I have one as well - excellent bag but the outer plastic case is covered with a film which get easily torn. Its a bit unsightly and would have been better off not being applied.
There is an alternative to the 4 day course and subsequent £1200 price tag. A UK NQE (3iC) offers an Online course at £1000. On the Insurance issue, the BFMA Insurance will not cover you for any commercial work so do be careful. :)
I removed mine as well with no issues. I had a long look at this and couldn't see why it was there in the first place! My guess is that it had some function in transit.