Capital Engineering Group Holdings Ltd

Further Education and Skills inspection report Date published: 02 July 2014 Inspection Number: 429239 URN: 58587 Capital Engineering Group Holdings Ltd

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Summary of key findings for learners

 Capital Engineering Group Holdings Ltd (CEGH) has made considerable progress since the last inspection and outcomes for learners are now good.  The provider has worked hard to monitor its subcontractors, ensuring they provide effective teaching, learning and assessment.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is now good and learners receive particularly helpful guidance and support from tutors.  Everyone in the provision has high expectations of learners and for what they can achieve and, as a result, learners are motivated to do well at work and with their learning programmes.  The provider secures very good placements for learners to do their apprenticeships and, as a consequence, they develop valuable employability skills and sustain their employment after completing their programme.  Good development plans are in place to sustain and improve provision further.

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Summary of key findings for learners

 Apprenticeship achievement rates are not yet high enough.  Target setting for subcontractors is not sufficiently challenging.  The centralised monitoring of the progress made by all learners is not yet comprehensive. Tutor do not set progress targets related to the development of learners’ English and mathematics.  Written feedback is not always sufficiently detailed to help learners and employers reflect on progress and areas for further development.  The promotion of learners’ understanding of equality of opportunity and diversity is not yet sufficiently well developed and reinforced to prepare learners well for their future careers. Inspection dates 27–30 May 2014

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This inspection: Good-2

Previous inspection: Requires improvement-3 Outcomes for learners Good-2 Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good-2 Effectiveness of leadership and management Good-2

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Continue improving the success rates for apprenticeships by setting each subcontractor specific and challenging performance targets.  Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by using the information obtained during initial assessment to plan stretching English and mathematics targets for each learner.  Improve the quality of written feedback learners receive following assessment in order to accelerate the progress they make with their learning, and continue developing the progress tracking system to ensure all learners achieve on time.  Ensure that learners’ understanding of equality of opportunity and diversity is further developed.

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Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners Good  Outcomes for learners are good at Capital Training Group (CTG, the training division of Capital Engineering Group Holdings Limited). Last year, success rates for National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) construction programmes, which the majority of learners studied, continued to rise and were high. The timely completion rates in these programmes increased too and were above the national rates. In the current year, according to the provider’s own data, the rate at which learners on this programme complete their qualification has increased further, with the vast majority of learners completing within the agreed time.  In the last 18 months, the provider has significantly increased the success rates within its apprenticeship programmes from a low starting point. Last year, the overall success rates for apprenticeships were 27 percentage points higher than at the time of the last inspection.

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Inspection judgements

Similarly, the rate at which learners complete within the agreed time has risen substantially since the last inspection. Nevertheless, achievement rates for apprentices overall remained slightly below the national rates in 2012/13, and still require further improvement. The performance trend for these programmes in the current academic year indicates further improvement.  Apprenticeships in business administration achieved well and achievement rates were considerably higher than the national rates last year. However, the construction and information and communication technology (ICT) areas of learning were still affected by the poor progress made by learners at the beginning of their qualifications in 2011 when the provider was judged to be inadequate. Capital Training Group (CTG) has worked successfully on improving the timely rate of achievement for these learners and those in ICT are progressing well, achieving high

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Inspection judgements

success rates in the current year. The eight apprentices in construction are making satisfactory progress towards achieving their framework.  Learners develop good employability skills, such as teamwork and communications, and in areas such as construction, acquire good knowledge of health and safety at work, adhering well to safe working practices. A high proportion of learners benefit from undertaking valuable and recognised additional qualifications, provided by their employer, that enhance the content of their apprenticeship programmes. In construction, they develop complementary skills, such as forward dumper-tipping, and they update their knowledge of their industry sector further.  The provider makes great efforts to secure good employers for learners, matching them well to their work placements. The vast majority of learners secure full-time employment on completion of their apprenticeship; others are enthused to continue developing their career by progressing

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Inspection judgements

to further education courses.  The provider identifies routinely and accurately any gaps in achievement across a comprehensive range of different groups of learners. There are no significant differences in the achievement of different groups of learners.

