Visitors to the site are reminded that the details contained within user comments are uncorroborated and as such should not be read as fact but as the opinion of the person who left the comment.
Comments:
Sorry...but BTSC is owned by the same people that owned PP ....PP went into administraion leaving hundreds of trainees out of pocket...so why couldn't the same happen at BTSC? Be careful...anything that looks too good to be true is probably not!
I guess it is for each Individual to make his/her mind up - documentation will show that you ( Richard Hunt / Alan Bowman/ were contemplating administration of this company in January.
Furthermore- I also hear that you are again only paying the staff 75% of the monies owed. This is in itself a clear breach of contract.
I do accept that the real culprits Allen Jackson/Jacqui Barson are now nowhere to be seen.
You are both very good at not telling the truth as the staff at PP will testify- Although very soon all will be out in the public domain e.g. I believe that the Daily mirror had already started by publishing something in an issue 2 weeks ago??
Believe what you ( future trainees) will but very soon the dust will settle and you will find yourselves seriously out of pocket just as the 800-1000 PP trainees who had paid for courses ( £6-10,000)which were never intended to be delivered
After reading these comments, I called BTSC as I am a trainee on 9th module and only have 1 to go. I spoke to someone in reception and was told quite openly about the changes that have taken place and also that this has nothing to do with BTSC as this refers to another company called PP. Maybe others should find things out 1st hand rather than reading these bloggs and worrying about something that isn't true.
Please note that BTSC is not going to stop trading it is going forward and anyone who wishes to look at our new website www.btsc.co.uk and come and see us at either Chessington or Manchester is more than welcome.
As for NeilC making such comments may I suggest that you also come in and see us and look at the new way we are moving forward as suggested above.
“Please note that BTSC is not going to stop trading it is going forward and anyone who wishes to look at our new website www.btsc.co.uk and come and see us at either Chessington or Manchester is more than welcome.
As for NeilC making such comments may I suggest that you also come in and see us and look at the new way we are moving forward as suggested above.”
Please Beware: As its partner company Property Professionals /HIT already has gone– BTSC is very shortly to go into administration. Do not sign up. Your training will not be complete.
The directors present and former are stripping away all cash- see many comments on other forums Re: Property Professionals
Funny business. Checked them out. Weird. Just one director, several associated companies. Last director terminated just before xams (22 Dec). I'll dig some more and let you all know.
Why do I get the feeling JimmyDB, paw and petetheplumber all work for BTSC? Curious?
They are the only ones with anything good to say about this company.
I would love to meet and speak to anyone who has completed the course, been found a placement by BTSC, and then gone on to complete the NVQ's 2 & 3, and be fully qualified as a plumber/gas engineer as they promise in the initial interview. My next question would then be "And how much did all this cost you and was that the price you were originally quoted?"
Please!! Somebody answer me! If the company has churned out as many 'qualified' plumbers as it claims it has, there must be someone that can prove it to me! Not much to ask is it?
I'm on to them. Got thrown off for complaining in writing to the elusive Mr Wall. Got some other lads to sign it and they threw me off for being a "subversive" trouble maker !!!
Unbelieveable !! I've contacted Trading Standards and am seeking legal advise. Am not going to stop until they are brought to justice.
Please feel to email me any experiences that you have had so that I can use them to back up any action I take. It will All of course be done in strictise confidence and your names will not be mentioned without your concent.
I trained at BTSC Chessington and am now working as a plumber, earning some decent money. The training was excellent and the tutors were friendly, helpful and knowledgable. I enjoyed my training and would recommend it to anyone who is serious about about becoming a plumber. There were a few complaints from some students mainly about the admin side of the bussiness (no one is perfect) but on the whole I was fairly treated. Sometimes things did take a bit longer than I would have liked and there was the odd frustration but I am now working as a plumber and enjoying it. And isn't that the purpose of the course?
Ontap.
I think there is a case of paronia going on. I have no desire to get involved in your battle but stand by that i enjoyed all my training and qualified - and no, I don't know Brian Wall.
paw - The Plumber!!!!!
