Reference obtained for student who never went to college

FOR learners to qualify for courses entitling the college to European Social Fund cash, evidence needed to be provided that they had been working in an IT-related field for three months before it started.

A reference was obtained for a “Nicola Blennerhassett”, allegedly created on the college’s IT system.

When contacted, Miss Blennerhassett, 31, of Kirkby, said she had never worked for the Kirkby-based company Pixatek, from which the reference, dated November 2004, appears to have come.

Miss Blennerhassett, who once began an IT course at Knowsley Community College but did not complete it, said: “I’ve never worked for that company and I’ve never been to the Community College. I was out of work at that time because I had just had my son.”

Liverpool Community College records show a student by the name of Nicola Blennerhassett enrolled on its Higher Workforce Skills course in Nov 2003 and finished in Aug 2004.

The records show there was “evidence of employment” but after nine months she was put down as “not achieved”.

James Kildare, who owned Pixatek, said he had never seen the reference before and did not recognise either Nicola Blennerhasset or Angela Peterson, the “HR administrator” in whose name the reference was signed.