Capital Engineering Group Holdings Ltd

Learning and Skills inspection report Date published: 21 January 2013 Inspection Number: 388334 URN: 58587

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Summary of key findings for learners

 Too many learners did not complete their apprenticeship qualification in 2011/12.  Assessors do not set sufficiently specific and timely targets to help learners progress quickly.  Learners’ English, mathematics and language needs are not sufficiently met in much of the construction provision.  The observation of key aspects of the learners’ experience is not sufficiently established across the provision.  Equality and diversity are not consistently well promoted in learning and reviews to reinforce learners’ understanding in construction.

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Summary of key findings for learners

 Good support for learners across the provision enables many to succeed.  Training programmes develop learners’ confidence and skills and enhance their prospects of progressing in their careers.  Good and close working relationships with employers who provide effective assistance to learners.  The performance management of staff and subcontractors is effective in meeting the needs of the business.  There are good arrangements for managing the subcontracted provision. Inspection dates 11-14 December 2012

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This inspection: Requires improvement-3

Previous inspection: Inadequate-4 Outcomes for learners Requires improvement-3 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement-3 Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement-3

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that apprentices complete their programme by fully implementing new systems to monitor and support learners at risk of leaving.  Ensure that frequent reviews with learners inform detailed and effective action plans to aid their progress.  Ensure that assessors and trainers utilise the results of initial assessment for literacy and devise specific support to meet the needs of individual learners.  Ensure that all staff implement the revised observation of learning process so that Capital Engineering Group Holdings Ltd (CEGH) continues to develop a sound grasp of the quality of learners’ experience. Use the result of observation to improve further learners’ experience.  Ensure that all trainers are confident about how equality and diversity can be better integrated into learning sessions and how learners’ understanding can be reinforced at progress reviews.

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Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners Requires improvement  Success rates in workplace learning provision are in line with the national average, with the majority of learners completing their course within the agreed time. Achievements are satisfactory in construction but low in engineering and business administration.  Overall success rates for apprenticeships were low in 2011/12, particularly in administration and customer service, where the necessary cancellation of a key subcontractor contributed significantly to lower outcomes.  According to CEGH’s data, retention is much improved on apprenticeship courses in the current year. Compared to the same period last year, the number of learners withdrawing from their course has decreased dramatically. The vast majority of learners across all programmes are making the progress expected of them.  CEGH has been successful in ensuring that no significant differences exist in the success rates of

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Inspection judgements

different learners, grouped according to their age, gender, disability or ethnic heritage. The poor performance of a minority of subcontractors has led to appropriate interventions, although it is too soon to judge the impact.  All learners are employed or self-employed and the vast majority remain so after completing their programme. While CEGH has examples of learners gaining promotion and career advancement on completion of the programme, it is aware of the need to monitor systematically the impact of training on learners’ progression.  Learners in administration and customer services develop good confidence and communication skills as a direct result of the apprenticeship course. They also develop team working skills through collaboration with other apprentices in the workplace. The training has had a positive impact on their employability skills.  Construction learners receive effective training which develops their work skills and enhances

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Inspection judgements

their career prospects.  Learners benefit from the study of additional qualifications, with nearly half of all apprentices undertaking one additional qualification and a third undertaking two. The standard of learners’ work is good in construction and satisfactory in business administration. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement  Teaching, learning and assessment require improvement matching learners’ outcomes and their satisfactory progress. Suitably qualified staff support the majority of learners well and provide them with constructive feedback on their performance during learning sessions. The mutual respect between learners and staff ensures that learners are engaged and motivated during sessions. In the better sessions, learners are encouraged to evaluate their own performance and produce work to a high standard. In one weak session, learners were unprepared to carry out a

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Inspection judgements

practical assessment and unable to complete the test on their own.  Construction learners are well supported by teaching staff who have good subject knowledge and vocational experience. Staff use their skills well to develop interesting sessions that learners enjoy. The use of good resources and small group sizes helps to ensure that teaching meets the needs of most learners. The workplace learners in construction receive good support from assessors, who work closely with employers to coordinate the scheduling of work and assessments.  Practical training in construction is good. Trainers plan and resource sessions well to meet the needs of learners and to encourage them to progress. However, sometimes practical assessments do not assess learners’ competencies fully. Administration learners develop employability skills and build on their confidence and overcome individual barriers to learning and employment.

