BRITISH ACCREDITATION COUNCIL INSPECTION REPORT. INTERIM INSPECTION (Short Course Provider)

Transcription

1 BRITISH ACCREDITATION COUNCIL INSPECTION REPORT INTERIM INSPECTION (Short Course Provider) ORGANISATION: Europrotocol Ltd ADDRESS: Wenlock Road London, N1 7GU HEAD OF ORGANISATION: Ms Dusha Vidanovich Accreditation status: Accredited Date of inspection: 2 December 2015 ACCREDITATION COMMITTEE DECISION AND DATE: 28 January 2016

2 PART A - INTRODUCTION 1. Background to the organisation Europrotocol is a small provider of short courses for international businesses and governmental organisations. The business was founded in 1999 and was registered in Slovenia. It operated mainly in Brussels. In 2004 the company moved to London and in 2012 it was registered with Companies House. A second director and minority shareholder joined the company in August Europrotocol is run and managed by its directors and has no other permanent employees. The London administrative office is located in a rented shared facility, which provides mail management, IT support and office and meeting space as required. The company administration, communication and event management are solely the responsibility of the main director. 2. Brief description of the current provision Europrotocol delivers training in diplomatic protocol, professional etiquette, cross-cultural communication and negotiation skills. It offers its training courses as single events, from one day to one week. Courses are open to individual participation or are specifically tailored for group requirements, including in-house training. Training events are located in four and five star hotels, usually in London or Brussels. The training is carried out by the main director, together with independent consultants under a contract for a single event. Europrotocol has also established links with partner consultant providers in the Gulf and in South Africa. The number of training events offered each year varies according to demand. Participants come from various organisations, including national embassies, international organisations and parliamentary bodies. The training may include accompanied visits to the United Kingdom Parliament, the Foreign Office, the European Parliament, the European Council and the European Commission. Training events are offered on a regular basis across the year, according to demand. Europrotocol also offers an annual one-week programme in 'training the trainers' in support of other companies seeking to offer protocol training globally. 3. Inspection process The inspection was carried out by one inspector over half a day. The inspector interviewed the main director and reviewed the electronic documentation provided by the organisation. 4. Inspection history Full inspection: 19 and 28 May also 24 June

3 PART B JUDGEMENTS AND EVIDENCE The following judgements and comments are based upon evidence seen by the inspector(s) during the inspection and from documentation provided by the provider 1. Significant changes since the last inspection Europrotocol has moved its administrative office to another rented shared office space in central London. The premises are modern and provide an attractive environment in which to work and hold meetings. At the new premises, Europrotocol has access to services such as the management of telephone calls and enquiries and the forwarding of mail. A second director and minority shareholder joined the company in August The website is in the process of being modernised and up-dated. 2. Response to actions points in last report 7.4 The outcomes of feedback on the training and any actions subsequently taken must be communicated to event participants. This is not relevant to individual participants attending open courses. An appropriate process for providing the outcomes of feedback and any actions taken subsequently to corporate groups of participants is in place. This is done through the contact person in the client organisation, who normally co-ordinates the return of the feedback from the participants as Europrotocol does not usually have access to the individual participants addresses. That contact is requested to provide a report of the feedback and to share it with all the participants if they are happy to do so. An example of a report was seen, which provided a useful analysis of the feedback and what could be done to improve the training event. 8.3 A systematic record should be kept of actions taken and changes made as a result of reflection and review. This is now included in the annual directors meeting activities report. 8.3 A review of the previous year's activity including proposals for any changes and improvements should be included as a part of the report to the annual meeting of Directors. This is now included in the annual directors meeting activities report Information regarding the route for raising complaints and concerns must be included in the published Terms and Conditions for training events. An appropriate reference to the method for making a complaint or raising any issues is now included in the terms and conditions published on the website. Response to recommendations in last report Europrotocol is advised to put in place systematic written procedures for ensuring a continuing support for training provision in the event that the director is unavailable. 3

4 In the unlikely event of the main director being unavailable when training is going ahead, appropriate information about how to organise and run a course is available in the terms and conditions. In addition, a second director and minority shareholder joined the company in August As a result, there is an appropriate person who would be able to take over if required. It is likely that if the main director were unavailable for any length of time, the course would be cancelled and participants would be able to get a refund according to the provider s cancellation terms. This is considered to be sufficient to ensure the effective running of this small training provider. Europrotocol should consolidate the formal role of its recently constituted Board of directors, in particular with a view to the sharing of the responsibility for strategic planning and the direction of the company's development. The role of the Board of directors is clear and is limited to considering the company s annual accounts to ensure its on-going financial stability. It is not considered by the main director to be appropriate for the members of the board to be involved in strategic planning. Europrotocol will need to balance carefully the tension between the high level of demand for its training and its on-going plans for expansion on the one hand, and the pressure on its personnel resources on the other hand. The tension between the demand for the company s training courses and the limited human resources available is well recognised. Therefore, courses are scheduled and planned with care to ensure that quality is not compromised and resources are not over stretched. 3. Compliance with BAC accreditation requirements spot check 3.1 Management, Staffing and Administration 3.2 Teaching, Learning and Assessment 3.3 Participant Welfare 4

5 3.4 Premises and Facilities PART C SUMMARY OF STRENGTHS AND ACTION POINTS Institution s strengths The main director is passionate about what she does and this is reflected in the positive feedback from participants. Great care is taken to ensure that participants individual needs are met during the delivery of courses. Actions required Priority H/M/L COMPLIANCE WITH STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS Declaration of compliance has been signed and dated. YES Further comments, if applicable 5