Well my story tops the lot. I too had issues with the hidden exam and registration fee's, the actual amount of time that the course took among others. I was asked to put my issues into a letter which I did.
Some of my colleagues also signed the letter to add support. I went in today to do some exams and was escorted off the premises and told that a reply to my complaints had been sent and that I couldn't continue until I had read it.
When I got home I received the letter which has informed me that I have been kicked off the course with only a partial refund.
They stated I am a subvertive trouble maker ????
I am in total shock. It seems to me that they don't want to deal with complaints they just simply block them.
All complaints have to got to "Brian Wall" who has no email or telephone and will only respond by letter. All very suspect if you ask me.
Please get in touch as I now want to build a case against them.
I submitted two Identical baggers by mistake, easy thing to do.
I can help thinking that maybe you work for BTSC.
I did not have a problem with these people, I thought the training was great and I sailed through the first part of the course without a problem. A year after I decided to part with £3595 and do the second part, unfortunately I found out I have an unexpected illness and was not even able to start the course. Even with doctors and neurologists letters advising me not to start, they still refuse to give my money back. I didn't choose for this to happen, if I could carry on, I would.
I realise you sign an agreement, but they should allow for these unexpected circumstances.
Like you I am not sure if these other Blaggers are true or not.
If anyone is thinking of signing up, find a way of looking into the future and finding out whether you will get an illness whilst with these people.
As a South African with a hospitality background here in the UK for 5 years, I can't help noticing
that some of the feedbacks here resemble the 'dirty tricks' employed in my old profession, where rival companies leave made up nonsense on eachothers forums, in order to steer customers their own way? Why do I think this? Well I'm many weeks into the training with these guys, and my mate (also from SA) did this 3 years ago, and pointed me in their direction (although I looked at competition also, including facilities, qualifications and job prospects). I have a legal agreement for my training, and my mate said he got through it without any major drama and got the best training he could.
So why on here is 'Ho' leaving the same feedback twice? Another is saying that you need NVQ rather than City & Guilds? NVQs are a C&G qualification as are the Technical Certificates, and they give you both, so is that comment even for real? Another guy here says you don't get the Technical Certs here - not true, they get you the 6129 Tech Certs, so why does he say it?
Another says it's all worthless because you need NVQ to find a job, but surely you need a job to
do the NVQ assessment? They have a jobs office there doing that for you. My mate got his job
through them, although he's set up on his own now and doing nicely thank you.
I'm only on here because we've got one guy always moaning in our class, and he mentioned this site so I was curious, but now suspicious as to how much you can learn from a site where so much of the stuff seems made up and is not factual (if it's like the hospitality trade, it'll be by competitors in the same catchment area!).
I can't comment on the people on here looking to get refunds for 'outside' reasons, or people who
expect things to work a totally different way to the way the agreement says it will. My advice is if you're thinking of training for something/anything, think carefully and if you are someone who's glass is always half empty, think again as courses can't be used as piggy banks when you want, and training terms don't change by the power of thought!
I've no axe to grind on here really, as my training's great and I'm in the happy majority, but I was a bit surprised at what I'd read and I do worry that people who go on this site will skip the bold bit at the top reminding people that those comments left here can not be taken as facts, and they might fall for an internet-age 'dirty tricks' campaign that appears to be used in more than one industry, as I know from my last one! It can make these sites misleading.
Whatever career you do choose, have a good one, and be positive!
I finished the City and Guilds level 2 plumbing course over a year ago with out to much trouble, and recently decided to start the City and Guilds level 3 costing me £3595. I was due to start the course a couple of weeks back, unfortunately I fell ill a couple of days before and was unable to attend, I rang them to tell them this and was told I would have to pay £350 if they could not find someone else to take my place, and of course they could not. So for me to carry on I would need to find £350 to carry on which I just do not have. I decide to just pull out the course altogether and ask for my money back as my illness seemed to be getting worse, I was told to write a letter to a Brian Wall, which I did. 12 days later I received a patronising letter from the so called Brian Wall saying that I should read the terms and conditions and that I would have to pay the £350 and that it has legal obligations and I can not just walk away from the course. This has made me so angry as my I feel I have not cost them any money, and they have all my money sitting in there bank account making interest. This money has not been easy to get together. I am not well enough to carry on with course and feel this would be a serious health and safety issue (of which they always bang on about).I would understand if I actually started the course and used their resources. Fingers crossed I can get this sorted quick and easy with out to much stress. Be careful once they have your money they just do not seem to care.
