Under new UK government legislation, higher-education institutions must comply with consumer protection law and meet the standards defined by the Competition and Markets Authority.

Since the introduction of new Consumer Rights legislation in 2015, students are now recognised in law as "Consumers" and as such are afforded the same protection as any consumer entering into a contract to purchase goods or services.

In addition to the rights of the consumer, the legislation also places obligations upon the universities. The legislation sets out minimum standards that apply to various aspects of a higher-education provider's dealings with students, for example in relation to information provision, complaint handling, and the requirement of fairness for terms and conditions.

The release of the Consumer Rights in Higher Education training course is timely because if an organisation fails to comply with this legislation, a number of remedies may be available to the student, such as the student being refunded their course fees, as they are now recognised in law as a consumer.

The new training course will therefore provide higher-education providers and their employees with information they will need to ensure they understand and adhere to these obligations.

David Marshall, founder at Marshall E-Learning, explained why the course is vital for higher-education providers everywhere. "In addition to gaining a new understanding of rights afforded to consumers in every aspect of the services a university or college provides, you should now be aware of what measures your organisation needs to take in its dealing with the student as consumers to ensure that you remain compliant to this piece of consumer legislation."

Areas covered by the course include

• the student research and application stage, in which information forms part of the Student Contract
• the Student Contract that is formed when the Student/Consumer accepts the offer of a place
• the student-complaint process

As with all Marshall E-Learning courses, the 30-minute programme can be viewed on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone using any browser.