I'm on the EAL level 2 course and I agree with some of the arguments for and against.
Open book, well I see this as a non issue. It's a heavily regulated industry and just because you think you know doesn't mean you shouldn't refer to the regs to confirm. Whilst doing the exams it's open book for ONE of the exams and yes the answers are in it but you have to understand what it actually means and how to interpret it. If your on site and never refer to the books when doing a job you haven't done before or a Long while your either a genius or your ego is far too big. It's about making sure people continually refer to the regs.
Exams online multiple choice, personally for some topics like fixings etc this is fine. More technical stuff I do think they should be written so you can actually show an understanding rather than just a best guess. I believe level 3 is more written than multiple choice.
It is an industry recognised qualification but it doesn't have the history c&g does, but it will in the as c&g aren't what they used to be. Unfortunately it's more about the pass mark for ALL courses now rather than the actual quality of the student at the end.
Pass is a pass and that's all they care about. From a student who is actually doing ok on the course I can't distinguish myself from the guy who is literally scraping through. If we both pass on paper we are equal and in that respect c&g is no different.
If your an employer and you are employing a c&g qualified guy over EAL that's your choice but it doesn't actually mean your getting a better trained person. In my college it was c&g until a while back the lecturers are teaching the same information just a different qualification at the end.