Capital College is UK A-rating Institution (now Highly Trusted Sponsor)
Mr Taiwo Salami, MA, ACIS, FlnstAM is the Principal/Managing Director of Capital College, Elibank Road, London, United Kingdom. In this online interview with Ayo-Lawal Gbenoba, he talks about the challenges of the school, how it has been able to survive and other issues. Excerpts:
WHAT motivated you to start Capital College, UK?
As someone who came to the UK to study about 30 years ago, and who obtained all his academic and professional qualifications in the country, this gave me an appreciation of British education.
In addition to the above, I have always had a passion for education and continuous personal development. It was this passion that made me give up my employment in Nigeria then, to embark on this quest for personal improvement.
Mr. Taiwo A. Salami
What were the initial challenges and how did you overcome them?
One of the initial challenges we had at the college was, being able to identify genuine students from bogus ones. As a result of our passion for education and for transforming lives, we believed then that everyone who applied for admission to the College and who met our admission requirements were genuine and that they wanted to improve themselves.
We also did not want money to be a barrier to fulfilling their ambitions; hence, we were willing to accept whatever amount these applicants and their parents could afford as deposit towards their tuition fees. Once they demonstrated their commitment by paying a deposit, we were willing to issue them with necessary documents either to apply for their visas from abroad or for those already in the UK, to provide them our documents to renew their student visas.
Regrettably, we learnt our lesson in a very painful way. Most of these people turned out to be bogus. Once they obtained their visas, they would enter the UK quietly and begin to work, without turning up at the college to enrol for their studies or pay the balance of their tuition fees. We only know about the existence of most of them in the UK when they get into trouble and we are contacted by the immigration authorities and the police.
For those who were already in the country, they would attend lectures regularly for a time, but as soon as they obtained the renewal of their student visas through us, they would disappear into thin air with unpaid tuition fees and carry on working full-time.
Unfortunately, even some parents who are deemed respectable, especially in our African society, also collaborated with their children in this respect. I can count at least, three Nigerian chiefs, one member of the defunct House of Representatives in Oyo State, a bank manager and a whole lot more untitled ones, whom we trusted and treated with the respect they deserved, but they turned out to be bogus themselves, by aiding their children to disappear once they arrived in the UK, with our tuition fees unpaid.
However, we have overcome this challenge by tightening our controls. The new controls introduced by the UK government in March 2009 is also helping to weed out bogus students. Many bogus colleges have also been closed down as a result of the stringent accreditation and licensing rules which the UK government introduced under the new points-based system.
Part of this accreditation regime involves visits by agencies appointed by the UK Border Agency (UKBA), to educational establishments to inspect their systems, observe lectures in session, interview students, lecturers and administration/management staff of the college, inspect the college facilities, and so on, before granting accreditation.
Obtaining accreditation from these agencies does not guarantee licensing by the UK Border Agency as they also carry out their covert investigations and unannounced visits to the educational establishment, and another thorough inspection of the complete system and the background of the owners of the business, to ensure they qualify for licensing.
On the basis of their findings, the UK Border Agency would then decide whether or not the educational establishment meets their licensing requirements. If they do, they would then be classified into whether they qualify for an A-Rating or B-Rating.
An A-rated College is one that the UK Border Agency is completely satisfied with the outcome of all the inspections and investigations into their background, including the owner(s). Hence they are referred to as TRUSTED SPONSOR.
B-rated Colleges are either regarded as those requiring specific improvements in certain areas of their systems, or those who, even after being awarded an A-rating, the UKBA visited them unannounced and discovered they are not complying with the terms of their licensing; hence, they are down-graded to B-rating until such a time when they improve in the areas of their shortcomings.
Highly Trusted Sponsor (HTS) involves meeting further stringent requirements set down by the UKBA to qualify for this status. An educational establishment can only apply for this Highly Trusted status if they already have an A-rating from the UKBA, and can apply after a specific period of obtaining their A-rating.
I am pleased to inform you that Capital College has been awarded an A-rating by the UK Border Agency. We are Licensed to bring international students into the UK and to renew visas for existing ones already in the UK. We are also CAS-registered by them. I can assure you that we have our eyes on becoming a Highly Trusted Sponsor and will do so as soon as we become eligible to apply for that status.
