Apprenticeship Complaints Procedure
Purpose
The BIT Group is committed to providing high quality services to clients in all aspects and areas of our services and products.
Our policy consists of:
Providing a friendly and helpful service that is responsive to your needs
Respond to your enquiries promptly and efficiently
Be respectful, considerate, and courteous at all times
Maintain a good relationship and build rapport
Create a welcoming and pleasant environment
Endeavour to exceed your expectations
We strive to deliver our services detailed in our policy above. If, however we fail to meet your expectations, please feel free to provide us with some constructive feedback through our course reviews or by sending us an email. This will provide us with the opportunity to improve our services and the way we provide them.
The BIT Group Complaints Procedure (For training services, security services and certification services)
Who can complain?
A complaint can be made by anyone affected by the actions or decisions of Bluescreen IT Ltd or by someone acting on behalf of the person with their consent.
Raising concerns about a service
Your concern should be raised in the first instance to the employee providing the service with the aim of resolving
the concern quickly and effectively. The employee may be able to resolve your concerns without the need to make
a more formal complaint.
Officially raising a concern or making a complaint
If you want to raise a concern or make a formal complaint, you must make a written statement as soon as
possible, please contact the administrative office either in person, by phone, or email and your complaint will be
raised to a senior manager. We will move to take remedial action within 14 days of the complaint being made.
To make a complaint, please use one of the following methods:
By mail: Plymouth Science Park, 1 Davy Rd, Plymouth, Devon PL6 8BX.
By email: compliants@bluescreenit.co.uk
By telephone: 01752 724000
We request the following information with your complaint:
Your full name and contact details
Time, date and place of the event
Detailed description of your complaint
Your expectation of the service you purchased
Any evidence you have to support the complaint
How you want us to resolve the matter
Should The BIT Group response to your complaint not reach your expectations, you may appeal the decision of the complaint.
What is an Appeal?
An Appeal is a formal procedure by which a registered candidate can appeal against the result or decision. In such situations the appellant is required to submit their appeal in writing to complaints@bluescreenit.co.uk
Grounds for Appeal
There are three grounds on which a candidate may appeal:
1. Personal or medical grounds
2. Procedural grounds
3. The decision was biased or discriminatory
All appeals must be made within 6 months of the original decision being taken. Appellants must be able to provide clear evidence that the decision against which they are appealing meets at least one of the following criteria:
Relevant information of mitigating circumstances received by stated deadlines had not been
taken into consideration.
Substantial procedural irregularity.
Evidence to suggest that a decision may have been biased or discriminatory.
It is the responsibility of the appellant to provide The BIT Group with clear evidence that one of the grounds listed above is valid.
Should you still not be happy with the outcome of the decision made by The BIT Group, where relevant, the appellant may make a further complaint to either APMG or Logical Operations.
APMG Complaints Procedure (For CompTIA Security+, CompTIA CASP+ and CISSP)
Complaints, Concerns and Appeals
APMG International endeavour to provide the best possible service. However, should you feel the need to complain we take this very seriously and operate a complaints investigation and resolution process as outlined below.
Complaints, concerns and appeals should be submitted to APMG International in writing in the form of a letter, fax or e-mail – see the Contact Us page for our contact details.
Initially they should be addressed to the Service Desk which will log the complaint, concern or appeal and allocate it to an appropriate person to handle.
We endeavour to acknowledge these within two working days of receipt – with investigations being completed within ten working days or, if a longer period is necessary, the complainant being informed of the expected timescale.
We make every effort to bring complaints to a satisfactory conclusion following initial investigation. However, should this not prove possible we have an escalation process with the Quality Manager determining final closure. Furthermore, all complaints, concerns and appeals are reviewed regularly to identify improvements which can be made. Any complaints, concerns or appeals received are dealt with impartially in a non-discriminatory manner and will not affect a complainant’s standing with APMG International.
What is an Appeal?
An Appeal is a formal procedure by which a registered candidate can appeal against an exam result or a decision on certification. In such situations the appellant is required to submit their appeal in writing. For ProctorU where no certification decision has been made, the appeal route is not applicable.
