Customer Complaints Procedure and Whistleblowing Policy

Alliance Learning is committed to providing a high standard of service to all of our customers. However, we understand that sometimes customers will feel that they have a reason to complain about the service they have received from Alliance Learning.

We always like to hear from our customers and so we encourage feedback of any nature, including complaints. Our Complaints Procedure explains how we handle the complaints we receive.

Procedure:

If you are unhappy with the service provided by Alliance Learning - whether it is the learning experience, assessment, the support you are receiving or about staff or the organisation itself - we promise to take your complaint seriously and treat it as confidential. We also aim to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible – usually within 7 working days.

If you would like to make a complaint, please do so as soon as you can. In the first instance, we would ask you speak to the member of staff at Alliance Learning with whom you are dealing – whether that’s your Work Based Tutor, Account Manager or any other member of staff. If you are unable to resolve the matter this way, please make a formal complaint.

If you want to make a complaint you can email quality@alliancelearning.com. If you would like to make a complaint via telephone, please contact 01204 677861. Please provide as much detail as you can about your complaint, for example, dates, times and names of people involved.

The details of customer complaints are forwarded to the Apprenticeships and Quality Manager at Alliance Learning to be recorded and acknowledged by return email/telephone call within 2 working days of receipt.

The Apprenticeships and Quality Manager will identify a suitable member of the management team to investigate the complaint – usually a manager with no direct or indirect involvement in the area about which you wish to complain.

The relevant manager shall communicate with you to inform you that an investigation of the complaint is taking place, normally within 5 working days of receiving the complaint. Copies of any communication are passed to the Apprenticeships and Quality Manager.

The relevant manager shall investigate the complaint and the information obtained during the investigation process shall be recorded and passed to the Apprenticeships and Quality Manager, normally within 7 working days of receiving the complaint.

The Apprenticeships and Quality Manager shall review the information and supporting evidence and, where the complaint is valid, determine the necessary immediate corrective (stage 1) action and agree the timescale in which the action is to be completed also agreeing preventive (stage 2) action, if applicable. At this point the Apprenticeships and Quality Manager will inform you of the findings, normally within 10 working days of receiving the complaint.

Monitoring of actions shall be carried out by the relevant Manager, to verify that the corrective action agreed has been satisfactorily completed. Records of customer complaints, results of investigations, the corrective/preventive action implemented and communication with the complainant shall be maintained by the Apprenticeships and Quality Manager and reviewed at management meetings.

In the case where evidence cannot be found to support the complaint, this shall be communicated by the Apprenticeships and Quality Manager to you, normally within 10 working days of receiving the complaint. Copies of documents/records confirming that the complaint is without basis shall be made available should they be required by you.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint you can appeal the outcome within 5 working days of receiving your resolution to the Executive team via quality@alliancelearning.com

For information regarding the NEBOSH complaints policy/procedure click here: https://www.nebosh.org.uk/policies-and-procedures/complaints-procedure

Extra Information for Apprentices:

If you are on a funded programme of study – i.e. an Apprenticeship - and you are unable to reach a satisfactory outcome with Alliance Learning about your complaint, following your appeal decision, you can escalate this to the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Details of this can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/complainfurthereducationapprenticeship or through the Apprenticeship helpdesk (on 08000 150400 or email nationalhelpdesk@apprenticeships.gov.uk)

Whistleblowing Policy:

Click Here to view our Whisteblowing Policy.