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Inspection judgements

 The initial assessment of learners is effective in establishing their level of ability and suitability for the course. However, trainers and assessors do not always use the available information, particularly in relation to literacy and numeracy, to meet the needs identified.  The tracking and monitoring of learners’ progress are adequate in construction. Training review records contain some targets for learners to achieve but they are not always specific enough or time constrained. In administration, assessors use the online tracking system and monthly meetings with learners to monitor their progress well. However, targets are not sufficiently specific to support rapid progress.  In construction, portfolios contain good examples of learners’ work on site and in the training centre. The on-site evidence includes good photographic and written evidence to ensure that the work is authentic. Feedback to learners on their work and how they can improve is

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Inspection judgements

satisfactory.  Learners’ portfolios in workplace learning have a good range of evidence and are completed to a high standard; learners receive good verbal feedback, but insufficient written feedback to help them improve. The portfolios produced by learners in administration lack structure; however, the evidence produced contains appropriate detail and meets awarding body requirements.  Learners in administration have good opportunities to increase their functional skills through well planned and delivered sessions which contextualise the skills to the learners’ working environment. However, not all trainers promote functional skills effectively during learning sessions in construction.  CEGH’s advice and guidance keep learners well informed during their programme. The company has developed a good learner and employer matching service to support learners moving into employment, with 75% of all current apprentices starting through this process. Learners receive

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Inspection judgements

good advice during their programme, with many construction apprentices progressing onto more advanced courses with CEGH. The pastoral support provided to learners is good, for example learners who have lost their employment are assisted in finding alternative employment.  CEGH has worked hard to promote equality and diversity. The resources available for staff to use during teaching sessions and reviews have improved. However, the impact of these is inconsistent across the provision. Administration learners have benefited from completing equality and diversity qualifications and the reinforcement of this knowledge in the workplace. However, the promotion of equality and diversity during learning sessions and reviews remains limited in construction.

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Other work based learning

 Teaching, learning and assessment require improvement, which reflects the outcomes for workplace learning, which are in line with national averages and the satisfactory progress of current apprentices.  Assessors provide good levels of support throughout the programme, enabling a majority of learners to succeed. They provide valuable advice and support, frequently outside normal working hours. For example, assessors run portfolio review sessions early in the morning before learners go to work and are on call outside normal working hours. Assessors use their subject knowledge and vocational experience well to promote learning. The practical learning environment at the Plumbing Academy is good and used well in training.  CEGH has a close working relationship with employers who effectively assist learners. Assessors maintain regular contact with employers and keep them informed about learners’ job

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Other work based learning

requirements. As a result, employers often schedule work to assist learners in gaining relevant evidence for their National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ).  The standard of learners’ NVQ portfolio work is good. Portfolios contain a wide range of evidence and good referencing. Learners use photographs effectively, often providing a good story board supplemented by evidence statements. Learners receive good levels of verbal feedback on the outcome of their assessments, but assessors do not provide sufficient written feedback as a permanent record.  The initial assessment for literacy and numeracy skills is adequate and all learners are tested at the start of their programme. However, assessors and trainers do not use the results fully to provide targeted and specific support to meet individual learners’ needs. The same applies to learners with specific learning difficulties where the support provided does not always meet their

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Other work based learning

particular needs.  The tracking and monitoring of learners’ progress are adequate, but no measurement is made of learners’ progress against where the learners should be at that stage in their programme. The system for identifying learners who may not be successfully completing is insufficiently rigorous. Progress reviews do not utilise any useful measurement of progress and target setting during reviews is inconsistent. A significant number of recorded actions are vague and do not refer to specific tasks to be completed by a stated date.  The training programme for workplace learning develops learners’ skills and enhances their career prospects and meets the needs of employers well. Learners acquire roadwork and gas qualifications that ensure they can work in the industry. Training is delivered in a realistic and practical manner to industrial standards.  The development of learners’ functional skills is inconsistent. Trainers generally plan functional

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Other work based learning

skills exercises in the context of the construction industry, making the learning relevant. For example, in one session learners were given good opportunities to develop their language skills in the context of their jobs. However, in other sessions trainers missed opportunities to develop learners’ functional skills. Assessors do not always correct simple errors of English while marking learners’ work.  Learners are given good advice and guidance throughout their programme. CEGH is good at finding suitable employers for apprentices. CEGH offers a broad and relevant range of programmes for learners to progress onto which is relevant to their career development and continued employment in a highly regulated sector of the construction industry. An induction session provides a comprehensive set of information to learners and is used effectively to promote learning on key topics such as health and safety.