Grounds for Appeal
There are three grounds on which a candidate may appeal:
1. Personal or medical grounds
2. Procedural grounds
3. The decision was biased or discriminatory
All appeals must be made within 6 months of the certification decision being taken. Appellants must be able to provide clear evidence that the decision against which they are appealing meets at least one of the following criteria:
Relevant information of mitigating circumstances received by stated deadlines had not been:
taken into consideration.
Substantial procedural irregularity.
Evidence to suggest that a decision may have been biased or discriminatory.
It is the responsibility of the appellant to provide APMG with clear evidence that one of the grounds listed
above is valid.
Candidates considering an appeal should take note of the following:
Disagreement with the exam result for multiple choice papers does not give grounds for appeal.
Appeals will only be accepted on the grounds listed above and no other grounds will be
considered.
When appealing on the grounds of circumstances relating to events prior to the examination or assessment, the Invigilator or assessor must have been informed in writing prior to the examination or assessment.
When appealing on the grounds of circumstances relating to events during the examination or assessment, the events must have been brought to the invigilator’s or assessor’s attention before leaving the examination room or before the end of the assessment.
Logical Operations (For ITILv4 Foundation)
Program Disputes and Complaints
A dispute is an informal request for resolution of an issue related to the Logical Operations certification program. A complaint is a formal request, other than an appeal, for resolution of an issue related to the Logical Operations certification program or the professional behaviour of a certificant.
Program Disputes
Individuals with disputes regarding the assessments, personnel, certificants, or other elements of the certification program are encouraged to discuss these with the individuals involved to try to resolve the matter informally. In some cases, however, informal resolution is not possible, and individuals may wish to file a formal complaint.
Submission and Acknowledgement of Formal Complaints
A complaint shall be submitted in writing to Logical Operations within ninety (90) days of the incident’s occurrence. Complaints must be submitted to credentialing@logicaloperations.com. The submission shall include sufficient objective evidence to substantiate the claims and allow for a decision to be made
and the appropriate action to be taken. Submissions shall also contain the complainant’s email address, postal address, and a phone number at which the complainant can be reached. Dissatisfaction based on hearsay shall not be considered a complaint. Complaints shall be acknowledged within ten (10) days of receipt. The acknowledgement shall include a description of the complaint process and shall advise the complainant that he or she will receive status reports regarding the complaint.
Determination of Involvement
The DCP shall review all submitted complaints to determine if they can be addressed by Logical Operations staff or if it warrants the involvement of a complaint review committee. The DCP shall be responsible for sending status reports to the complainant as material changes in the status of the complaint occur.
Staff Review
In cases where the DCP determines that a complaint can be addressed by Logical Operations staff, the DCP will refer the complaint to a suitable staff member considering matters of confidentiality, conflicts of interest, and impartiality. The assigned staff member shall take action to resolve the issue and communicate the resolution to the complainant within thirty (30) calendar days of reviewing the complaint. Should the assigned staff member fail to resolve the issue, or should the complainant deem the resolution to be unsatisfactory, the complaint will be assigned for review to a complaint review committee.
Complaint Review Committee Review
If a complaint is found to warrant escalation, the DCP or the MPPD shall form a complaint review committee to consider the complaint. The complaint review committee’s decision shall be communicated to the complainant within a period of no longer than thirty (30) calendar days from reviewing the complaint. All decisions by the complaint review committee are final.
A complaint review committee assigned to any complaint shall be comprised of at least one Logical Operations staff member and at least one non-Logical Operations staff member. Any stakeholder in the Logical Operations certification program may be assigned as a member of a complaint review committee. These stakeholders can include, but are not limited to, Logical Operations certification staff and non-certification staff, members of the senior management team, and scheme committee members. The DCP or the MPPD shall consider issues of confidentiality, impartiality, and conflicts of interest when assigning members to complaint review committees.
The BIT Complaints Procedure
(For apprenticeship training provision) Statement
The BIT Group is committed to providing high quality training services to clients (apprentices / learners and employers) in all aspects and areas of our services and products.
