The agreement, made during a convening of the Business Visits & Events Partnership (BVEP) will see the autonomous body "accredit the education offerings of educational institutions, trade associations and private training providers and to implement a structure for continuing professional development".
"I believe that we are now seeing a broad consensus on the way forward, both in terms of developing relevant qualifications and providing a cohesive professional development framework," said BVEP chairman Michael Hirst OBE.
"I believe that the next step is to pull together a business plan and implement the process and deliver the framework to industry employers and employees through the various sectors, trade and professional associations and, where necessary, directly to major employers. We are keen to involve anyone interested in this process."
40 trade associations and 30 universities were involved in the agreement.
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