IT Certification and Training to Come Under Watch?
A BBC investigation into an IT company, Fraser McKenzie Limited, listed as owning offices in London, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham, uncovered a practice of recruiting and signing up hundreds of young, unemployed students desperate for suitable work in the IT industry, guaranteeing employment and occupations after graduation. Instead, these hopeful applicants were left with unfulfilled dreams and desires, no work, and a mountain of loans and debts to repay.
Colin Steed, chief executive of the Institute of IT Training, had a heedful warning for future applicants of situations such as this. "Anyone can set up as a training provider. The quicker regulation is brought in, the better."
The Institute of IT Training can accredit providers, and intervene in complaint situations, but the accreditation that is given is not a mandatory process. With government intervention, circumstances such as this one will be minimized. Steed was also quoted as stating, "Show me a company that can guarantee a job in recession. It's just not acceptable."
With the breakdown and failure of promises set by Fraser McKenzie Limited, hundreds of people are now in debt to the tune of thousands of pounds (British currency). Since approximately ninety percent of the courses were paid with loans, promises of the loans being repaid at the end of the course were also broken.
Rajesh Chand, a computer grad from the University of Manchester, had this to say about the unfortunate experience. "It's been very stressful, very upsetting, and a waste of a year."
Fraser McKenzie Limited, billing itself as a 'global staffing provider', sold courses provided by another training source. With over nine hundred students signing up for the classes, the only requirement asked of the students was to complete the training, complete the exams and finish everything within a twelve month time frame. Students were then free and available to accept the guaranteed job position. If Fraser McKenzie Limited could not locate a job for the graduating students, the students themselves would walk away from the loans with nothing to pay. Unfortunately, that's not how the story ends.
One of the students, Rhi Morgan, explained her experience to the BBC investigation staff. "I thought this was a brilliant opportunity to get into a career that's got brilliant prospects and I could make a lot of money doing something which could be a lot of fun." Rhi, who previously was employed in a record store, was ready for a change in an area full of promise, challenges and held her interest.
Rhi continues. "I wasn't worried about taking out a loan because I was signing up for IT training with a job at the end of it for which Fraser McKenzie would be paying the loan back. That's what they promised." Rhi is now burdened with an 8,000 British pound loan, no employment as promised, no IT experience and no available means of repaying the load.
Meanwhile, six months ago Fraser McKenzie Limited stopped trading right after the firm providing the IT courses entered administration. The training provider itself insists the blame lies within the global financial meltdown and decreasing credit being advanced towards applicants. Representatives of the company contends they made "every effort to honor recruitment commitments" as well as provide "additional help" to the students, involving the arrangements of work experience placements to assist the students in acquiring workplace experience that may further help in future job positions. Students that did not complete the promised training but paid through personal loans are being offered some financial protection under the consumer credit legislation. In addition, a new training provider has been located by the company that contributed the loans, but there are no promises of employment and the loans have to be repaid at a future time and place.
Colin Steed noted the situation breeds of disgust, and cautioned that without adequate regulation, conditions such as this one will occur again.
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