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Other work based learning

 Equality and diversity are introduced well during induction. However, the promotion of equality and diversity during training sessions and reviews is too superficial and not sufficiently developmental with few written records made of the topics covered during reviews.

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Other work based learning

 Apprenticeship success rates were below national averages in 2011/12 but have improved in the current year according to CEGH’s data. Current learners are making satisfactory progress towards completion of their course that reflects the overall quality of teaching, learning and assessment, which requires improvement.  Trainers set challenging vocational targets for learners. All apprentices have job contracts with opportunities for progression within the company they work for. They receive good support to help them find alternative employment on completion of their training, if necessary.  Subcontractors challenge learners to have high expectations and to become more self-confident. For example, one teenage mother was inspired to attend university because of the self- confidence she developed through a provider that had supported her ‘like a family’.  Training has a positive impact on the development of learners’ employability skills. For example,

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Other work based learning

one shy and withdrawn learner has learned to make cold calls to attract new clients such as the Job Centre. Another learner, from an unstable and disorganised home environment, has become more professional in her attitude, for example by learning to negotiate without losing her temper.  Assessors are appropriately qualified and experienced to provide training that motivates learners to complete their course on time. CEGH’s performance management has ensured that assessors whose performance is poor no longer work for the company. All assessors meet with learners regularly and frequently, as well as with employers and subcontractors to monitor progress and resolve any concerns.  CEGH monitors progress using an electronic portfolio which learners can gain access to from home or during their study periods at work. The standard of learners’ work in portfolios is satisfactory. However, a minority of portfolios do not contain sufficient evidence of clear targets

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Other work based learning

for the completion of overdue work.  Many learners already have an advanced level qualification, yet choose to follow a vocational administration or customer service apprenticeship at intermediate level as an economically more attractive option than going to university. Apprentices improve their economic well-being with attractive job contracts that they appreciate and which they aim to retain after completing the training.  Most learners have a GCSE qualification in mathematics and English at grade C or above. Trainers effectively integrate mathematics and English with the administration and customer service curriculum. Consequently, the majority of learners are enthusiastic about completing the functional skills element of their course.  Learners receive good pastoral support from CEGH to resolve personal issues that could prevent them from completing their course. For example, CEGH supported one learner to find suitable

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Other work based learning

alternative accommodation after she had received notice of eviction from her home. Another learner received support to secure alternative employment at CEGH after his employer made him redundant.  The majority of learners come from inner city, ethnically diverse backgrounds and CEGH provides good support to deal with issues that may prevent them from completing the course. Learners with dyslexia receive effective support to help them achieve. Learners demonstrate a satisfactory understanding and awareness of equality and diversity.

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Other work based learning

The effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement  Senior managers provide satisfactory strategic leadership. They clearly articulate the company’s commitment to providing workplace training and apprenticeship provision in construction and business administration. Managers have been instrumental in implementing a range of improvement actions since the last inspection; however, it is too soon to judge the impact of these actions.  Senior managers have high expectations of staff, learners and subcontractors. Partnerships with local employers, training providers and with the Job Centre have begun to have a positive impact on the volume of referrals made to CEGH for apprenticeship training. However, many of these partnerships are relatively new and it is too soon to judge the full impact.  Performance management of staff is satisfactory and meets effectively the needs of the business. The company reviewed its performance and staffing structure shortly after the last

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Other work based learning

inspection and decided to replace two key staff and to appoint a curriculum and quality manager. These measures have significantly contributed to CEGH’s success in tackling a number of areas for improvement found at the last inspection.  CEGH carefully reviewed the performance and quality of the 11 subcontractors with which it had partnership arrangements at the time of the last inspection. This review led to the company deciding to terminate its relationships with four subcontractors for reasons related to poor performance, failure to comply with quality assurance and contractual requirements, or where the number of learners was very small. The company has revised its commissioning and tendering process to introduce greater rigour in the selection of new subcontractors.  CEGH has developed effective quality assurance arrangements for subcontractors and monitors performance during regular meetings to reviews targets and achievements. It has also

