Ad description
A website for Stonebridge Associated Colleges, www.stonebridge.uk.com, seen on 7 July 2016. The web page promoting the 'Veterinary Support Assistant' course featured a menu on the right with a number of tabs. The page for the tab ‘Course Description’ included text that stated "This course is ideal for anyone assisting in a veterinary practice part-time or at the weekend, if you are considering working towards a career in veterinary practice, or for anyone caring for ill and recovering animals at home". The section titled "What Could I Do After Taking This Veterinary Assistance Course?" included text that stated "Work as an animal nursing assistant or veterinary care assistant. After successful completion of our Veterinary Support Assistant course, you could apply for support and assistant roles at veterinary practices, breeding/boarding kennels, charities or wildlife parks ... Build your career. If you wish to increase your responsibilities and further your career in the field of veterinary services you could continue your training and education with veterinary nursing courses or a university degree to become a veterinary nurse or surgeon ...".
Issue
The complainant, who understood that the course would be recognised for a veterinary nursing course but on completion of the advertised course found that that was not the case, challenged whether the ad was misleading.
Response
Stonebridge Associated Colleges Ltd stated that their website did not guarantee that the Veterinary Support Assistant course that they offered could gain access to all veterinary nursing courses.
Assessment
Not upheld
The ASA noted the text in the ‘Course Description’ tab, and in particular the section headed ‘What Could I Do After Taking This Veterinary Course’, which stated that the course was suitable for those seeking or already working in a veterinary assistance or support role, and those working towards a career in veterinary practice if they wished to progress beyond those roles. We further noted that text in the ‘Qualifications’ tab on the course page stated that “The completion of this course alone does not lead to an Ofqual regulated qualification but may be used as evidence of knowledge and skills towards regulated qualifications in the future ...”. While the ‘Course Description’ made references to the option of a career in veterinary nursing, we considered that in the context of the ad as a whole, consumers were likely to understand that the qualification gained might not necessarily meet the entry requirements for a veterinary nursing course, but that it could be used as evidence to demonstrate that the students had prior knowledge or an interest in the subject if they wished to apply for further courses with regulated qualifications to develop their career.
We understood that the Veterinary Support Assistant course was primarily intended for those wishing to obtain positions in veterinary support or assistant roles, and that it could serve to demonstrate an individual’s interest and commitment to the profession. Therefore, given how we considered consumers were likely to interpret the claims within the ad, we concluded that it was unlikely to mislead.
We investigated the ad under CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 3.1 3.1 Marketing communications must not materially mislead or be likely to do so. (Misleading advertising), but did not find it in breach.
Action
No further action necessary.
