Apprenticeship Complaints Policy and Procedure
The purpose of this Complaints Procedure is to detail the process by which the BPIF Training acknowledge and resolve any complaint made against the Centre by a learner, apprentice, parent, authorised representative of the apprentice or apprentice employer.
BPIF Training is committed to providing a high-quality service and aims to satisfy any legitimate complaints in an accountable manner that build trust and respect of all stakeholders.
BPIF Training endeavor to improve its services by listening and responding to the views of stakeholders through the complaint’s procedure.
The complaints procedure deals with complaints arising from the following issues:
- The quality of the delivery of training, assessment, or learner support
- Incorrect or misleading information about the services provided by the centre
- The quality of support services provided by the centre, including the administration of funding, enrolment, and examination registration
- Unacceptable or unprofessional behaviour by the centre staff
Areas excluded from this policy are:
- Assessment decisions or examination results where other forms of redress are more appropriate;
- Employment issues which are covered by Staff Grievance Procedures.
- Whistleblowing – see the Whistleblowing Procedure.
BPIF Training will be fair in its treatment of all complaints, irrespective of all protected characteristics, and will respond without accusation to ensure that learners and apprentices will not be disadvantaged through raising a complaint. However, complaints made which are subsequently found to be malicious may result in the centre taking disciplinary action against the complainant.
All information is kept in the strictest confidence and will only be shared with centre staff on a need-to-know basis. Likewise, the outcome of the complaint will only be shared with the complainant and any centre staff directly involved in the situation.
All learners, apprentices and employers are alerted to the complaints process detailed below during the enrolment process and the complaints procedure is available to all through the BPIF Training website.
Complaints Procedure
The complaints procedure has three stages
Stage 1 – Informal Resolution of Complaints
The complaint should be raised directly with the member of staff who is, in the complainant’s opinion, responsible for the situation. The staff member is required to respond to the complaint within 3 working days, either verbally or in writing. BPIF Training expect that staff are considerate and courteous when dealing with complaints.
If the complainant is dissatisfied with the response received, they should proceed to stage 2 of the complaint’s procedure.
Stage 2 – Formal Resolution of Complaints
A formal complaint should be sent, in writing, to BPIF Training’s Quality and Compliance Team at [email protected] or 2 Villiers Court, Meriden Business Park, Copse Drive, Meriden, CV5 9RN, within 15 working days of the incident from which the complaint arises. In exceptional circumstances, complaints made after a longer period will also be considered. All complaints will be logged and acknowledge by the Apprentice Quality and Performance Manager within 3 working days.
The Quality and Performance Manager will inform the Managing Director of any complaints before carrying out an investigation of the complaint and will speak to the complainant, the respondent, and anyone they believe may have a role in establishing or disproving the complaint.
The outcome of the investigation will be recorded in the Centre’s Complaints Log, and the Quality and Performance Manager will notify those involved of the outcome in a written statement.
The centre endeavours to resolve any formal complaints within 14 working days of the receipt of the original formal complaint. If it appears that a decision will not be reached within this timescale, those involved will be notified within 10 days that a longer investigation period is required.
The outcomes of the investigation will be one of the following:
- To find that the relevant policies or procedures has been conformed with and dismiss the complaint with an explanation to the complainant.
- To recognise any non-conformity of the policies or procedures and to take any action to rectify the situation to the satisfaction of all parties.
If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome, then they can appeal to the Managing Director who will review the complaint and the outcome. The appeal must be put in writing within 7 days of the outcome. The managing director will issue their response withing 7 days of receipt of the appeal.
If the complainant remains unsatisfied by the Managing Director’s decision, they can appeal the complaint to the chair of the board of directors. This must be put in writing within 7 days of the receipt of the Managing Directors decision. The chair of the board will respond within 14 days of receipt of the appeal.
There is no further internal appeal.
A review of complaints will be undertaken regularly by the Executive Directors and the Board together with the measures put in place to prevent similar complaints in the future.
Stage 3 – Education and Skills Funding Agency
If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of stage 2 of the complaint’s procedure, BPIF Training will advise them to consult the Education and Skills Funding Agencies process for complaints about post 16 education and training provision funded by the ESFA which can be found at the following link:
Complaints made to the Education and Skills Funding Agency can be put in writing to [email protected] or Customer Service Team, Education and Skills Funding Agency, Cheylesmore House, Quinton Road, Coventry, CV 2WT
REVIEW
The Apprenticeship Complaints Procedure was updated on 18th September 2021. The policy is to be reviewed annually, as a minimum with the next review date being no later than 18th September 2022.