Lifetime training failing me as a learner
Captainfox
Forumite 16 Posts
Hello
Looking for a bit of advice. Essentially I signed up to Lifetime Training over a year ago to complete my level 3 Personal training diploma with them alongside my career. Initially, the support from my desktop tutor was good, I completed the workbooks in a timely manner and had a right nightmare trying to book time off to attend the practical dates for the level 2 part of the course.
After a lot of help from my inspector getting leave booked (despite a leave embargo) and back and forth with Lifetime training to book on to the date I was finally set to attend practical dates at the Southampton Venue. I received a booking confirmation but little info on what to expect or even where in Southampton this venue was.
I phoned up a couple of days beforehand to check this out to then be told I wasn't actually booked on any practical dates. Explained that I was and had the confirmation to confirm it. They went off to do some checks and turned out that they had just canceled the dates and not informed me.
This was obviously extremely frustrating for me, having put a lot of effort in going between them and my work to get leave (which in the police is hard at the best of times) and then to have it wasted was not cool.
Now if I had not turned up or canceled within 7 days I would be facing a charge to re-book dates but as it's their error it doesn't concern them despite me losing 4 days leave.
As Southampton was the closest venue, which is still a 70-mile round trip I wanted to find other dates to attend but there were none for several months and all others that were offered to me were 70+miles in one direction away. I then passed selection into a new unit which meant that for the next year I was on training courses, along with being involved in a serious collision which wrote me off for a month. I am still doing the training through work!
so it was even harder to find suitable dates and also manage the learning for that as well as the learning for this course. I continued to express my concerns about this and to find solutions but offered minimal support and just 'here are the dates, make it work'
Eventually, after kicking up a fuss after finding out they have an assessor on my doorstep who is running apprenticeships at my local gym for the same course I tried to see about using this person to assist with the practical training. I was told that this was unworkable because somehow it's different to the distance learning package. I was then told I should just look to attend the practical assessment If I felt I was experienced enough to do it.
Booked the practical in London for the Saturday just gone, worked through the practical assessment workbook with no assistance despite asking for course notes from the practical dates and showed up with my 'client' which again was misinformation given to me as I was told someone would be there to stooge for me. However when I asked who this was so that I could fill out the client paperwork and health screen questions I was told that I have to bring someone myself. long story short, a friend from work put themselves out to help me with this.
Turn up to the assessment and explain the situation and that I hadn't attended the practical dates but had completed the workbook and planned the practical assessment for my 'client'
The assessor was uncomfortable with this and said that It's not normal practice for this to occur and he didn't feel comfortable taking me through an assessment. To say I was annoyed was an understatement. He was brilliant and really supportive about my situation after I explained the hoops I had to jump through just to get to this stage and said the least he could do was mark my workbook and go from there. He passed it and was impressed that I managed to work through it despite not attending the practical dates as that workbook is completed under the instruction of the teachers for the practical dates. He explained he would be raising concerns that I was fed this misinformation and both him and myself were put in this position.
To be honest, I am at my wits end with this course provider, I have done everything asked of me and completed the workbooks as requested and had them marked and passed. However I've been let down several times and another day wasted, fuel money and the mate who essentially wasted their day for me as well.
What it all boils down to is I could probably drag myself through to complete the level 2 fitness instructor part of the diploma but I cannot be putting myself through this constant stress of being the only one putting the effort in to achieve the personal training element at this point as I have so much else going on with work and life. Do I have any standing to raise a grievance that they are not fulfilling their end of the deal with providing the training to an acceptable level and truly shocking support? I have taken an advanced learner loan of over £2000 for this and I don't feel they deserve any of it for how I've been messed about.
Sorry for the essay, need a proper vent and some assistance on where to go next.
TL : DR Signed up to a personal training course, been messed about several times with the practical course having been turned away each time I attended. They are not supporting me at all and I don't want to continue with this training provider. What can I do??
Looking for a bit of advice. Essentially I signed up to Lifetime Training over a year ago to complete my level 3 Personal training diploma with them alongside my career. Initially, the support from my desktop tutor was good, I completed the workbooks in a timely manner and had a right nightmare trying to book time off to attend the practical dates for the level 2 part of the course.
After a lot of help from my inspector getting leave booked (despite a leave embargo) and back and forth with Lifetime training to book on to the date I was finally set to attend practical dates at the Southampton Venue. I received a booking confirmation but little info on what to expect or even where in Southampton this venue was.
I phoned up a couple of days beforehand to check this out to then be told I wasn't actually booked on any practical dates. Explained that I was and had the confirmation to confirm it. They went off to do some checks and turned out that they had just canceled the dates and not informed me.
This was obviously extremely frustrating for me, having put a lot of effort in going between them and my work to get leave (which in the police is hard at the best of times) and then to have it wasted was not cool.
Now if I had not turned up or canceled within 7 days I would be facing a charge to re-book dates but as it's their error it doesn't concern them despite me losing 4 days leave.
As Southampton was the closest venue, which is still a 70-mile round trip I wanted to find other dates to attend but there were none for several months and all others that were offered to me were 70+miles in one direction away. I then passed selection into a new unit which meant that for the next year I was on training courses, along with being involved in a serious collision which wrote me off for a month. I am still doing the training through work!
so it was even harder to find suitable dates and also manage the learning for that as well as the learning for this course. I continued to express my concerns about this and to find solutions but offered minimal support and just 'here are the dates, make it work'
Eventually, after kicking up a fuss after finding out they have an assessor on my doorstep who is running apprenticeships at my local gym for the same course I tried to see about using this person to assist with the practical training. I was told that this was unworkable because somehow it's different to the distance learning package. I was then told I should just look to attend the practical assessment If I felt I was experienced enough to do it.
Booked the practical in London for the Saturday just gone, worked through the practical assessment workbook with no assistance despite asking for course notes from the practical dates and showed up with my 'client' which again was misinformation given to me as I was told someone would be there to stooge for me. However when I asked who this was so that I could fill out the client paperwork and health screen questions I was told that I have to bring someone myself. long story short, a friend from work put themselves out to help me with this.
Turn up to the assessment and explain the situation and that I hadn't attended the practical dates but had completed the workbook and planned the practical assessment for my 'client'
The assessor was uncomfortable with this and said that It's not normal practice for this to occur and he didn't feel comfortable taking me through an assessment. To say I was annoyed was an understatement. He was brilliant and really supportive about my situation after I explained the hoops I had to jump through just to get to this stage and said the least he could do was mark my workbook and go from there. He passed it and was impressed that I managed to work through it despite not attending the practical dates as that workbook is completed under the instruction of the teachers for the practical dates. He explained he would be raising concerns that I was fed this misinformation and both him and myself were put in this position.
To be honest, I am at my wits end with this course provider, I have done everything asked of me and completed the workbooks as requested and had them marked and passed. However I've been let down several times and another day wasted, fuel money and the mate who essentially wasted their day for me as well.
What it all boils down to is I could probably drag myself through to complete the level 2 fitness instructor part of the diploma but I cannot be putting myself through this constant stress of being the only one putting the effort in to achieve the personal training element at this point as I have so much else going on with work and life. Do I have any standing to raise a grievance that they are not fulfilling their end of the deal with providing the training to an acceptable level and truly shocking support? I have taken an advanced learner loan of over £2000 for this and I don't feel they deserve any of it for how I've been messed about.
Sorry for the essay, need a proper vent and some assistance on where to go next.
TL : DR Signed up to a personal training course, been messed about several times with the practical course having been turned away each time I attended. They are not supporting me at all and I don't want to continue with this training provider. What can I do??
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