The SJIB is committed to resolving appeals and aims to ensure that all its assessments and results are based on valid judgements. However, the SJIB recognises that there may be occasions when a candidate wishes to query specific points or has a genuine concern regarding the outcome of the FICA assessment. This process is dealt with under the FICA Appeals Procedure.
Informal
On occasion, candidates and employers may query the FICA results and may seek information beyond that provided within the FICA Candidate Feedback Report. The first point of contact should be the Training Officer, who should attempt to assist the candidate or employer using the information provided on the report. Where the Training Officer is unable to satisfy the candidate or employer’s query, they should be advised to contact the FICA Centre Manager where the candidate undertook the FICA for additional information.
The Training Officer should advise candidates and employers who require additional feedback to submit their request to the Centre Manager within 20 working days of notification of the result of the FICA.
Feedback to candidates, over and above the information provided on the FICA Candidate Feedback Report, is limited to those who have narrowly failed to pass a Section(s). Feedback will be given in the following sections for those candidates who achieve over a certain percentage in each section:
| Sections | Archived over |
|---|---|
| Section B – Composite Installation | 80% |
| Section C – Inspection & Testing | 75% |
| Section D – Safe Isolation of Supplies | 90% |
| Section E – Fault Diagnosis & Rectification | 80% |
For feedback on Section F, Centre Managers will contact the SJIB detailing the query and the SJIB will respond.
The Centre Manager will review the query and the results and will provide additional guidance to the candidate or employer.
Centre Managers should retain a written record/summary which will contain the following information:
- Candidate’s name
- National Insurance number
- FICA date
- Nature of the query
- Feedback provided.
Centre Managers should email copies of the report to the SJIB.
The SJIB will refer to the report in the event of an appeal.
If it transpires during the investigation that marking errors have impacted on the final result of a section(s), the Centre Manager shall notify the SJIB of the findings in writing.
If the SJIB verifies the Centre Manager’s findings, the appropriate section(s) will be corrected and the SJIB will re-issue the resulting amended paperwork.
In this situation there is no need for a candidate to take any further action.
Where the candidate feels that it is inappropriate to discuss the matter informally with the Centre Manager because of the nature of the grounds of appeal, the candidate may submit an appeal to the Secretary of the SJIB.
The SJIB recognises that some candidates may still wish to query specific points regarding their results and/or where they have genuine concerns about the way the Assessment was conducted. In such circumstances, they are advised to submit an appeal to the Secretary of the SJIB.
Formal Appeal
General Information
Candidates may appeal directly to the SJIB or their employer may appeal on their behalf.
Appeals should be made within three months (maximum) of notification of the result of the FICA.
Candidates or employers wishing to appeal should contact the Secretary of the SJIB in writing detailing the reason(s), along with any supporting information.
Appeals will be considered where the candidate believes he or she can show that there has been a specific breach of proper assessment practice or procedures. For example, a candidate may claim that he or she:
- Was not allowed the full, allocated time
- Did not have the appropriate access to the Candidate Manual.
- Was not assessed to the correct standard
- Was being assessed in a booth that had not been prepared correctly
- Had to use equipment that was not fit for purpose
- Felt unfairly treated by the Assessor
- Felt that mitigating circumstances had not been taken into consideration.
Procedure
If the matter is not resolved informally through the Centre Manager, the candidate or employer may make a formal appeal to the Secretary of the SJIB in writing detailing the reason for the appeal, along with any supporting information.
The SJIB will acknowledge receipt of all appeals.
Appeals will be reviewed by the Secretary of the SJIB. As part of the process, feedback from the initial request to the SECTT Training Officer and/or the Centre Manager will be obtained, along with other experts and, where necessary, the candidate.
The SJIB will gather all pertinent facts in order to decide the appropriate outcome of the appeal.
The SJIB will notify the candidate of the outcome within two weeks of receipt of the appeal request.
If the decision is to amend the original assessment result, the candidate and the employer will be advised and replacement results documentation will be issued. The decision at this stage is final.