I finished the City and Guilds level 2 plumbing course over a year ago with out to much trouble, and recently decided to start the City and Guilds level 3 costing me £3595. I was due to start the course a couple of weeks back, unfortunately I fell ill a couple of days before and was unable to attend, I rang them to tell them this and was told I would have to pay £350 if they could not find someone else to take my place, and of course they could not. So for me to carry on I would need to find £350 to carry on which I just do not have. I decide to just pull out the course altogether and ask for my money back as my illness seemed to be getting worse, I was told to write a letter to a Brian Wall, which I did. 12 days later I received a patronising letter from the so called Brian Wall saying that I should read the terms and conditions and that I would have to pay the £350 and that it has legal obligations and I can not just walk away from the course. This has made me so angry as my I feel I have not cost them any money, and they have all my money sitting in there bank account making interest. This money has not been easy to get together. I am not well enough to carry on with course and feel this would be a serious health and safety issue (of which they always bang on about).I would understand if I actually started the course and used their resources. Fingers crossed I can get this sorted quick and easy with out to much stress. Be careful once they have your money they just do not seem to care.
I am another with serious issues in regard to BTSC and their general malpractice. I'd be interested to hear from anyone with a genuine case against these people prepared to be involved in a joint action against them.
Contact me in strict confidence at mr.resolution@live.com
A warning to anyone considering training with BTSC: Don't sign until you have checked out other providers. mr.res
I finished my course in October last year at Chessington... The qualification you get for course is not a Technical Certificate and is titled lvl 2 Certificate in Basic Plumbing. This is not a well recognised qualification and you cant impress an employer with it or register for a CSCS or JIB Card of any lvl with it. I didnt waste any time or take time off, and it still took me over a year to finish the course and they charged me extra.. you cant complain to anybody face to face, its all done with frustrating letters which take ages for replys... I paid over 5k for the course expences for a Nothing qualification!... Im in contact with trading standards who are investigating the company. If you wish to contact me to get involved, feel free to email me on onewishmywish(at)hot mail.(co m) ... dont trust btsc, dont waste your money... also MPower are now providing a partially government NVQ lvl 2 Boilers and Water Heaters course, you may want to look into it.
i would like to know of anybody who has signed up for this course whether they where told that once signed the agreement could not be cancelled barclays bank have assured me that this is part of the agreement they have with btsc the bloke doing the interview kept on covering the mic and saying i shouldnt be telling you this( nice guy or blagger )i leave you to make your own mind up i am thinking of taking this company to court because i believe i have been missold a product anybody interested in joining me strength in numbers
Has anyone heard of this way of doing the course at BTSC Chessington? - taken from the btsc website today -
There are 3 ways of taking training. The first is ‘Fast-track’ training by taking 8 one-week training Modules, Monday to Friday, over just 10 weeks (with a 2-week break between Modules 4 and 5) to gain the Technical Certificate Level 2 qualification enabling the installation of complete bathrooms. This is followed by a second Fast-track Course of 5 continuous one-week Modules to gain the Level 3 qualification.
- I wld like to try it because it is taking roughly a month to do each mod presently.
hello, i have been training at btsc in manchester since mar 08 and have to say i am really enjoying it. I have just completed mod 4 and revising for my exams. I have to agree that it is annoying that you can only do the modules when a trainer is avalible and does depend on the size of the class - they dont run a module if their are 6 or less students interested at that time, i think?. I work full time whilst doing this training and getting time off work at short notice is abit of a ballache! its also a pain that you have to pay £20 for the btsc exam when its not even a recognised qualification, but hey ho...
