Confused about my FETAC / QQI award

Alactric

Hello there, I was wondering if any of you could help me with a problem I'm having.

I recently completed a FETAC level 4/5 in Security Studies and successfully completed the course with the certificate grade of "distinction"

Off the back of this, I applied to do a level 6 course in Security Management and Operations, and I received a letter a week or two ago that I had been accepted onto the course.

Obviously, since I'm doing a course in security I need a Private Security Authority License (or PSA license) to officially work, so I had an application pack sent out which I received today. It looked fairly simply, until I got to a stage in application which required, and I quote:

"A copy of your QQI certificate (or FETAC certificate if training delivered prior to 12th December 2012"

and...

"Completion of form TRF by QQI validated training provider"

To the best of my knowledge, and despite having passed all required modules for the PSA, I don't think I have either of these documents. The only thing I received from the college was a statement of my results and a QQI appeal form (to appeal grades)

As you can imagine this puts me in a difficult spot, the college closed up for the summer back at the end of May and I'm not really sure who to contact to try and get these documents.

While I could wait until September to go back and get the paperwork I need, the summer is one of the biggest times in the year for security work, and a lot of the static security jobs require little experience.

What really confuses me though, is that I only learn't about all of this today, our tutor, who was very informative throughout the whole year, gave us the impression that it would be possible to get work over the summer.

But if I'm understanding this correctly, the only way to get the necessary signature from a "validated training provider" would have been at the end school year, about a month before I had even received my results.

I don't believe the tutor would have made that kind of mistake, and he certainly would have told us if it wasn't possible to get work over the summer.

So, all in all, I'm very confused about the whole thing, maybe I'm just missing something?

Anyway, all help is appreciated.

spurious

If it was an ETB college, it's quite likely the office is still operational. Summer is the time repair works get carried out and although it may looked closed, it's not.

Alactric

I'm not really sure what you mean by "ETB" ?

From what I can tell the college is partnered with ATI.

I'm still a bit confused though, is it common that students have to go back to the college after the school year has ended to get stuff like this? I thought the certificate is something that would come in the post.

spurious

I mean if it was in a college run by the local council - what used to be called a VEC school.

Alactric

Yes, it looks like it's under Cork Country Vocational education committee, or whatever it's called now.

I'm not really sure if that helps my situation though, from the look of the sample TRF form is has to be signed by the course co-ordinator, I don't think anyone else could sign it.

I'm suprised that I have to do any of this at all though, how do people normally receive their certificates?

spurious

I would ring the school and ask if they had the information you want.

Alactric

Thanks for responding.

Yes, I rang them a while ago and left a message, they'll probably get back to me tomorrow. I'll see how it goes.