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Coronavirus Update
This page was last updated on: 05/01/2021 at 07:00
The current coronavirus situation is touching all our lives and we are all having to adapt the way we live and work in order to prevent the further spread of the virus.
Further to the Prime Minister’s announcement on 04/01/2021 that a third ‘national lockdown’ would be necessary, all of our face-to-face training and assessment services that are due to be delivered on or before 21st February 2021, whether in whole or part, will regrettably need to be postponed. All affected students will be able to transfer to a later course date and we will write to each student to explain how they can complete the transfer process.
In the event that we do need to make any further announcements, we will update this page first and contact by way of email anyone who is affected by these changes.
New Student Advice:
If you are thinking about completing one of our qualifications it is only natural that in the current climate you will be apprehensive about making a booking. However, it is worth considering some of the current benefits and opportunities that are available:
- All courses have a 14-day money back guarantee – you can get a full refund of any monied paid during your “Cooling-Off Period”.
- We have low deposits and interest free payment plans for all of our courses.
- Our courses have low student numbers; as such, if and when you do need to attend, you will not be attending any large-scale training events.
- While the practical elements of our courses are temporarily restricted, we are still providing our remote learning support service for all students – remember support is unlimited at HFE.
- All our courses have video lectures like the sample we’ve provided below. If you can’t get to the classroom right now, let the classroom come to you!
- Many people are now finding that they have a great deal of spare time on their hands. This is an excellent opportunity to put this extra time to good use and get ahead with the home-study and underpinning knowledge before attending the practical training.
- We also have an online exam facility in which it is possible for you to complete all of the theory elements of your qualification in their entirety. Wherever you are in the world, it is possible to complete your theory assessment.
- Many of our qualifications can be completed entirely online, requiring no physical attendance. Speak to our Careers Advisors to find out more about this.
Current Student Advice:
If you are booked on a course that is due to commence face-to-face delivery after the 22nd February 2021, you do not need to take any action because your event is still set to be delivered as originally planned.
If you are booked on a course or assessment that is due to be delivered, either in whole or part, between the 4th January 2021 and 22nd February 2021 (the “postponement period”), then this service will be postponed and you will need to make a transfer to a later course date. We will write to you to inform you how you can complete this transfer process.
If you were booked on a course during any of the previous national lockdowns and you have not yet transferred your course dates, we ask that you complete the online transfer process in-line with the guidance you will have received in the emails that we have sent to you. You should already have received multiple emails asking you to complete this process.
We are handling extremely large volumes of transfer data and our systems are reasonably equipped to handle this. However, we do request that you bear with us while we process these requests. Every student will receive a confirmation email of their transfer request once it has been processed from our Learner Engagement System (LES).
We would kindly request that you put any additional time to good use and that you continue to work though the distance-learning and home-study elements of your course, submitting all coursework as indicated on your suggested study guide.
The Learning Support Tutors will continue to be on hand, as they were throughout the previous lockdowns, to help and assist you with any additional guidance and information that you need. Under normal circumstances, we would endeavour to mark all submitted work within 7 days. However, due to the current situation and the increased demand for marking services, we have temporarily extended this deadline to 14 days for the duration of this lockdown.
By focusing more on the theoretical elements of your programme now, you will reduce the time it takes for you to achieve your qualification in the future when we are able to deliver the practical elements to you.
In the meantime, if you do wish to complete your exams online, we have over the summer, developed a solution for you to be able to do this. Our online exams combine an easy-to-use exam player with artificial intelligence proctoring software, delivering a secure, reliable and convenient way for you to take your exams online. For more information on this process, please speak with your Learner Support Tutor.
COVID-19 Complaints and Enquiries:
Due to the high volume of support calls we are currently receiving from our students about matters related to the COVID-19 virus and the impact this is having on our delivery schedule, regrettably we are unable to respond to individual enquiries and/or complaints relating to our policy on this issue. We will continue to update this page on a daily basis with details on any changes or updates that we need to make you aware of.
We continue to follow the current Government directive on this matter and in the event that we do need to make any further changes, we will not hesitate to contact you as soon as is practicably possible.
We will continue to follow these instructions closely and we are continually exploring ways that we can better fulfil our service obligations to our customers, suppliers and staff during this difficult period. We thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.
Further Information:
We have provided a series of useful links below which contain key information on how to minimise the risks of contracting and spreading the COVID-19 virus. We would politely request that you take the time to review the following guidance and ensure that you follow this as closely as is practicably possible:
UK Government – Coronavirus Update
