The Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) will assume overall management of Amateur Radio examinations in the UK, starting on October 1. Radio examinations have been handled since 2007 by the Radio Communications Foundation (RCF), under agreements involving telecommunications regulator Ofcom, the RCF, and the RSGB.

“The same people will be doing the same things; they will just be reporting to the RSGB Board instead of the RCF,” the RSGB said. “This will free the RCF Trustees to concentrate on their charitable work,” and, the RSGB added, “will further streamline the administration of the examinations, building on the foundation established over the last 8 years.”

The RSGB will set up a new Examinations Standards Committee, separate from the RSGB Training and Education Committee, which will have direct accountability to the RSGB Board “for the probity of the examinations and the examination administration.” The RSGB said Ofcom and the RSGB Board will jointly commission independent audits of the examination system to ensure that it is working as intended.

“Examinations will continue to be available to all, regardless of RSGB membership, and these changes will have minimal impact on the conduct of the examinations at local level,” the RSGB said. — Thanks to Heather Parsons/RSGB