Our policy consists of:
Providing a friendly and helpful service that is responsive to your needs.
Respond to your enquiries promptly and efficiently.
Be respectful, considerate and courteous at all times.
Maintain a good relationship and build rapport.
Create a welcoming and pleasant environment.
Endeavour to exceed your expectations.
We strive to deliver our apprenticeship and training services as detailed in our policy above. If, however we fail to meet your expectations, please feel free to provide us with some constructive feedback through our course / progress reviews or by sending us an email. This will provide us with the opportunity to improve our services and the way we provide them.
This complaints policy is made available to learners / apprentices / employers when applying and enrolling on any apprenticeship programmes and / or other training courses and can be found within the enrolment pack / apprentice handbook provided to learners. The complaints policy can also be obtained from the apprentice’s / learner’s assessor / co-ordinator and in some cases from the learner resources section on the e-portfolio system.
Note: in addition, this complaints policy is also published and accessible from the Bluescreen IT website homepage (bottom left within the Contact Us section) and is located as follows: https://8919eeb6-123e-4bdf-9cebdb245a1ee75b.filesusr.com/ugd/e45989_9299eea5dbc14c2594b500f3ae0659c3.pdf
Who can complain?
A complaint can be made by anyone affected by the actions or decisions of The BIT Group, or by someone acting on behalf of the person with their consent.
Raising concerns about a service
Your concern should be raised in the first instance to the trainer / employee providing the service with the aim of resolving the concern quickly and effectively. The trainer or the employee may be able to resolve your concerns without the need to make a more formal complaint.
I have concerns about the person delivering the service, but do not want to raise this with them.
If you want to raise a concern, please contact the administrative office either in person, by phone, or email and you will be forwarded to a senior manager. Once you have made us aware we will move to take remedial action, where possible, to quickly resolve the issue for you.
If you are dissatisfied with the standard or services provided by us, you must make a written statement as soon as possible, please raise your concerns to the quality manager by emailing complaints@bluescreenit.co.uk
We request the following information with your complaint:
Your full name and contact details
Time, date and place of the event
Detailed description of your complaint
Your expectation of the service you purchased
Any evidence you have to support complaint
How you want us to resolve the matter
Please do bring your complaint to our attention as soon as possible so we can take corrective measures and ensure you receive the service that you deserve.
Upon receipt of your formal written complaint, we will contact you for a discussion either over the phone or in person to gather the details of the situation.
We aim to resolve your complaint within 7 days, or where your complaint might require deeper investigation, we will endeavour to rectify or respond to the complaint within 30 days.
Appeals Procedure
Should you be concerned about or unhappy with the outcome, your appeal should be written and sent to the Chief Executive Officer. Your complaint to the CEO should be lodged within 14 days of the date from the last communication. Once a written appeal is received the details will be recorded and responded to within 14 days.
Please Note: You must log your initial complaint using the complaint procedure before escalating it to the appeals procedure.
If you are still unhappy with the outcome, then please refer to the ESFA.
Any disputes will be resolved initially in line with this complaints and appeals procedure. All details will be minuted and in any case the minimum steps in any dispute will be:
Apprentice / employer discussion with the apprentice’s Assessor/Co-ordinator. If this discussion does not lead to a satisfactory outcome, then the next stage
described below will be invoked, and so on through the process.
Apprentice / employer discussion with the Programme Manager.
Apprentice / employer discussion with the Managing Director of The BIT Group, who are the main training provider delivering the apprenticeship programme. This will be deemed to be the final stage in any dispute resolution.
At any point in this process should the apprentice / employer wish to escalate the matter further, they can contact the external apprenticeship helpline or refer their complaint to the funding bodies’, or awarding organisations’ appeals procedure, where the apprentice /employer is fully entitled to do so. At this point The BIT Group will supply the contact details of the appropriate body.
The apprenticeship helpline can be contacted directly on 0800 015 0400,
nationalhelpdesk@apprenticeships.gov.uk or https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeshipsguide/overview