FAQs for learners registered for EAL qualifications by Options Skills Ltd
Published on: 15 Apr 2024
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Update on EAL's work to support Options Skills Ltd learners 23/04/2024
Over the past few weeks, we have been in contact with 194 learners who have evidence of their assessment or achievement. 141 learners have uploaded their evidence of assessment. Of those 141, we have reviewed the evidence of 128 and are preparing to speak to learners directly.
There are around 20 learners who have not responded to our outreach. We are contacting learners via email and phone using the information provided to us when the form was submitted. If you submitted the form indicating you have evidence of assessment, and have not spoken to our External Quality Assessors, please check your email.
We now believe that all learners should have access to their online portfolio. We will be in touch via email with learners who indicated that they do not have access to their portfolio when they originally submitted the form to explain how they can share this newly available assessment information with us.
We are still working with the administrators to gain access to Options Skills central assessment records. Once we have been able to review all the evidence available to us, we’ll come back to learners directly to advise you in terms of next steps. We are bringing in additional resource to support this process to ensure this is done in a timely and compliant manner.
We will provide another update on Tuesday 30 April.
Update on EAL's work to support Options Skills Ltd learners 17/04/2024
EAL is fully committed to supporting learners to understand their position in their program so they can make informed decisions about their next steps. We are working with regulators and administrators to gain access to the assessment information we need to do this.
We have been in regular contact with the administrators since they have been formally appointed. We believe that all learners should now have online access to their portfolios and that EAL will gain access to this system within days. Following that, we will contact each learner directly to evaluate their evidence of assessment and achievement, to understand what they have completed and what is left to complete in their qualification. If you have just gained access to your assessment information, please do not contact us to share your assessment information, we will contact you.
We are investing in additional support from expert External Quality Assessors to expedite the evaluation process without compromising on quality, as we understand that continued uncertainty has a significant emotional impact. We appreciate your patience as we work through a very complicated situation. We will provide another update on Tuesday 23 April.
What is EAL’s role in this situation? What are you doing to support learners?
As an awarding organisation, EAL creates, develops and administers technical vocational qualifications for engineering and building services engineering which approved colleges and training providers deliver. We are responsible for ensuring that they meet the standards and requirements of the UK education framework, are delivered consistently across providers and recognised nationally.
We set the exams, tests and assessments that individual learners take to achieve the qualification and oversee the certification process. As one of the awarding organisations Options Skills registered its learners with, our role is to assess and evaluate the evidence of assessment for each learner registered for our qualifications. EAL is not a training provider and therefore is not responsible for the delivery of courses, learning or training.
We are actively supporting learners by evaluating evidence of their assessment and achievement. This work is being carried out by our team of expert External Quality Assurers. This process will provide each learner with a clear understanding of what they have completed and what is left to complete so they can make informed decisions about their next steps.
We understand the importance of being able to offer that support quickly without compromising on quality. Therefore, we will bring in additional resources from our bank of qualified associates to allow us to carry out this complex important work as quickly as possible.
How do I access support from EAL? I’m not sure which awarding organisation I was registered with by Options Skills.
Please complete the form provided by EAL if you haven’t done so already. You will receive a response confirming if you are registered with EAL. Learners who are not registered with EAL will be signposted to other awarding organisations which have Options Skills as an approved centre.
I have submitted the form. When will I get an update?
If you have submitted the form and indicated that you have access to your portfolio, we will be in touch directly to evaluate it. This process is underway, and we expect it will continue for another few weeks. You will receive a text from our team to arrange a phone call.
If you submitted the form and indicated that you do not have access to your portfolio, we are actively pursuing the administrators to request urgent access to your assessment records. This will allow us to review your learning progress and assessment progress and recommend potential options for support from either EAL and/or others where appropriate. We plan to bring in additional resources to help us expedite these evaluations without impacting quality.
How do I claim back the money I paid to Options Skills?
Options Skills have appointed Insolvency Practitioners Begbies Traynor Group. They can be contacted at [email protected]. Begbies Traynor Group are responsible for all enquiries related to creditors of Options Skills and managing the liquidation process. They will be able to provide suitable advice and guidance in relation to the money that you have paid for your course.
