A Stirrer Investigation

TRADING STANDARDS PROBES WALSALL LANGUAGE SCHOOL

16-01-2008

Birmingham Trading Standards officers have launched an investigation into a language school causing severe delays to students desperate to become British citizens.

The probe was announced after The Stirrer revealed that dozens of migrants have been left in limbo by the Walsall-based Aspire Training and Achievement College (or ATAC).

They are running a government-backed “Skills For Life” course, which is an essential qualification for anyone who wants to settle here from outside the EU.

The problem is the length of time it’s taking for students’ work to be independently assessed – because until it is, the Home Office won’t give them a UK passport.

Now the city council's consumer watchdogs are on the case after we reported that several of the exam awarding bodies named on ATAC's promotional material said they didn't, in fact, accredit their courses.

Mike Haggerty, a spokesman for the Scottish Qualifications Authority, told us "they are not an SQA Centre", while Lesley Cook of the English Speaking Board said her organisation "has never assessed any students from Aspire."

Chris Neville, Birmingham's head of trading standards, said this week: "This is obviously something that concerns us.”

For the full story see The Stirrer’s weekly column in the Birmingham Mail http://tinyurl.com/2eblg3

The previous story about the language school is here http://tinyurl.com/27b75l

Read The Stirrer every Thursday in the Birmingham Mail and the Black Country Mail.