I have to say that i think all the trainers at the manchester centre are great, they are very knowledgeable, patient, and friendly. They are very encouraging and fill me with confidence.
On a negative note... when i signed up in mar 08 i paid £4850 for c&g level 2 in plumbing, a couple of months later i was chatting to other students who told me they paid £1000 less than me! i was shocked to hear this as i was under the impression at my interview that places on the course were few and they would have to seriously consider whether or not i would be offered a place. Due to this i was thrilled to be offered a place and paid my £4850 within a week of accepting. As the price has been reduced by such a large amount i feel i have been misled... Are manchester centre struggling financially and in a deperate attempt to increase revenue, having a sale? i dont know... Needless to say, im not a happy bunny, but i signed the contract accepting that amount...
On a positive note, I can recommend getting the learn a trade cd, its really good and will definatley help you with the exams. Also the JTL nvq level 2 plumbing book is great - buy it!
I did the first part of my training with btsc at chessington and i must warn people to be very careful when signing up for one of their courses!!
I had a form of cancer when i signed up in February 2005 (I wanted something to focus on whilst undergoing treatment) and was told by the man at btsc not to worry because my place was secure and to start when i was fit to do so, this was October 2005. I had done 3 modules by Feb 06 when i was told to pay again to be able to carry on! If you ever have a problem with btsc, they make you deal with the man with no face (or phone), a Mr Brian Wall. My wife wrote countless letters with us often waiting long periods of time before receiving a reply ( or sometimes not one at all). In the end we said we were writing to city and guilds amongst others, and surprise surprise I got an extentsion.
If you are going to train at btsc think about the following; you must complete the course in 12 months (from the date of signing the agreement). The course isn't flexible, you can only do modules when there are trainers to lead them, so you can't do 2 modules a month as some people had hoped. btsc call the shots at all times. you pay good money to do a plumbing course, not to have the beautiful girls in the office( I thought i had taken a wrong turn and ended up in a model agency!!) or an internet connection. All the add ons are great but don't loose sight of the fact you are doing a plumbing course, make the most of every minute you are there and practice using their tools and copper pipe (you have paid for it after all).
You have 12 months to do the first course and you (and your family) are going to have to be very flexible about when you are available to do the modules.
Good luck if you go to BTSC and get a motorbike if you need to travel any distance to get there.
the plumbing academy at edenbridge is brillant. train4trade skills is worth a look.
I've just come across this post and wanted to say that i trained at BTSC a couple of years ago. You get what you pay for! The trainers were brilliant, I really ejotyed becoming a plumber - I've recently applied for Corgi registration. Their placement company got me a good job which I enjoy. I don't know what else to say apart from people need to do research properly. Everyone has choices. I dont work for BTSC and they're not paying me but my experience was very different to some of views here!
Hi if mind2mind is out there reading this how did you get on with regards to btsc as I had signed up with them but before I even got to do the induction I have had to cancel due to being offerd a job in france.I phoned the chessington office to let them know as soon as possible they said there shouldnt be any probs an would get back to me,I then got told you have to send a letter to brian wall & he would reply within 10 days of reicept 13 days later got a letter saying that I should read the t&c & that I had a year in which to re-start & complete the course,I feel that as I never even got to do the induction I therfor never started and have not taken up a place on the course,also surely this should have a 14 day cooling off period after all it is a hell of a lot of money.
Add a comment about this blagger
Visitors to the site are reminded that the details contained within user comments are uncorroborated and as such should not be read as fact but as the opinion of the person who left the comment.
Comments:
Furthermore- I also hear that you are again only paying the staff 75% of the monies owed. This is in itself a clear breach of contract.
I do accept that the real culprits Allen Jackson/Jacqui Barson are now nowhere to be seen.
You are both very good at not telling the truth as the staff at PP will testify- Although very soon all will be out in the public domain e.g. I believe that the Daily mirror had already started by publishing something in an issue 2 weeks ago??
