Paying for FETAC Cert?

nicfd

Hi Guys,

Just wondering if anybody can help me answer a query.

My mam just completed a FETAC course in a local secondary school. Everybody in her class have received a letter today stating that if they want a cert, they have to pay €20 for a component cert or €50 for a full cert.

Nobody in the class was made aware of this at the beginning of the course. Also, many of the people on the course would have received back to education or some other type of allowance so forking out this kind of money for a cert isn't really feasible for them.

Anyway, my question is - has anybody else had to pay for an original of their results for FETAC? If so, were you advised that this would be the case before you took the course? Should students not have an automatic right to a print out of their results in the first place and fair enough, charge for any replacements?

Any advice is welcome as I think it's ridiculous that people can do a course and then be expected to pay for a piece of paper!!

Thanks in advance,

nicfd

implausible

Haven't heard of this before. We charge our students at the beginning of the year and the only other thing they pay is their exam fees. The school must've forgot to factor the certs into their costs.

For jobs, the results should be enough. I'm imagine the cert would just be for decoration purposes.

I wonder is the money going to FETAC or the school.

Further Ed.

Those rates sound like the exam fee from FETAC. Did she pay anything at the start of the course towards exams etc ? If she did then there is no way that she has to pay again as FETAC don't charge for the first print out of the Certificate (what you hang on the wall).

All learners get a print out of their results and the centre can do this as all results are now available from the FETAC Business System (FBS) to the centre. However the cert comes from FETAC.

If your mother has a medical card then she is exempt from the FETAC exam fee. Go back to the centre and clarify what the fee is for - is it the FETAC exam fee (which covers the issue of the certificate) of is another charge. If you are not happy with the reply then email fetac.

nicfd

Thanks for these. I've contacted FETAC. Can I just ask if you know would the exam fee be covered if they doing the course under back to education where they didn't pay for course in the first place.

implausible

nicfd wrote: »

Thanks for these. I've contacted FETAC. Can I just ask if you know would the exam fee be covered if they doing the course under back to education where they didn't pay for course in the first place.

It's the school you should contact, not FETAC. If she has a medical card, she is exempt from exam fees.

Printer

Hey

This is correct. FETAC now charge a flat fee of €20 for Minor Award certificates and €50 for Major Award certificates. It is down to the individual school/college/provider if they pass this cost directly onto student or pay it for them.

I work for an independent FETAC training provider and we currently pay the costs for students but will have to pass it on to students who are NOT unemployed or who do NOT have medical cards in the New Year.

People who are unemployed and have medical cards are exempt from the fee so your provider should not ask for it from you if this is the circumstance.

Further Ed.

This fee has always been charged in the majority of centres and was previously referred to as a FETAC Examination fee. Here is the FETAC information on the charges;

Certification Fees for 2011


FETAC has reviewed its fee structure in order to make the charges more transparent to providers and their learners.
FETAC will now charge for the certificate issued for each eligible learner. This is the only charge FETAC will make to learners.
If a learner is to receive a major certificate at level 5 or 6 and is liable for the payment of fees this will be invoiced to centres. If a learner receives a component certificate, a single charge will apply regardless of the number of minor awards achieved.
There are now two charges depending on the award achieved and the certificate issued.

• major certificates €50

• component/specific purpose/supplemental certificates €20

The revised rates will apply to all certificates issued after 01 April 2011.
Certification fees do not apply to certificates issued at levels 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Social welfare recipients and/or Medical Card holders are exempt from fees. We do not wish to invoice centres for issuing certificates to learners that are exempt from fees. In order to ensure that this does not occur it is critical that the learner is clearly flagged on the Web Candidate Entry System/ FETAC Business System that they are exempt from fees. Centres should retain for their records the appropriate evidence of the learners that are exempt.
Certain centres are exempt from certification fees i.e. Youthreach/VTOS centres.
Notification of increase issued to centres on 10 January 2011