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Inspection judgements

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good, which correlates well with the high success rates in construction NVQ programmes, business administration and technology apprenticeships, and the good levels of employability and vocational skills that learners develop. However, achievement rates for the very small number of construction apprentices are low.  Tutors have high expectations of learners, raising their aspirations to progress at work and in their learning programme. Learners are conscientious and keen to achieve their qualification. The high-quality work placements and good employer-led training ensure that learners gain a thorough understanding of their vocational sector.  Tutors provide good levels of support and encouragement that meet learners’ programme and personal needs effectively. Many learners are inexperienced in the routine of work and value

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Inspection judgements

highly the consistent guidance and support from tutors, which help them improve personal organisation, timekeeping and using their initiative. This motivates learners to make good progress.  Taught sessions are mostly good, successfully engaging learners in learning. Resources to support learning are good and classroom-based sessions are generally well equipped. Drawing on their good sector knowledge, tutors broaden learners’ awareness by providing industry examples and scenarios. For example, in one session, students discussed and shared ideas to fulfil a professional brief requiring them to design a new website.  Initial assessment effectively captures learners’ prior attainment. However, tutors do not always use this information well to plan learning and set targets. Tutors track and monitor learners’ progress through programme units closely, with regular assessments enabling learners to progress in good time towards their overall learning goals.

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Inspection judgements

 Assessment practice is good. Most tutors use a range of assessment methods to provide learners with sufficient opportunities to demonstrate their practice in different contexts, for example, through voice recordings and written assignments. Learners prepare well for assessment and particularly enjoy lively professional discussions with their tutors about work they have completed.  Progress reviews identify learners’ achievements and areas for improvement adequately. Employers contribute to these with comments about the learner’s progress at work; however, not all tutors involve employers sufficiently in exploring how learners’ work-based training can contribute to their learning programme. As a result, occasionally, skills gained in the workplace are not recognised as a component of the learning programme.  The very effective verbal feedback learners receive from their tutors helps them understand the

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Inspection judgements

progress they are making and how to improve. In some instances, written feedback does not always record this detail well enough to help the learner and employer reflect independently at a later time and make improvements.  Target setting is good overall and includes specific personal targets to support learners’ wider development. However, on a few occasions, programme targets are too generic for the learner to be clear about how to make progress. For example, a target for a business administration learner simply required them to complete a whole programme unit without detailing smaller milestones towards the overall goal. Tutors do not set targets routinely for learners’ progress in English and mathematics, to support the wider development of their learning and career goals.  Learners demonstrate good verbal communications, articulating and responding well in discussions and presentations. Technology apprentices develop particularly good information

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Inspection judgements

and communication technology skills. Some tutors fail to plan routinely how to improve learners’ spelling and grammar or to expand their knowledge of vocabulary pertinent to their work.  Learners receive good pre-course information and guidance and, as a result, they follow the programme that best meets their personal and career goals. Induction processes clearly set out the demands of the programme and the commitment required for successful achievement. Appropriate information from tutors during the programme is very effective in guiding learners towards their next steps.  Learners have good awareness of equality and diversity in the context of their workplaces. A few tutors encourage learners regularly to explore different scenarios where they may encounter aspects of equality and diversity. For example, a construction learner discussed confidently the different types of access required for households affected by nearby pavement works. However,

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Inspection judgements

not all tutors challenge learners’ perceptions and understanding consistently to broaden their knowledge of equality and diversity.

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Apprenticeships

 Teaching, learning and assessment are good, as reflected in the high numbers of learners on NVQ-only programmes who complete their programmes within the agreed timescales, the high standards of learners’ practical work and the development of good site skills. The proportion of apprentices completing their programmes is improving and the few learners in the current cohort are making satisfactory progress. All learners complete industry-relevant additional qualifications which enhance their employability.  Tutors have good subject knowledge and use their extensive experience to develop interesting sessions that learners enjoy. The good use of information and learning technology (ILT), high expectations and small group sizes help to ensure that teaching meets the needs of most learners. The accommodation and training resources provided by the contractors are good. All provide industry-relevant training equipment and materials that reflect modern industry practice.