Believe what you ( future trainees) will but very soon the dust will settle and you will find yourselves seriously out of pocket just as the 800-1000 PP trainees who had paid for courses ( £6-10,000)which were never intended to be delivered
As for NeilC making such comments may I suggest that you also come in and see us and look at the new way we are moving forward as suggested above.
Many thanks
Alan Bowman
As for NeilC making such comments may I suggest that you also come in and see us and look at the new way we are moving forward as suggested above.”
Many thanks
Alan Bowman
The directors present and former are stripping away all cash- see many comments on other forums Re: Property Professionals
rwojcik at 25th Jan 2010, 01:13PM
They are the only ones with anything good to say about this company.
I would love to meet and speak to anyone who has completed the course, been found a placement by BTSC, and then gone on to complete the NVQ's 2 & 3, and be fully qualified as a plumber/gas engineer as they promise in the initial interview. My next question would then be "And how much did all this cost you and was that the price you were originally quoted?"
Please!! Somebody answer me! If the company has churned out as many 'qualified' plumbers as it claims it has, there must be someone that can prove it to me! Not much to ask is it?
Unbelieveable !! I've contacted Trading Standards and am seeking legal advise. Am not going to stop until they are brought to justice.
Please feel to email me any experiences that you have had so that I can use them to back up any action I take. It will All of course be done in strictise confidence and your names will not be mentioned without your concent.
My Email is damian.wanstall@btinternet.com
I think there is a case of paronia going on. I have no desire to get involved in your battle but stand by that i enjoyed all my training and qualified - and no, I don't know Brian Wall.
paw - The Plumber!!!!!
Some of my colleagues also signed the letter to add support. I went in today to do some exams and was escorted off the premises and told that a reply to my complaints had been sent and that I couldn't continue until I had read it.
When I got home I received the letter which has informed me that I have been kicked off the course with only a partial refund.
They stated I am a subvertive trouble maker ????
I am in total shock. It seems to me that they don't want to deal with complaints they just simply block them.
All complaints have to got to "Brian Wall" who has no email or telephone and will only respond by letter. All very suspect if you ask me.
Please get in touch as I now want to build a case against them.
damian.wanstall@btinternet.com
I can help thinking that maybe you work for BTSC.
I did not have a problem with these people, I thought the training was great and I sailed through the first part of the course without a problem. A year after I decided to part with £3595 and do the second part, unfortunately I found out I have an unexpected illness and was not even able to start the course. Even with doctors and neurologists letters advising me not to start, they still refuse to give my money back. I didn't choose for this to happen, if I could carry on, I would.
I realise you sign an agreement, but they should allow for these unexpected circumstances.
Like you I am not sure if these other Blaggers are true or not.
If anyone is thinking of signing up, find a way of looking into the future and finding out whether you will get an illness whilst with these people.
that some of the feedbacks here resemble the 'dirty tricks' employed in my old profession, where rival companies leave made up nonsense on eachothers forums, in order to steer customers their own way? Why do I think this? Well I'm many weeks into the training with these guys, and my mate (also from SA) did this 3 years ago, and pointed me in their direction (although I looked at competition also, including facilities, qualifications and job prospects). I have a legal agreement for my training, and my mate said he got through it without any major drama and got the best training he could.
So why on here is 'Ho' leaving the same feedback twice? Another is saying that you need NVQ rather than City & Guilds? NVQs are a C&G qualification as are the Technical Certificates, and they give you both, so is that comment even for real? Another guy here says you don't get the Technical Certs here - not true, they get you the 6129 Tech Certs, so why does he say it?
Another says it's all worthless because you need NVQ to find a job, but surely you need a job to
do the NVQ assessment? They have a jobs office there doing that for you. My mate got his job
through them, although he's set up on his own now and doing nicely thank you.
I'm only on here because we've got one guy always moaning in our class, and he mentioned this site so I was curious, but now suspicious as to how much you can learn from a site where so much of the stuff seems made up and is not factual (if it's like the hospitality trade, it'll be by competitors in the same catchment area!).
