Q. I’ve been told by my training provider that my apprentice has to wait several months before they can take their AM2S, as our local NET centre is full – what can be done about this? It’s not acceptable to have such a wait when the apprentice is ready for the assessment.
We agree that you should not be waiting months for an AM2 appointment – it’s completely unnecessary as there is plenty of availability across the country!
What we find is a college or training provider will often only look to the NET centre closest to them, or the one with which they have an existing relationship. In fact, there are currently 55 NET licensed centres and you can choose any of them. If your training provider’s usual NET centre is fully booked and you are happy to travel further afield, ask them to look for an alternative centre with availability.
On a regular basis we ask centres to advise us on what space they have and we list these details on the NET website. Take a look at this page to get a feel of availability or, if a centre near you isn’t listed. Feel free to contact us at info@netservices.org.uk and we’ll help to explore who might be able to take your booking.
As the apprentice’s employer you are in the driving seat – if there’s an unreasonable delay for your booking, if you aren’t happy with your training provider opting for the nearest centre, or the one they use frequently, you are within your rights to ask them to find another centre in order to get your candidate assessed sooner.
There is some administration required on the training provider’s behalf, but there is no reason why you can’t use an alternative centre.
So take control and don’t settle for delays! Contact us if you need more help with finding an available assessment slot.
To check the full list of NET centres and their availability click here
