Evidence first
46 listings in the current catalogue were checked against primary programme evidence. Source links and checked dates remain attached to each record.
Methodology
Transparent by design.
This proof of concept separates what is known, what a provider states, and what has not been established. It does not turn missing evidence into a negative claim.
No invented certainty
Where VAT, mentoring, assessment or recognition cannot be established, the platform says “Not stated”. It does not silently infer “No”.
Comparison, not endorsement
Price, delivery, duration and recognition are descriptive attributes. Provider identity does not contribute to the guided-match score, and paid relationships cannot boost ranking.
Reviews stay comparable
Provider reviews and programme-specific reviews are kept separate. Marketplace review badges are withheld until comparable coverage spans at least five providers.
Core eligibility
Externally validated programmes only.
The core marketplace excludes provider-only badges, attendance certificates and generic CPD where no qualifying external validation is established. Eligible routes include regulated or externally awarded qualifications, independently accredited programmes, recognised professional-body programmes and university/business-school programmes.
What this means in practice
VirtualNonExecs is included for its Cranfield-designed/provided NED programme. Connectd and InProfessional Development are excluded from the core marketplace under the current policy. Programmes that fail the gate remain in the research archive so they can be reconsidered if stronger evidence appears later.
Autonomy policy
What the system may change by itself
After sufficient usage, autonomous experiments may adjust reversible presentation choices such as wording, filter order, card density and default sorting. The current minimum sample is 250 sessions, with a 5% minimum relative improvement before an experiment can be considered successful.
Protected areas
ranking-methodology, provider-commercial-status, privacy, legal, programme-evidence, data-schema cannot be autonomously changed through the low-risk evolution path.