I can't comment on the people on here looking to get refunds for 'outside' reasons, or people who
expect things to work a totally different way to the way the agreement says it will. My advice is if you're thinking of training for something/anything, think carefully and if you are someone who's glass is always half empty, think again as courses can't be used as piggy banks when you want, and training terms don't change by the power of thought!
I've no axe to grind on here really, as my training's great and I'm in the happy majority, but I was a bit surprised at what I'd read and I do worry that people who go on this site will skip the bold bit at the top reminding people that those comments left here can not be taken as facts, and they might fall for an internet-age 'dirty tricks' campaign that appears to be used in more than one industry, as I know from my last one! It can make these sites misleading.
Whatever career you do choose, have a good one, and be positive!
Contact me in strict confidence at mr.resolution@live.com
A warning to anyone considering training with BTSC: Don't sign until you have checked out other providers. mr.res
There are 3 ways of taking training. The first is ‘Fast-track’ training by taking 8 one-week training Modules, Monday to Friday, over just 10 weeks (with a 2-week break between Modules 4 and 5) to gain the Technical Certificate Level 2 qualification enabling the installation of complete bathrooms. This is followed by a second Fast-track Course of 5 continuous one-week Modules to gain the Level 3 qualification.
- I wld like to try it because it is taking roughly a month to do each mod presently.
just finished module 5, not had any plumbing experience yet outside of this course.
it seems btsc are a bunch of definite ***** (use your own expletive here!)
does anyone know what the chances are of them actually finding trainees jobs?
am thinking a big fat no-no on that one?!?!
billy1980 at 15th Oct 2008, 12:10PM
I have to say that i think all the trainers at the manchester centre are great, they are very knowledgeable, patient, and friendly. They are very encouraging and fill me with confidence.
On a negative note... when i signed up in mar 08 i paid £4850 for c&g level 2 in plumbing, a couple of months later i was chatting to other students who told me they paid £1000 less than me! i was shocked to hear this as i was under the impression at my interview that places on the course were few and they would have to seriously consider whether or not i would be offered a place. Due to this i was thrilled to be offered a place and paid my £4850 within a week of accepting. As the price has been reduced by such a large amount i feel i have been misled... Are manchester centre struggling financially and in a deperate attempt to increase revenue, having a sale? i dont know... Needless to say, im not a happy bunny, but i signed the contract accepting that amount...
On a positive note, I can recommend getting the learn a trade cd, its really good and will definatley help you with the exams. Also the JTL nvq level 2 plumbing book is great - buy it!
I had a form of cancer when i signed up in February 2005 (I wanted something to focus on whilst undergoing treatment) and was told by the man at btsc not to worry because my place was secure and to start when i was fit to do so, this was October 2005. I had done 3 modules by Feb 06 when i was told to pay again to be able to carry on! If you ever have a problem with btsc, they make you deal with the man with no face (or phone), a Mr Brian Wall. My wife wrote countless letters with us often waiting long periods of time before receiving a reply ( or sometimes not one at all). In the end we said we were writing to city and guilds amongst others, and surprise surprise I got an extentsion.
If you are going to train at btsc think about the following; you must complete the course in 12 months (from the date of signing the agreement). The course isn't flexible, you can only do modules when there are trainers to lead them, so you can't do 2 modules a month as some people had hoped. btsc call the shots at all times. you pay good money to do a plumbing course, not to have the beautiful girls in the office( I thought i had taken a wrong turn and ended up in a model agency!!) or an internet connection. All the add ons are great but don't loose sight of the fact you are doing a plumbing course, make the most of every minute you are there and practice using their tools and copper pipe (you have paid for it after all).
You have 12 months to do the first course and you (and your family) are going to have to be very flexible about when you are available to do the modules.
Good luck if you go to BTSC and get a motorbike if you need to travel any distance to get there.
the plumbing academy at edenbridge is brillant. train4trade skills is worth a look.
Add a comment about this blagger