If I wish to, can I transfer my course to another EAL Awards approved centre?
We can provide you with details of alternative EAL approved centres local to you that deliver our qualifications should you wish to contact them. EAL centres are aware of the process to follow when transferring registrations from one centre to another.
We are working hard to confirm the registration status of learners who have contacted EAL, we are using what information is made available to EAL to provide an indicator of the qualification progress but please know this is a complex task and will take some time. Until your position is confirmed, we recommend you do not enter a new contract.
Will I be charged further fees to complete my qualification if I go to another EAL Awards approved centre?
We are unable to advise you on what a training provider will charge you for their courses – you will need to consult with them on what your needs are and the choices open to you.
EAL will not make any charge to transfer your registration (which also includes certification once you have successfully completed your course) from Options Skills to another EAL approved centre, as long as you make them aware that you are a learner from Options Skills.
What are EAL’s registration and certification fees?
Centres such as Options Skills pay EAL a registration and certification fee for each candidate completing an EAL Qualification – fees for registration and certification vary and are dependent on whether it is for a unit or full qualification. Some examples:
A full qualification such as the EAL Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Installing Electrotechnical Systems and Equipment (Building, Structures and the Environment) 501/1605/8 is £184 per candidate. Individual units like EAL Level 3 Award in the Installation of Small Scale Solar Photovoltaic Systems 600/5175/9A is £61.00 or EAL L3 Aw Elec Ins BS 7671 (2018) 2022 603/3298/0B is £41.00. Our price list for registration and certification fees of EAL Qualifications is available on our website.
I have completed my qualification, but I have not yet received my certificate.
If you haven’t done so already, please contact us using the form so that we have your contact information. We will check our records and if your certificate was claimed by Options Skills before going into liquidation, we will email you directly to provide you with an e-certificate.
We are in contact with a number of learners in this situation and have issued e-certificates already. If you are in contact with us about your certificate, you don't need to re-submit the form.
I have completed some of my assessments and exams towards my qualification, will I need to start again?
If you have completed an exam with us, we will be able to provide a unit credit for that exam, as long as there are no other related internal assessment components for that unit that have not been completed and assessed.
For other kinds of assessment, we need to access your portfolio to evaluate the evidence of learning completed. If you have access to your portfolio and have completed the form, we will be in touch to do this. If you do not have access to your portfolio, we are actively pursuing access to Options Skills central assessment records with the Administrators. Once we are able to gain access to these records via the Administrators, we will get in contact with you to update you on our findings in relation to your record.
My ECS card is due to expire, and this situation is preventing me from renewing it. What can I do?
Please contact ECS Administration [email protected] with details of your current situation with Options Skills, and provide the following information: Name, National Insurance Number, Home Address and ECS Card Number.
What qualifications did Options Skills register with EAL? And how are they assessed?
These are the qualifications we had registered by Options Skills:
What process does EAL go through to approve a centre?
The process that EAL undergoes to recognise a centre involves a thorough evaluation to determine if the centre can uphold the expected standards of assessment of EAL qualifications. Once EAL is satisfied that a centre has the resources and appropriate assessment arrangements in place, the centre can be approved to offer various qualifications provided by EAL. The relationship between EAL and approved centres includes ongoing monitoring to uphold and ensure the maintenance of quality standards.
The application process includes extensive vetting with external quality assurers to confirm that a centre is able to maintain the standards expected, and handle the volume of learners they plan to enrol. This includes reviewing the centre’s policies and processes, and the knowledge, skills and experience of its staff. We also check information available from public bodies including Ofsted and the Education and Skills Funding Agency, to understand more about the applicant centre’s ability to deliver our qualifications, and its capacity to deliver to the expected learner volumes.
Although the process includes financial due diligence including checks with Companies House, EAL like other awarding organisations can only access publicly available information. Awarding organisations do not have the power to access the private information needed to audit the long-term financial stability of a centre's business model as part of the application process.
Would you allow the directors of Options Skills Ltd to re-apply to become an EAL approved centre with a different business?
We are aware of a newly formed company called Options Trade Skills Ltd. Following the Options Skills Ltd liquidation, we would not accept an application from Options Trade Skills Ltd to be recognised as an EAL approved centre.
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