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Other work based learning

introduced a financial incentive scheme to encourage subcontractors to exceed their performance indicators. Subcontractors’ staff receive good support from CEGH to help them achieve their targets.  CEGH has strengthened its procedures for observing learning sessions, progress reviews, induction and information, advice and guidance sessions. The few observations carried out under this new procedure indicate that CEGH is developing a much better grasp of the overall quality of the learners’ experience. However, the procedure is still relatively new and has not been implemented by all subcontractors therefore it is too soon to judge the impact.  Self-assessment, judged to be overly generous and descriptive at the last inspection, is now an inclusive, rigorous and accurate process. Managers make very good use of subcontractors’ self- assessments, learners’ views and management information to support judgements about the

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Other work based learning

provision. Senior staff rigorously scrutinise the draft self-assessment report and the accompanying action plans to ensure that they form a sound basis for improvement planning.  CEGH makes satisfactory use of stakeholders’ feedback to evaluate the quality of provision and responds quickly to learners’ suggestions for improvement. It regularly consults learners about improvements that they would like to see, for example, through learner forums.  CEGH offers an appropriate portfolio of programmes that plays well to its key strengths in construction and business administration and effectively meets local and regional needs. It responds well to government initiatives to promote apprenticeship training and works productively with the Job Centre to promote workplace learning programmes.  CEGH’s promotion of equality and diversity, judged weak at the last inspection, is now satisfactory. All staff receive good quality training to help them develop a better grasp of

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Other work based learning

diversity and how they can incorporate equalities topics through effective curriculum planning. The observation of teaching and learning scheme now specifically requires observers to comment on how well trainers and assessors integrate equalities in their learning sessions.  Managers carefully monitor the performance of different groups of learners to ensure that no significant differences exist. Senior managers understand the needs of the small number of young people in Wimbledon who are not in education, training or employment and have begun to work with local partners to engage these groups in learning. Learners’ induction and the draft learner handbook cover equalities and health and safety well.  The provider meets its statutory requirements for safeguarding learners. Staff and designated officers receive training appropriate to their level of responsibility and are clear about their role. Safeguarding and health and safety receive appropriate priority at learners’ induction and during

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Other work based learning

progress reviews, as well as at meetings of the safeguarding steering group.

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on a provider’s performance:

1: Outstanding 2: Good 3: Requires improvement 4: Inadequate

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Overall

Apprenticeships Other work- based learning

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Overall

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment 3 3 3

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Overall

The effectiveness of leadership and management 3 3 3

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Capital Engineering Group Holdings Ltd

Type of provider Independent learning provider

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full contract year

Principal/CEO David Galway Date of previous inspection October 2011 Website address www.capitaltraininggroup.co.uk

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programme level

Level 1 or below Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 and above

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Apprenticeship level and age

Intermediate Advanced Higher 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 33 15 6 7

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Apprenticeship level and age

Number of learners aged 14-16 N/A Number of community learners N/A Number of employability learners N/A Funding received from Skills Funding Agency (SFA)

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following main subcontractors:

 Fusion People  Future Unlimited  Hands on Skills Training  ITS  T & L Training  The plumbing academy  Training for you

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Additional socio-economic information

Capital Engineering Group Holdings Ltd (CEGH) is a recruitment agency which has a contract with the Skills Funding Agency to provide apprenticeships and workplace learning mainly in construction and business administration. Most learners are employed in London, Essex and Kent and a few learners are based in the North East and West Midlands. The impact of socio-economic factors affects learners differently according to employers’ location and seasonal fluctuations. The company provides training through a consortium of subcontractors, of which a minority are subsidiaries of CEGH. Funded programmes represent four per cent of CEGH’s business.

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Information about this inspection

Two of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and three additional inspectors, assisted by the business development manager as nominee, carried out the inspection with short notice. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. Inspectors also used data on learners’ achievements over the last three years to help them make judgements. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of learners and employers; these views are reflected throughout the report. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. The inspection took into account all of the provision at the provider. Inspectors looked at the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across all of the provision and graded the sector subject areas listed in the report above.

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Grade Judgement

Detailed grade characteristics can be viewed in the Handbook for the inspection of further education and skills 2012, Part 2:

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Grade Judgement

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/handbook-for-inspection-of-further-education-and-skills- september-2012

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Grade Judgement

guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Grade Judgement

Learner View is a new website where learners can tell Ofsted what they think about their college or provider. They can also see what other learners think about them too.

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Grade Judgement

To find out more go to www.learnerview.ofsted.gov.uk or if you have any questions about Learner View please email Ofsted at: achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Grade Judgement

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Grade Judgement

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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