Updates for Classroom based Courses | #Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)
Course Update – Under New Lockdown Restriction
We can confirm that all our classroom-based courses will run as normal according to the timetable. Under the new lockdown restrictions, Adult Education is exempt, therefore we will run all courses as normal.
If there are any changes to that we will announce accordingly.
As of 18th March 2020 we have suspended all of our Classroom Courses held at Osborne Training Centres. We care about the safety of our students and employees, therefore are taking all precautionary measures during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The UK government is now advising that people should be avoiding social contact, non-essential travel and to work from home if that is possible.
From Wednesday 18th March 2020 until further notice, we will be suspending face-to-face teaching at our training locations across the UK. We are closely monitoring the pandemic and if the situation does improve, we may lift the classroom suspension giving at least 5 days’ notice to our students.
A. During the suspension of classroom courses, what alternative arrangements are in place for students?
We have moved all the classroom learners to our Online Learning Platform which consists of Recorded Lectures, Live webinars, Study Materials and Tutorial Support. Our Academic Support team will continue to be available to support you. As a reminder, they are available 5 days a week via email through Tutorial support.
We are extremely fortunate to have a strong online learning platform at Osborne Training. We are able to provide an excellent experience through our Online Learning Platform (PQ Online College of the Year 2017 Nomination) to enable us to continue to deliver excellent education to all of our learners.
Please login to the url below with your existing VLC login id and password to access the Online Learning Platform.
https://osbornetraining.org/vle/obs/login/index.php
If your existing password does not work, you can also reset it.
There is a short video on the homepage for you to watch on while you logged in to get better understanding on how live webinar works.
Please note: Your account should be accessible after 5 pm on Wednesday 18/03/20
B. AAT Classroom Courses
All AAT classes will be moved to our online learning platform study structure, where students will watch the pre-recorded lessons and have a live revision session once a month for each level. When you login you will see the upcoming scheduled lessons according to the modules, please follow this structure accordingly.
However, if you do wish you do not need to follow this structure and can self-study in a preferred order. All live sessions are also recorded and uploaded the next working day.
Please note when classes do commence, you will be required to follow the schedule given to you at the time of enrolment. Therefore, it is advisable to study the module you are currently on in your classroom studies.
C. Sage 50 Accounts, Payroll & Practical Accounting Classroom Courses
All Sage 50 Accounts, Payroll and Practical Accountancy Classes will be moved to our online classes. When you login, go to your course module to find more on dates of the live webinar. You can also watch the recorded lectures if you wish.
D. Tutorial Support
For all of our courses, tutorial support will be available online.
If you have any questions relating to your study where you may need the support of the tutor, tutorial support will be available online.
Whenever you submit a question it will create a ticket to the tutorial support team and the tutors aim to respond to you within 2 working days.
E. Examinations
All AAT Exams are suspended until further notice.
For regular updates from AAT please visit https://www.aat.org.uk/about-aat/coronavirus-update
F. Further alternatives
Our Academic Support team will be based remotely and they will continue to offer our services as they do currently. Also, we have plans in place for incidents such as these where student services might have to work remotely so you can still get non-academic support if needed.
If you are not happy with the precautionary measures taking place, please contact us and inform us. Your course will be put on hold until the classroom based lessons commence, and for the classes you have missed you will be allocated a schedule according to our upcoming availability.
Please note, during this unprecedented period, response time will be longer than normal for Academic and Non-academic support.
We sincerely wish good health for you and your families during these uncertain times.
We would like to confirm that all Osborne Training Centre locations remain open for scheduled courses and computer based exams.
We will continue to announce updates accordingly as we are currently monitoring the situation very carefully and following the government professional guidelines at all of our centres.
Classroom based lessons will continue until the health advice recommends otherwise.
If you suspect any symptoms please inform us immediately and self-isolate until you have been tested accordingly, to prevent the spread of contamination.
Anyone with a high temperature or a new, continuous cough should self-isolate for 7 days as advised by the government.
More up to date Government advice can be found on this link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public
A. For Classroom Based Learners
We will continue to run classes as normal, therefore we are not expecting any disruption to your studies.
- It is also advisable to everyone attending classroom based courses that if you are coughing or sneezing, use a tissue and bin it. Also please remember to wash your hands frequently using soap and water for 20 seconds, particularly after coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose.
- Alternatively, you can also use sanitiser if that’s the only thing you have access to.
- Also follow the above instructions after being in public areas to further ensure your safety.
- Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces that you use regularly using cleaning products to reduce the risk of getting or passing the infection on to other people.
If you are returning from abroad, please follow the Public Health guidance on gov.uk website and if you are advised to self-isolate then please contact us to make alternative arrangements to ensure you are not left behind.
B. What if there is a lock-down?
If the lock-down is for two weeks or less we will close our centres and postpone all the courses. If it’s longer then two weeks, we will move the lessons to online learning with live online lessons, Tutor support etc. until the lock-down is lifted.
we appreciate that this can be a stressful time for some learners, but please do reach out to us if you require any further support.