Graduate But No Certificates Yet!!!

Lady_K

My Daughter graduated this year, she sat the exams in April and she still has not recieved her certificates even though we know she has passed. I really don't know what to do because despite ringing up and asking when they will be ready ect and also explaining that my daughter at that time almost lost her job because they requested them and she couldnt produce them (before she left & started a nursing course) she has still not recieved the ertificates. We get pushed from pillar to post with excuse after excuse. Weve even contacted the exam boards and they say the problem is with the University/College and we must keep pushing for them

I am so very disappointed that today we went to her graduation ceremony travelled all the way there, hired the cap and gown ect, had the photos taken after my daughter was assured that she would be presented with all the certificates earned for her course. She left the stage to be given an A4 sized envelope only to find it filled with blank card and a message inside saying 'sorry your certificates are not available just now we will post them to you when we have them'

My daughter has spoke to the college previously about this and so have I. We are treated like we were just a nuisance and expecting too much from them. No one seems to have full responsibility for them, even the lady who was supposed to be getting them all together for the ceremony, her course leader, her lecturers and many other people we have tried. They just have a very bad nasty attitude and then eventually say someone else is the person dealing with them, then that person says the same, they just basically do not want to know.

Some were given some of the certificates but not others, they are all mixed up but I don't know who is to blame or who to aproach. April was a long time ago and my daughter paid a lot of money to do that course with halls fees and loans and a lot of hard slog to be treated with no respect whatsoever. The college only has interest in potential new students, they don't look after the ones they have in our experience and if my daughter hadnt been such a dedicated hard worker she could easily have failed. They have staff leaving all the time because of the total mess the place is in and my daughter lost at least 2 lecturers for a couple of subjects some months before the end of the year and they were not replaced at all so she basically had to teach herself.

I'm beginning to wonder if she will ever get them and would like to know how we can push this to actually happen, any ideas?

saintstreaky

Has your daughter written to the Principal of the college? Include photocopies (not the originals) of all the correspondance/excuses etc. Include the names, if possible, of all the people who have fobbed you off. Ask to make an appointment to see him/her so that they can explain to your daughter in person why there is a problem (hopefully she won't actually have to go, if they get their act together).

What sort of course was it? The fact that you're talking about an exam board implies it wasn't a degree, but if the college is providing courses accredited by a university you and your daughter could try getting in touch with them directly. A university ought to have formal complaints procedures - check their website - telling you exactly who to contact. Talk about how the behaviour of the college reflects badly on the university.

Bear in mind that it ought to be your daughter actually writing (or at least signing!) the letters.

Lady_K

It was a HND course through edexcel and within it she studied Complimentary Therapies, Aromatherapy(IFPA) and Relexology(IFPR)) so I know theres at leadst 3 main certificates she should have but there are also others as the course was very intense.

She got a job as a Holistic Therapist when she left and her employers were patient for a while but then it became serious and she risked losing her job without the certificates. Even when we phoned the college and told them the situation they did nothing. Then my daughter decided to become a Nurse so she could combine the complimentary therapies with nursing so she's back at uni again and the urgency for the certificates became not so acute, alhough naturally she still wanted them.

I had to ring reg arrangements about the graduation ceremony and was told by one lady that they actually had the certificates but they were not going to post any out because they were being given at the ceremony, that was just stalling again by the looks of it. She added they would not be responsible for certificates posted and they would have to be folded so they needed to be collected anyway. Not that simple when you don't live in the area and some people on the course came from greece

We can't remember all the people we have been fobbed off by, I'll write them down from now anyway. And getting to speak to the principle is like trying to talk to the queen but I have been thinking about that. She is far to busy to go and collect certificates too. I just don't think it should be this difficult to get something that is rightfully hers and earned. I'm sure the students who went into work after college will have problems because they dont have the certificates though and its so unfair on them

zar

Its not unusual to have to wait until after the graduation ceremony to get the certificate, I did for my first degree (second at a different university was given at the ceremony), but in this case there was a big gap between the ceremony and the end of the course.

