Am I responsible for these costs

Soninlawsprotector

My son in law has an employment contract with an umbrella company for 20 hours at minimum wage doing overhead line work for the rail. He has a another company that is his main sponsor and provides the work..mainly nightshift in and around the north east. The work has dried up and the only work available is in the London area. This is uneconomical for him at minimum wage.
He asked to be desponsored so he could move companies. He has been there for about 2 years.
The company have issued him with an invoice for £1200 for training. My son in law cant remember signing any paperwork. He could not have done any of the recent work without this training.
How does he stand on the payment? I think they are being awkward because he wants to move companies

Veteransaver

Not sure that you would be liable (per the post title) but it's quite common for firms to require reimbursement for training if an employee leaves during a certain period. Whether it's enforceable or how vigorously they'd pursue it if he didn't pay though is another matter.

FlorayG

If he has a contract of employment showing this then his company can provide him with a copy and proof that he signed it. 

MattMattMattUK

FlorayG said:

If he has a contract of employment showing this then his company can provide him with a copy and proof that he signed it. 

A point though, signing can be digital, it does not need to include an actual signature, he could have agreed to it as part of an online onboarding process.

DullGreyGuy

Soninlawsprotector said:

My son in law has an employment contract with an umbrella company for 20 hours at minimum wage doing overhead line work for the rail. He has a another company that is his main sponsor and provides the work..mainly nightshift in and around the north east. The work has dried up and the only work available is in the London area. This is uneconomical for him at minimum wage.
He asked to be desponsored so he could move companies. He has been there for about 2 years.
The company have issued him with an invoice for £1200 for training. My son in law cant remember signing any paperwork. He could not have done any of the recent work without this training.
How does he stand on the payment? I think they are being awkward because he wants to move companies

What do you mean "he has another company"?
What do you mean "sponsor"?

Is he an employee of this sponsoring company or is he working via the umbrella for them?

Soninlawsprotector

His contract of employment is with the umbrella company

TELLIT01

He needs to request the documentation showing that he has agreed to repay any training costs.  As I understand it, a company can't just have a catch all in the contract stating that training costs must be repaid if leaving within x months.  There needs to be written agreement for each course.  I may be wrong, but I have seen that mentioned on numerous occasions over the years.

Soninlawsprotector

I just wonder about if they can charge him because they are only the sponsor and not his employer

Brie

TELLIT01 said:

He needs to request the documentation showing that he has agreed to repay any training costs.  As I understand it, a company can't just have a catch all in the contract stating that training costs must be repaid if leaving within x months.  There needs to be written agreement for each course.  I may be wrong, but I have seen that mentioned on numerous occasions over the years.

I can't remember ever being asked to sign an agreement for any course I've taken by different companies.  What I did  see was an employment and training policy which would be considered part of the "staff handbook" where the company would be reimbursed at a declining rate if someone left within a number of years of them paying for a course.  So might be 100% in the first year 75% in the second etc.  

Marcon

Soninlawsprotector said:

My son in law has an employment contract with an umbrella company for 20 hours at minimum wage doing overhead line work for the rail. He has a another company that is his main sponsor and provides the work..mainly nightshift in and around the north east. The work has dried up and the only work available is in the London area. This is uneconomical for him at minimum wage.
He asked to be desponsored so he could move companies. He has been there for about 2 years.
The company have issued him with an invoice for £1200 for training. My son in law cant remember signing any paperwork. He could not have done any of the recent work without this training.
How does he stand on the payment? I think they are being awkward because he wants to move companies

Are you saying this was mandatory training? If so, deductions from his final pay packet when he leaves their employment can't take him below minimum wage.

Grumpy_chap

Soninlawsprotector said:

My son in law has an employment contract with an umbrella company for 20 hours at minimum wage doing overhead line work for the rail. He has a another company that is his main sponsor and provides the work..mainly nightshift in and around the north east. The work has dried up and the only work available is in the London area. This is uneconomical for him at minimum wage.
He asked to be desponsored so he could move companies. He has been there for about 2 years.
The company have issued him with an invoice for £1200 for training. My son in law cant remember signing any paperwork. He could not have done any of the recent work without this training.
How does he stand on the payment? I think they are being awkward because he wants to move companies

Soninlawsprotector said:

His contract of employment is with the umbrella company

You are using phraseology with which I am not wholly familiar, particularly "sponsor company".

What typically happens when working through a UC is company A requires the services of individual Z and engages through the UC.  Z has a contract of employment with UC.
The contract of employment usually has no obligation on Z do do work that is offered and no obligation on UC to offer work.
There is no work being offered by A.

Why can't he simply find alternative work with another company (B) and if that is also via a UC, go via a different UC for that assignment?

All the raising the issue of being "de-sponsored" is over-complicating a simple process.  If A / UC is not offering work, there is nothing to be "de-sponsored" from.