N.V.Q.3 Health & Social Care

[hotlips1]

Hi. I was wondering if anyone can please. Does anyone know if the N.V.Q.3 is now government funded? I know when I did my N.V.Q.2 it was government funded. The company I work for said a few months ago they had managed to get funding for the 2 & 3 and various other courses eg: Equality & Diversity. What myself and colleagues would like to know is if we do the N.V.Q.3 and after, decide to leave the company would we have to pay the cost back? Also we were given a list of charges we are liable for if we don't complete for example the Equality & Diversity at £26. In staff handbook it says any training company gives you, then if you leave within 12 months of doing it you'll be charged the full cost. Moving & Handling, First Aid are 2 examples of mandatory training so how can you be charged on leaving? In all my years of care I've never known anything like it. We are domicillary carers by the way.

[cathfromsaron]

i was funded by my council employer and kept the certificate when i left, but they kept the file.

[4getmenot]

if its funded by the government then the company you work for are not paying for it, you can take it with you but you would have to complete it. I work for admin in dom care, and as far as I know its the norm in most places to have a 3 months probationary period and if you leave before them the training is taken back.

[rosycider]

NVQ 3 are being superseded by apprenticeships which are government funded. Look at the http://www.skillsforc...ons_and_training.aspx and
http://www.skillsforh...ional-qualifications/ and
http://www.direct.gov...Explained/DG_10039029

Your company is a business and therefore could state that in order to support you through training that you would need to stay in the post x amount of time. This is so they can recoup their money back they have paid whilst you have been undertaking the training and been out of the workforce. It is unlikely they would do this for manual handling and first aid as Manual handling is a statutory requirement under health and safety legislation. They have a statutory duty to provide this training in order to provide safe systems of work. I think this could be an argument for not paying that back. You need clarity on this. For all other training i think a charge for non attendance or non completion is entirely reasonable. The cost of £26 is I would think nowhere near the actual cost of the training and is a figure given to try and recoup some losses at a reasonable cost to the individual. It isn't just the cost of the course but the costs to replace the individual with someone else at a higher rate ( eg overtime) whilst they are away training.

[boxtops]

Hotlips, you shouldn't be recharged for stat and mand training, and to be honest, in your line of work, the NVQ (or its successor qualifications, but we still call them NVQs) should be necessary as a part of your job. 2s were more often funded than 3s originally, as prior qualifications were taken into account.
There is part-funding still available (although Train to Gain has finished) but the employer has to pay half - I arrange NVQs for staff and if they are eligible for Apprenticeships, we don't have to pay anything as the government foots the bill.
Some employers do get employees to sign to say that training costs have to be refunded if you leave - but if they haven't paid in the first place, that wouldn't apply!
The charge for stat and mand failure to complete is very reasonable - where we work, if you fail to complete (or DNA) we are charged £75 in an attempt to recoup the cost of the wasted training place.

[hotlips1]

Thanks Boxtops. Your answer was exactly what I was thinking:)