Big agent training organisation faces £200,000 fine from regulator
Ofqual is to fine City & Guilds, which styles itself as a 'leading' provider of property industry training, for failing to resolve problems with its governance and incident management systems.
Training regulator Ofqual is to fine awarding organisation City & Guilds £200,000 for failing to resolve problems with its governance and incident management systems.
The fine covers a series of breaches of Ofqual’s Conditions of Recognition over two time periods, during 2018 to 2019 and 2022 to 2023. City & Guilds is a significant provider of training for estate agencies and their staff including its Level 2 Certificate in Property and other courses in property management.
ERRORS
The breaches included errors in assessment materials which should have been detected by the organisations’ quality assurance processes and a failure to notify Ofqual sufficiently quickly when many of the incidents were found.
Following the issues in 2018 and 2019 City & Guilds had developed an action plan which was intended to resolve the issues and prevent a recurrence.
However, an Ofqual investigation in summer 2023 found many of the same issues had reoccurred. As part of that investigation City & Guilds has admitted that its action plan was not sufficiently robust.
As part of the work with Ofqual, City & Guilds has committed to implement a multi-million-pound programme to improve its business operations.
RISK MANAGEMENT
This involves improved risk management, strengthened governance and investments in training, systems and processes, some of which have already been addressed.
The interests of students are central to Ofqual.”
Sir Ian Bauckham, Ofqual Chief Regulator, says: “The interests of students are central to Ofqual. For us, that means high-quality qualifications that stand the test of time so it’s our job to make sure standards are maintained and rules followed.”
And he adds: “City & Guilds has co-operated from the beginning and their latest improvement plan promises to be strong. An improved approach, along with the fine, should allow everyone to draw a line under these issues and go forward with a renewed sense of confidence.”
The City & Guilds Level 2 qualification in Property (Sale of Residential Property and Residential Letting and Management) was developed for those working in residential letting, sales and management. It allows candidates to learn, develop and practise the skills required for employment and/or career progression in the property sector.
There is no suggestion that any past results may have been compromised.
Having just looked at the City & Guilds Level 2 Qualification in Property, it is not fit for purpose, you get 6 credits for just learning to use a telephone, most of the course is generic ‘red tape’ nonesense applicable to any business with only the tiniest amount of value to someone who needs help with their professional development.
Just click on the link in the article and see if you agree. Definitely another – ‘money for old rope’ in contrast spending two weeks with an agency shadowing all the teeam would equip novices with far better ‘property knowledge’ and probably at a far more competitive price.
Given we live in a digital age, zero mention of all the tech and social media that agencies requiere to ‘talk’ to the modern client who utilises up to seven platforms to communicate and gather their own intel on a daily basis. This course looks like a 1980’s course for beginners of basket weaving, and that is probably where it should be consigned to a waste paper bin (if they exist in paperless businesses anymore).
Few training providers offer this award now. I think you will find the IfATE apprenticeship much more suited to the needs of employers these days.