Were there challenges faced which wouldn’t have surfaced if you were a white man?
The challenges I have faced in this business as a result of my colour and original background are not actually from the authorities or the system. The challenges I have faced are from my own people who believe that because Capital College UK is owned by somebody with a Nigerian background, then it’s a Nigerian college! I feel very sad every time comments like this come to my knowledge.
I have British people from diverse backgrounds in my employment at the college – white, black, Asian, and so on. Why anyone would think Capital College UK is a Nigerian college because of my original background beats my imagination!
One would expect to be acknowledged, that in a system such as the one prevailing in the UK environment where people from the ethnic minorities are either jobless or only do menial jobs, to have one of our own people who has managed to accomplish what one has achieved, calls for celebration among his own people.
If my original background is to play any role in people’s mind, it should be a positive one in the sense that as a Nigerian, I understand the mind-set of my people, I understand their aspirations, I understand their dreams when they come to my College to study, more than a white or Asian peers would understand.
How have you been able to sustain the college in spite of all these challenges?
My simple answer to this question is that God’s grace has been sufficient for me! Capital College UK has been in existence for over six years now and I can only say that we are going stronger and stronger every day.
My encouragement to people here is if you believe in what you are doing, don’t give up, just carry on doing it to the best of your ability. One day, there will be a break-through. That has been my experience.
I believe in the vision of Capital College, UK. I believe it was given by God’s inspiration for me to contribute to other people’s lives in my own little way. When challenges come, I do my bit and leave the rest to God. I can tell you that God has been very faithful indeed. He brings solutions at every stage of any challenge and in ways that I cannot understand.
The UK authorities also recognise that this is a college that has not compromised its position and that we are not a fly by night educational establishment; hence the confidence they have in us by granting us licence and giving us the A-rating that we have so we can continue in the business, while they have closed down some other colleges.
When you started, what was your vision and how far have you gone in keeping up with it?
My vision for Capital College, UK is to locate in every major city in the UK. This vision is still alive and we are working towards its fulfilment.
What is the college motto and why that/what core values and international practices do you hold dear and you believe have been helping the college to thrive?
Thank you very much for this question. The college motto is: “Only For The Serious-Minded.” The reason behind this motto is that I recognise there are a lot of people who come to Britain, most with genuine intentions to improve themselves and achieve something. At the same time, I also recognise that there are a lot who failed to achieve their dreams. There are so many factors that can cause distractions to fulfilling one’s dream in the U.K. Some people, the moment they begin to earn some £5 per hour from the menial jobs they are doing, the job becomes their priority and their studies become secondary. Eventually, they lose interest in their studies and of course, cannot progress beyond the £5 per hour they are earning.
For some people, it’s the glitzy life in the U.K. that causes distraction from their studies. Overnight, they want to live a lifestyle that they cannot afford and by the time you know it, their studies begin to suffer. For others, it’s the opposite sex, dating this, that and the other. Very soon, they become absent fathers with children from different ladies.
Speaking from my experience as a student in the U.K, I would honestly advise anyone who knows they really want to achieve something in their studies, to discipline themselves and live like students when they come to the U.K. You are a student and you want to own a BMW, a Mercedes Benz or any car at all cost it’s the beginning of distractions as, very soon, when the car breaks down and you don’t have the money to repair it, you would get into debt in order to maintain the status quo. If you are a student, you should live like a student. There is a time for everything under the sun. Your studying is a means to an end and not an end in itself.
I want to broadcast this message loud and clear to parents too so they would not have an unreasonable expectation from their children who are students in the UK. I remember after four or five years of my arrival in Britain, a relative wrote me a letter saying people who left Nigeria after me had built their own houses in Nigeria. When would I come and build my own house too?
For me, that was not a priority at that time, my studies were foremost. Having taken care of my studies then, I suppose I can say, with humility, that I can afford to build a house in Nigeria now, if I so desire.
UKBA Highly Trusted Sponsor (HTS)
Capital College UK is awarded “Highly Trusted Sponsor” status by the UK Border Agency. This new category of licence is given to CCUK in recognition of achieving the highest level of compliance required by the UK Border Agency.
Capital College UK New Web Site
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CCUK Team