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Apprenticeships

 In the workplace, learners receive good support from tutors, who work closely with employers to coordinate the scheduling of work and assessments resulting in well-planned learning. For example, learners frequently transfer between sites and teams to broaden their experience and develop good team working.  Good levels of support for learners throughout the programme enable the vast majority to succeed. Assessors provide valuable advice and support, frequently outside normal working hours. Learners with identified learning needs have access to dictionaries and glossaries and have extra time for completing online tests. Tutors develop learners’ skills and enhance their career prospects, meeting the needs of employers well. Learners acquire additional street works and gas qualifications that ensure they are eligible for such work in the industry.  Learners receive good advice and guidance throughout the programme. Useful handbooks

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Apprenticeships

provide the requirements of the programme and reinforce the importance of developing good employability skills, for example in health and safety. CTG and its contractors meet users’ needs very well, providing a wide and relevant range of programmes for licensing learners in a highly regulated sector of construction. Employability is greatly enhanced with a large proportion of learners remaining and progressing in their job roles. Staff are very good at finding suitable employers for apprentices.  Tutors and site supervisors help foster good working and social relationships in training centres and the workplace. Tutors know their learners well and work hard to remove barriers and support learners through their programme or framework. Learners are aware of customers’ needs and are confident in working in a diverse workforce and communities. However, tutors are not sufficiently confident in discussing these issues in class, or in progress reviews, to

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Apprenticeships

enhance learners’ knowledge.  The standard of learners’ NVQ portfolio work is good. Portfolios contain a wide range of well- referenced evidence. Learners use photographs effectively, often providing a good visual storyboard supplemented by the supervisor’s evidence statements. They receive good levels of verbal feedback on the outcome of their assessments, but too little is recorded. Tutors provide too little formal advice or challenge for those who either found the work too hard or too easy.  Tutors assess learners at induction to determine their starting points and devise their training plans. Mathematical skills are developed well throughout the programme. Learners routinely use test equipment, carry out calculations and interpret site drawings accurately; they work to high degrees of accuracy when on site, for example when installing utilities underground. Use of English is mostly satisfactory, as is the quality of written work. However, tutors do not always

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Apprenticeships

correct spelling or grammatical errors when marking learners’ work.  The tracking and monitoring of learners’ progress require further improvement. Each assessor and subcontractor team maintains a record of the units completed by learners, but the assessment plans have no completion dates or interim milestones to indicate the required rate of progress. Target setting is often vague and provides little guidance on the next stages of learners’ training and assessment. Progress reviews for apprentices do not always report an accurate position or break targets down into bite-sized activities.

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Apprenticeships

 Teaching, learning and assessment are good and this correlates well to the good outcomes and timely progress being made by Future Un-Ltd’s current learners towards successful completion of their qualification. Most learners lack experience in the routine of work and benefit from good intensive support from assessors and employers to help them develop good employability skills, such as self-organisation, punctuality, using their initiative and teamwork.  Learners enjoy their work and are enthusiastic to gain new skills in the information and technology industry. High quality work placements allow learners to develop a good range of vocational skills. For example, a learner working in a marketing company gains proficiency in data cleansing and another working for a registered charity uses accounting software to analyse and advise the organisation about cost savings. Many learners gain independent working skills

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Apprenticeships

through additional responsibilities, such as one learner now having the responsibility to produce formal minutes of staff meetings, involving up to 60 people.  Learners benefit from frequent productive assessment visits by experienced tutors. They engage quickly with the demands of the learners’ work role and support their learning needs well. Effective coaching by tutors helps learners reflect on the skills they are developing. Tutors use varied assessment methods to assess learning, including professional discussions, which learners particularly enjoy.  Technology is used well to support learning and assessment. Learners access information and learning resources, upload and store evidence ready for assessment, and track their own progress electronically. This allows learners to take responsibility for their learning early in their programme and contributes to their enthusiasm to succeed.  Employers’ involvement in reviewing and planning learning is good, and employers participate

