STTQ Soft Tissue Therapy Qulifications

The Evolution of STTQ Accreditation
A Commitment to High Standards Since 1989
When the London School of Sports Massage (LSSM) was founded in 1989 by Mel Cash great importance was placed on external accreditation and the school became a BTEC Centre thus ensuring high educational standards. At that time BTEC offered a Customised Qualification Framework (CQF) allowing small, specialist qualifications to be externally accredited through a government-approved body.

From LSSM to ISRM: Expanding High-Quality Training
In 2007 the Institute of Sport and Remedial Massage (ISRM), was set up to replace LSSM as the BTEC Centre. This enabled the ISRM/BTEC qualification to be delivered through a number of independent training centres across the UK.

Big Bureaucracy Outgrew Our Specialist Training
BTEC grew and is now owned by Pearson, a huge global organisation delivering qualifications to millions of learners. Focusing on large-scale mainstream education, our very small, specialist, part-time qualification was no longer fitting in with their organisational framework. However, they continued to accredit the ISRM qualification long after the CQF was discontinued, but it became increasingly overlooked:

Annual audits stopped including visits to training centres
Practical skills were no longer included in the audit
Audits focused solely on online theory assignments

With practical skills central to the qualification, this made BTEC’s accreditation almost irrelevant to us. Instead, to protect the standard of the qualification ISRM began operating its own internal quality assurance across its training centres.

The Pursuit of Ofqual Recognition (Ofqual is the UK Government department regulating National qualifications)
Disappointed with the decline in BTEC’s oversight, ISRM began the process of applying to Ofqual to become a recognised Awarding Body (the same as BTEC is). Although it could demonstrate it could meet their procedural requirements, as a very small organisation it could not meet the level of administrative infrastructure Ofqual required. So the application was suspended but through the process ISRM had created a dedicated accreditation framework tailored specifically to soft tissue therapy training.

Why Specialist Training Needs Specialist Accreditation
Although soft tissue therapies require a high level of theoretical knowledge and understanding, these underpin the practical hands-on skills which are of primary importance. The clinical nature of the qualification also makes it unique in higher education because it requires:

Clinical safety
Highly developed practical clinical skills
The ability to apply techniques with precision, sensitivity, and adaptability
The ability to treat clients who have unique and often complex healthcare needs

Large, academically focused bodies like BTEC do not have the specialist expertise needed to properly accredit this type of clinical professional competence.

STTQ. A Purpose-Built Accreditation Framework for Soft Tissue Therapies
STTQ has been set up as a specialist accrediting body built on the experience gained through.

Developing a quality assurance process across a number of training centres through ISRM
Developing accreditation processes through the Ofqual application
Being the pioneer of Sport and Remedial Massage and Soft Tissue Therapy education for over three decades
Having unmatched expertise in what the profession truly requires.

Accreditation with Integrity and Insight
STTQ’s new accreditation system offers:

Profession-specific oversight
Rigorous evaluation of practical clinical skills
A deep understanding of the realities of therapeutic practice
Standards designed by those who pioneered the field

This is accreditation created for Soft Tissue Therapies by those who understand it best.