Leaving Job - Training Retainer Scenario

[8yf13L0]

Good morning.

I am making the descision that I wish to leave my current toxic overworked position in a company I shall not mention, once I have found an alternative position as there are many to choose from in my area. I am a site electrical engineer. My employers put me on a cource 2 months ago that was an Asbestos Management cource instead of an Asbestos Awareness cource which I should have had for my position and job role.
As a result, the cource cost over £800 and they made me sign a retainer for this amount before I commenced the cource for if I left. Up to this point, I was not aware of the full in depth scope of the cource, that was beyond my knowledge and paygrade.

I have since failed the cource due to its immense difficulty - hence being a management level cource, my managers advised me that seniour managers at other contracts have also failed this cource due to its diffuculty, up to now I have not been put on a resit, nor have I been given any indication of my employer intending to place me on one.

In this scenario, is there any valid grounds for challenging the payment of this retainer if I choose to leave?

Would not mind as much if I was able to pass the cource and take my training with me for another employer.

But I feel with this particular cource, I was setup to fail from the get go.

Please let me know your views, I suspect I may have to cough up if I left.

Many thanks in advance.

J

[ULA]

If you have signed an agreement, prior to attending the course, requiring repayment of the training costs if you leave within a period of time after the course then your company can enforce this. You could try and argue that the course was not appropriate but I cannot guarantee that this would mean that you will not need to make the repayment.