qualifications. The two qualifications on this page are on the Ofqual register with Summit Qualifications UK as the awarding organisation. The regulation does not extend to a training provider’s teaching or to BIOR membership and certification, which are not qualifications.
Is The British Institute of Recruiters a chartered body?
No. BIOR is not a chartered body, has never described itself as one, and is not pursuing chartered status at this time. None of the letters on this page implies chartered status. BIOR is a company limited by guarantee, number 07575583, founded in 2011.
Written by The BIOR Membership Team. Last reviewed 29 September 2026.