They should normally be sympathetic to having to prove the result for a job and should have been more helpful before by speaking direct to the employer or supplying temporary documentation so I can understand why you are both upset. Other universities don't care so much for the certificates as they tend to just enquire direct to check qualifications, so you may as well wait now for them to turn up, but your daughter could still write them a complaint so hopefully they won't do it again to other students. My certificate was posted in a "do not bend" envelope so hopefully they will post them soon and you'll get them safely.

Savvy_Sue

Agree that it should have been possible for the college to supply a 'To Whom It May Concern' letter in place of certificates, although they may be a bit more cagey about giving them out these days because of identity fraud. EdExcel should have a complaints procedure as well as the actual college.

Lady_K

Problem is if we complain to one person they say its someone elses fault. The college said it was the examination boards fault for the aromatherapy and reflexology certificates, they said they cant give the certificates till they have the results yet we've known the results for months now and it goes on. I dont understand though why some students have the aromatherapy and reflexology certificates or one of them and not the other. And some have the HND certificate and some dont. We know she has passed because they have told us. I'm thinking it might be that the exam boards give the results and the college make the certificates because it has the name of the college at the top so it might be that they are just not making them, to them its just low priority because they are past students not potential ones

saintstreaky

Lady_K wrote:

Problem is if we complain to one person they say its someone elses fault.

That's why I suggested the Principal - it's not her fault personally, but ultimately it's her responsibility. Yes, she'll be busy, but at the very least she (well, probably her PA, but in her name) will have to reply to your daughter's letter and give some sort of explanation. I would request a specific date by which she will have her certificate. Get something in writing. The Principal probably doesn't have a clue that this is a problem, and if she realises that it happens to many students she might well bang some heads together. They might not care much about past students, but they *do* care about reputation - word of mouth can damage a college.

You've got nothing to lose, except half an hour drafting a firm but polite letter.

Have a look through all your daughter's paperwork (the 'course handbook' or similar). There may be something there describing the time period within which you can expect certificates to be provided.

Are you in contact with any of the other students who have had problems?

Lady_K

Yes she still has contact with some of them and yesterday she wasnt the only one with a note inside the envelope but some of them had some of thier certificates a lot had none. I'll suggest to her that she writes to the principle but I have watched my daughter through her course there and this is just another problem of so many all the way through the course. I would not recommend that college to anyone at all, they have been nothing less than absolutely atrocious.

Esmerelda

Funnily enough, I just got my degree certificate today. I think Universities take far too long to prepare them and the organisation is shockingly poor. My university knew at the beginning of August that I would not attend last month's graduation ceremony but still insisted on waiting until well after the ceremony to post the certificate.

Savvy_Sue

Esmerelda wrote:

Funnily enough, I just got my degree certificate today. I think Universities take far too long to prepare them and the organisation is shockingly poor. My university knew at the beginning of August that I would not attend last month's graduation ceremony but still insisted on waiting until well after the ceremony to post the certificate.

And yet, I saw friends earlier in the summer whose daughter was NOT able to attend her degree ceremony because she HAD to have the certificate in order to start her graduate job. If she was going to the degree ceremony she was not deemed to have graduated until after that, but if she didn't go they would post out the certificate and she was graduated. Since she couldn't wait for the ceremony before starting her job, she graduated earlier than her friends, but without the palaver.

Lady K, we're suggesting that you invoke the college's and EdExcel's formal complaints procedures, not that you complain to the people you've already contacted. I've just looked on my son's university website: it's not in the A-Z index but when I did a search for 'complaint' I got their policy up. I would expect there to be timescales for addressing a formal complaint; they will be logged and reviewed by someone quite senior AND by whoever 'inspects' the college. If your daughter's friends in the same position do the same, action should result!

Have just thought: BBC Radio 4 have a programme called 'The Learning Curve' - maybe they'd like to know about this problem for a featurette?

Lady_K

Yes sounds a good idea, I'm sure the BBC would like to know.

I cannot find anything at all to do with complaints on there and there is no search function only course search.

I did find the reception email but its not easily found, it was hidden in the freedom of information link right at the bottom of the page. So would it be a good idea to write there and ask where and who to send an official complaint to? Do you think complaining over email is ok aswell if I get the right email address? Oh heck I could write one a mile long but I'll just complain about the certificates for now