Discrimination by disorganisation?

Bepolite

Hi guys I have a tricky situation and I'm not certain how to/or is the matter worth dealing with and I would be greatly appreciative of any advice or suggestions. So here it goes I am a single father with Court awarded access (every second weekend extra time at Xmas & Easter and two weeks during the summer holidays).

Earlier this year I started a Momentum course which initially was great until the course provider started continuously changing the time table and the dates of our work placement, I had my work placement sorted, in total there was 7 subjects to cut a long story short the course provider changed the dates of the last two exams which coincided with my child's summer holiday access. I made the course provider aware of this and they said that they would re-arrange the exams and that they would contact me in a couple of days with the new details.

I never received any return contact from the course provider so I rang there office back again and was told that they would ring me back, they never did, in total I rang them 7 times on each occasion I was told that they would ring me back they never did. So the week before my summer access was due to start the tutor asked me to sign forms for the remaining exams I refused because I wouldn't not have been there for them, I told the tutor that I had rang his boss 7 times about the matter and she never returned any of my calls (this was just before the morning tea break) with any alternative arrangements, the tutor told me that he would ring her and get it sorted.

That afternoon the course provider left a message on my phone saying that I was terminated from the course because of attendance. I had taken 3 days off which they were made aware off (via phone and email) 2 of the days were for family court the other was to visit my terminally ill mother in hospital. The following week the course provider sent me a letter stating that I was terminated due to my personal circumstances.

Obviously I feel very disappointed in the manner that i was treated and I feel that I have been greatly discriminated against particularly because I made every attempt available to me to contact the course provider to make alternative arrangements.

The first 5 subjects I got distinctions in, also two other people were terminated from the course for questioning the way I was treated. The company that I had arranged my work placement with were willing to take me on full-time after the placement finished. Can anyone offer any suggestions on how I should follow up on this matter?

Seb made me feel bad.

Bepolite

Putting my confusion aside as it is rather off topic (apologies OP) I'd suggest making a written complaint to what ever institution ran the course. I'm hearing fairly frequently over the last wee while of various education providers (including one quite well regarded IT) getting things so wrong on courses that people leave or are forced out.

It seems that once the money has gone in to fund X people on Y course (normally IT based) the planning just isn't there. Whether taking it any further is going to yield results is debatable and best left to a professional to advise you. I'm becoming a one man advert for them but as Seb has suggested FLAC may be of some assistance.

Is there no ombudsman for education? Perhaps a complaint to QQI (if I've got the name right).

Please note Sebs comments in your previous thread in relation to FLAC and also in relation to fair procedures. It wouldn't be the first time an education institution fell foul of these!