Colleges & Train To Gain.
At Care & Development Resources we only use fully registered colleges and training providers, in order to ensure our candidates receive quality education and professional training. This includes guidance on UK immigration rules with which colleges wishing to be placed on the official College Sponsors Register have agreed to comply with.
The rules require that for students seeking visa entry, colleges will:
- maintain satisfactory records of enrolment and attendance of students.
- provide courses which involve a minimum of 15 hours of organised daytime study per week.
- ensure a suitably qualified tutor is present during the hours of study to offer teaching and instruction to the students.
- offer courses leading to qualifications recognised by the appropriate accreditation bodies.
- employ suitably qualified staff to provide teaching, guidance and support to the students.
- provide adequate accommodation, facilities, staffing levels and equipment to support the numbers of students enrolled at the institution.
- comply with the latest Border and Immigration Agency guidance on notification of absent students.
NB: failure of a college to comply with these criteria may lead to removal from the Register and the consequent refusal of visas to students seeking to enter the UK, in which case the ASIC would withdraw the accreditation of the college.
Student offer letters
It is vital that a student offer letter is done correctly. Below is a list of criteria and comments that ECOs and ECMs would find useful in student offer letters.
Duration of courses
- the exact start date of the course – is there a date after which an applicant will not be accepted onto a course?
- when the course actually finishes – in order to ensure we give the correct length of leave rather than simply assuming it is a normal academic year.
- Masters courses – some institutions already add the additional four months and ECOs will grant a further four months on top of this. Once again, the exact course start and end dates are important, together with an estimate of what constitutes a reasonable amount of finishing time, e.g. for dissertations/thesis.
Fees:
- details of the cost of the course.
- have the course fees been paid? How?
- is any of the fee refundable if the applicant cancels or cannot attend for some reason?
- is the student paying overseas student fees and not home fees?
Course details: to be clear and concise in all the information provided
- course name/title.
- duration of course.
- number of hours to be studied per week.
- structure of course.
- what type of institution is offering the course? e.g. HE or FE
Qualifications to be gained:
- exact details of the qualification the applicant is to achieve.
- for English language courses – what level is to be studied and what level is too be achieved.
- confirmation of level of award.
- clarity between where the applicant is actually studying and who is awarding the qualification.
Condition of offer:
- whether the course is ‘conditional’ or ‘unconditional’.
- where an ‘unconditional’ offer is offered there should be no conditions attached. e.g. on several occasions ECOs will see an ‘unconditional’ offer with a condition attached to complete/pass an English course.
- clear conditions of entry.
Accommodation:
- has accommodation been arranged and paid for?
Previous qualifications:
- what qualifications were required in order to be offered a place on the course?
- what evidence was seen by the institution of applicant’s academic qualifications, have any verification checks been made?
- what studies the applicant has already undertaken?
Other:
- Sandwich Courses or English courses with work as part of the course – ECOs would like to see the exact structure of the course, how much is study and how much is work.
- possibly comment on the applicant's study plans/progression.
- use of safeguards in offer letters so that they are less likely to be forged.
- details of the selection process used – has the student been interviewed/is the institution aware of what qualifications are held by the applicant?
- all the relevant information to be provided in one offer letter.
Train to Gain
Train to Gain is the national skills service that supports employers of all sizes and in all sectors to improve the skills of employees as a means of improving business performance. The service offers skills advice on everything from Investors in People and basic skills through to leadership and management training.
There is a range of training and qualifications available through Train to Gain, including Skills for Life qualifications, first full NVQ Level 2 qualifications, Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships and NVQ Level 3 and above. Alongside the core aspects of the Train to Gain service described above are more flexible parts to Train to Gain – these are service enhancements which might be unique to any particular region or local area.
Please call for details or open the PDF below.
