Training scams resurface as the recession bites

Total Electrical Training say electricians and others are being duped by shoddy training providers who offer worthless qualifications.

Total Electrical Training's managing director Chris Atkins has uncovered evidence that an increasing number of electricians and others are being duped by fraudsters and falling victim to shoddy training providers who offer worthless qualifications.

The disturbing trend, the data for which has been uncovered by Citizens Advice and reported exclusively in the Observer Newspaper (Feb 22 nd 2009), reveals a rise of nearly a third in the numbers of general complaints last year to well over 2,000, with an alarming spike in "scam" courses.

Total Electrical Training has in the past, been at the forefront of providing evidence to awarding bodies of dodgy training courses that have emerged, particularly over the last 2 years, where some of the unscrupulous training offered, claims to get you qualified and registered, in as little as 2 weeks.

Furthermore, even if the course exists, it is often mis-sold to someone who cannot benefit or - worse - the provider simply does not exist or goes bust, and paid-for materials and certificates fail to appear.

Chris Atkin, Managing Director recently spoke out about bogus training, and cited a documented case of someone who "signed up" for a distance learning course combined with a series of so called "workshop" exercises, spaced out over a 3 month period.

John, who doesn't want to be identified, went on to recount that after he was persuaded by a training course provider to sign up to this Part P course, he quickly realised that there was no tutorial support, and when he got to the "training centre, the "instructor" knew very little about the subject in hand.

John handed over around GBP4,500 to this particular "training provider" and is now in the process of taking further action to recover his money.

Another delegate who contacted Total Electrical Training recently, said that he had contacted his local Trading Standards office, who have issued a formal legal warning after he complained that he had signed up for a home study electrician course which he had been told verbally would qualify him to work in the domestic and industrial electrical sectors, but which he soon realised was not recognised.

He would have paid some GBP8,000 over five years.

"Sadly, these examples only provide a snapshot of the increasing number of telephone calls that we are receiving" says Atkin; "we only get to hear about the ones who seek advice from Citizens Advice, and very often, the unpalatable truth is that even the most seasoned of electricians can be taken in by these scams".

Citizens Advice are embarking on a publicity campaign, to highlight this worrying development, in response to people "falling victim to scams involving companies advertising courses that promise marketable qualifications but fail to deliver the goods, leaving prospective students seriously out of pocket".

Total Electrical Training believes that it is incumbent on all professionals in the electrical industry to ensure that training scams are exposed, and that wherever possible, well established training providers are engaged to provide the right training and ultimately, the right qualifications.

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