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Apprenticeships

well in progress reviews. However, not all employers are aware of how emerging skills contribute to aspects of the learner’s qualification. As a result, some employer-led training takes place independently from the learning programme.  Learners receive consistent, good verbal feedback from their tutors, which supports their development well. However, the written feedback is often too brief to help learners to reflect on their progress at a later date. Targets set are satisfactory, although many relate to completing whole tasks rather than smaller sections of learning, and some learners find it difficult to grasp a starting point towards achieving their overall target.  Most learners develop good speaking and listening skills and have good knowledge and practice in aspects of information and communication technology. They articulate and debate well in discussions and presentations. However, tutors place less emphasis on improving learners’

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Apprenticeships

written English and mathematics beyond their initial assessment. Plans to provide specialist functional skills support for learners are underway by Future Un-Ltd, with the recent appointment of specialist staff. However, delivery plans for this are still to be formalised.  Comprehensive initial advice and guidance ensure learners understand the commitment required to be successful in their learning programmes and have sufficient knowledge about their chosen qualification. All follow the correct learning programme and receive relevant on-going advice about how to progress in their careers or the next steps in education and training.  Initial assessment processes are satisfactory in identifying learners’ functional skill needs, potential to develop employability skills and their suitability to complete the learning programme successfully. However, initial assessment outcomes are not always utilised effectively to develop

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Apprenticeships

learners’ English and mathematics beyond their starting points.  Learners demonstrate good knowledge of equality and diversity at work and some tutors routinely encourage discussion about different scenarios learners may encounter, enabling them to broaden their knowledge. However, not all tutors plan sufficiently to include opportunities in progress reviews to challenge learners’ perceptions and extend their thinking about equality and diversity issues.

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Apprenticeships

 Teaching, learning and assessment are good, as reflected in the high success and timely completion rates for learners. Staff have high expectations of learners who enjoy the challenge as they develop good employability and independent learning skills.  Assessment practice is good. Learners find the guidance and support from tutors helpful, particularly in developing written assignments. They value the care and support they receive. For example a tutor supported a learner with a mental health illness carefully to develop strategies to manage anxiety. This enabled the learner to continue in employment and meet expected performance standards at work.  Learners receive helpful verbal feedback at progress reviews which adds value to the coaching they have in the workplace. Learners track their own progress regularly using an electronic system. They also receive helpful feedback through this portal to enable them to complete

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Apprenticeships

assignment work to a high standard. They make good use of electronic messaging on the system to keep in touch with their tutor.  The planning of learning is good. Learners enjoy the challenge of the responsibilities at work. For example, one learner at Fusion People Training Ltd managed the digital and social media promotion of a commercial client, including posting daily tweets, contributing to the development of videos about the company and uploading them to YouTube. The majority of employers new to working with apprentices receive helpful guidance on their role and contribute well to planning training and evaluating the learner’s progress.  Information, advice and guidance to learners are good. The preparation and matching of each learner to an appropriate employer is excellent. One employer highlighted how their apprentice, from the outset, displayed the appropriate attitude and positive outlook to fit well in their very

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Apprenticeships

specific and challenging work environment. Tutors adopt a particularly enthusiastic and motivational approach that raises learners’ aspirations and encourages learners to progress to higher levels and to consider promotion and employment opportunities.  The development of learners’ English and mathematics is improving rapidly, particularly in the workplace. Learners appreciate the importance of high standards of English and mathematics at work and focus hard on meeting employers’ expectations. They are increasingly provided with a range of strategies to enable them to improve, including ways to check their work before it is transmitted to clients. Tutors carefully correct most grammatical, punctuation and spelling errors in learners’ written work.  Initial and diagnostic assessments have improved with the implementation of an electronic system and are now satisfactory. Further development is required for tutors to use the

