Apurv Patel, who has been in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa since 2023, said he paid Synetal Solutions £3,600 across February and March for healthcare training after he and a friend were verbally promised guaranteed sponsored jobs.
Eight months later he has received no job offers, interviews or meaningful employment support, he said.
“I’m frustrated. I paid money, I wasted my time. I did whatever they wanted without any result,” he said.
“It’s had a miserable effect on my family and finances.”
Patel said he did receive some training but described it as poor quality and ultimately “worthless”.
Having previously worked for two years as a healthcare assistant, he said he became concerned when a trainer was unable to answer routine questions about care work.
“She didn’t give us any answers and we realised she didn’t have any experience of healthcare,” he said.
The company disputes claims that training was ineffective.
He also alleged communication with the company deteriorated after he made his second payment, with responses sometimes taking several days.
Patel has since complained to his bank and sought help from Citizens Advice.
The BBC has seen emails from the company advertising a “three-month recruitment programme” offering “training and placement with sponsorship” for £5,500.
Home Office guidance, external states agencies may charge for services such as training or CV-writing assistance, but cannot charge fees solely for finding, or attempting to find, employment.
Responding to questions about its marketing, Synetal Solutions said: “We acknowledge the ‘guarantee’ wording in the emails supplied and recognise that contractual terms alone do not resolve concerns about those assurances.”
As part of its programme, Synetal Solutions created accounts for trainees on iHasco, a health and social care training platform.
The BBC contacted iHasco, which confirmed the company was a customer. However, it said its terms did not permit customers to resell its training content to individuals who were not employees.
The company said it was reviewing Synetal Solutions’ account and would take appropriate action if necessary.
Synetal Solutions said it had acted in accordance with its agreement with iHasco.
The Care Quality Commission said there was no single qualification that automatically qualified someone to work as a care worker. Instead, providers are responsible for ensuring employees are appropriately trained and competent for their roles.
The BBC also contacted a number of healthcare organisations whose logos appeared on Synetal Solutions’ website as examples of employers where graduates had worked.
Those organisations that responded said they had no links to the company. Some also said they had not authorised the use of their branding, and some said they would not accept certificates provided through the company’s training.
