Christmas Closures

The Byfleet office will be closed on the afternoon of Wednesday 9 December.

The Canterbury (Access to HE) office will be closed on the afternoon of Thursday 10 December.

All offices will close at 4:00pm on Friday 18 December 2026.

All offices will re-open at 9:00am on Monday 4 January 2027.

Deadline Dates

Paper exams for Trident Awards security courses and APLH courses:

Friday 11 December – last date for you to register courses which start on/between Friday 18 December and Monday 4 January inclusive.
Thursday 10 December – last date for LASER to receive exam papers for marking and certification before Monday 4 January.

Online remotely proctored exams invigilated by LASER for APLH courses (only where centre is approved for LASER proctoring):

You will still be able to schedule and deliver remotely proctored exams whilst the offices are closed, however:
- Learners must have been registered with us by 12:00 midday Wednesday 16 December.
- We will not be able to process and certificate any learners who take exams whilst our offices are closed, until on/after Monday 4 January.
- No support from LASER will be available whilst the offices are closed should you encounter any difficulties (however live chat support will be available during log-in as usual for learners via the proctoring system).
Before we close, we can only process and certificate learners who have completed the exam by 9:00am Wednesday 16 December. Any exams taken after this date cannot be processed and learners cannot be certificated until on/after Monday 4 January.

Online remotely proctored exams invigilated by the centre for APLH courses only (only where centre is approved for centre proctoring):

You will still be able to schedule and deliver remotely proctored exams whilst the offices are closed, however:
- Learners must have been registered with us by 12:00 midday Wednesday 16 December.
- We will not be able to process and certificate any learners who take exams whilst we are closed, until on/after Monday 4 January.
- No IT support will be available whilst the offices are closed should you or your learners encounter any difficulties.
Before we close, we can only process and certificate learners for whom we have received confirmation of successful proctoring by 9:00am Wednesday 16 December. Any confirmations received after this date cannot be processed and learners cannot be certificated until on/after Monday 4 January.

Online exams in the classroom invigilated by the centre for Trident Awards security courses and APLH courses (only where centre is approved for online classroom exams):

Friday 11 December – last date for you to register courses which start on/between Friday 18 December and Monday 4 January inclusive.
Tuesday 15 December – last date for LASER to receive course paperwork for processing and certification before Monday 4 January.

For all courses, please remember:

If you try to register a course/learners after the above deadline dates, you will not be able to download any exam papers/access any online exams, and the run will not be accepted by LASER.
Any exam papers/course paperwork not received in the LASER office by the above deadline dates will not be marked and certificated until on/after Monday 4 January.
The emergency telephone number, only for use if you are running a course whilst the offices are closed and have an emergency you need to tell us about eg a change of venue, is (as always) 01932 578242. No other issues (including IT support) can be dealt with on this number, which must not be given to any candidates under any circumstances, and results cannot be given out from this number. Please be sure to let us know of any changes to planned courses on this number, as unannounced visits will be taking place throughout the Christmas closure as usual.

LASER is excited to have entered into an exclusivity agreement with GEC, granting the institution the exclusive right to deliver the LASER Level 3 Award in Research Skills for Academic Study in the Greater China Region for the next three years.

This strategic partnership marks a significant milestone for both organisations, aiming to enhance the academic landscape in Greater China by providing high-quality research skills training. Under the terms of the agreement, GEC Academy will be the sole provider of this specialised qualification in China.

LASER ‘Research Skills for Academic Study’ is a Level 3 qualification. It is designed to develop the research skills needed for academic study at Level 3 and Level 4, such as planning research, assessing the reliability of sources and using research to inform writing.