Birmingham Assay Office has created an online hallmarking course, available on their e-Learning platform via their education and training division, AnchorCert Academy, to offer Trading Standards education on Hallmarking Enforcement.
The importance of hallmarking has grown over the years, and high precious metal prices have created extremely lucrative opportunities for fraud and criminal activity in buying and selling jewellery and precious metal.
The need for hallmarking, and in turn for the effective enforcement of hallmarking legislation, has risen exponentially.
Consumer awareness and proper understanding of hallmarks is very low, and education is complicated by many misinterpretations of what a hallmark means.
The long-established legislation cannot protect the consumer and the trade adequately without informed enforcement.
Written in collaboration with experienced Trading Standards practitioners the online hallmarking course has been designed specifically for UK Trading Standards departments to capture the key points to be noted. Taking 75 minutes to complete the course covers hallmarking legislation and explores recent case studies on high profile hallmarking offences to demonstrate the need for effective enforcement.
Broken down into five lessons, the course can be completed as one session or broken down into shorter sessions of 15 minutes each. A certification awarding 1.25 hours of Continuous Professional Development points can be downloaded at the end of the course.
Director of AnchorCert Academy Marion Wilson said, “Trading Standards bodies face many issues and problems across the country and work tirelessly to help protect the consumer in every possible way. Recent successful prosecutions have demonstrated the need for continuing enforcement of hallmarking.
This course provides Trading Standards bodies with the information needed for proper and effective action and will provide a useful reference when planning their activities”.