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Apprenticeships

outcomes from diagnostic assessment to plan learning more effectively. Learners appreciate the instant feedback they receive using the system and are keen to address their areas for improvement.  The written records of learners’ progress reviews require improvement. Targets often tend to be recorded with insufficient detail to specify what needs to be done. Tasks are not broken down sufficiently to help learners to plan their own learning. At level 3, in particular, there is insufficient emphasis on learners setting their own target to ensure they take more ownership of their own learning.  Equality and diversity issues are addressed regularly as part of individual learning plans, teaching about employment rights and responsibilities at work, and in progress reviews. However, tutors do not extend learners’ knowledge and understanding of equality and diversity further. The knowledge of equality and diversity issues relevant to learners’ working lives or

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Apprenticeships

those of their clients is not sufficiently developed to ensure learners are better prepared to promote these issues in their own future careers, when they might be in a supervisory role.

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Apprenticeships

The effectiveness of leadership and management Good  The effectiveness of CTG’s leadership and management is good. Leaders and managers have a clear vision and strategy for the continuing development of CTG and its subcontractors. The provider has successfully prioritised significant improvement in the quality of learning since the last inspection and laid good foundations for sustainable improvement across the team of subcontractors.  High expectations for learners are evident throughout the small CTG team and their training partners, and learners’ success is regularly celebrated. This is reflected in significant improvements in the areas identified as requiring improvement in the last inspection report. The quality assurance arrangements for subcontractors are now strong, including performance standards to ensure that an increasingly high proportion of learners succeed within planned timescales.  Managers have set clear expectations for improving the quality of teaching, learning and

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Apprenticeships

assessment experienced by learners. The introduction of a more rigorous learning-focused observation system has improved the monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning. Identified improvement areas are built adequately into staff development plans, supporting their continued professional development. CTG has a good understanding of the quality of learning delivered by each of their subcontractors. However, the learning observation process focuses mostly on teaching and training and it does not yet cover other learning activities, including reviews and assessments.  All teaching staff are experienced and the majority are very well qualified. CTG offers good mentoring and support to staff who are undertaking their teaching qualifications to ensure they achieve quickly. However, not all teaching staff are sufficiently well qualified to support learners with their English and mathematics. This is particularly important because of the increasing

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Apprenticeships

proportion of English and mathematics taught during vocational learning sessions.  The self-assessment process is inclusive and takes into account the self-assessment from every subcontractor, as well as views from learners and employers. Managers know what is working well and what needs to be improved. The self-assessment report is evaluative and focuses particularly on the areas for improvement identified in the last inspection report. The quality improvement plan allocates responsibility for improvement actions, but targets are not sufficiently challenging or realistic.  Particularly strong analysis of data on learners’ performance enables managers and teaching staff to support learners and identify any gaps in performance. Progress tracking and monitoring have improved to enable the provider to obtain a quick and accurate view of the progress learners are making at any given time throughout their programme. However, this development

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Apprenticeships

is recent and it is too early to measure its full effectiveness.  The good planning of the learning programmes meets the needs of learners and employers. Good communications between staff and assessors enable them to provide training and assessment flexibly to fit around the demands of busy workplaces. CTG works hard to procure very good work placements for its apprentices and it is a preferred training provider by the London Borough of Merton.  The provider focuses on ensuring learners develop valuable employability skills and it has increased its emphasis on developing written English and mathematics. For example, managers are recruiting and developing specialist tutors to support this key aspect of learning better.  CTG managers have improved the promotion of equality and diversity since the last inspection. Progress reviews check and confirm learners’ awareness of equality and diversity issues but do

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Apprenticeships

not yet challenge or develop learners’ understanding sufficiently. Some tutors take advantage of naturally occurring opportunities during learning sessions to develop learners’ understanding of equality and diversity. However, in other instances, tutors have not given this sufficient attention during the planning stage. Managers ensure that learning environments are inclusive and free from harassment, bullying and discrimination.  CTG and its subcontractors provide safe learning environments that enable learners to focus on, and enjoy, their studies. Good support arrangements, the application of strong health and safety policies, and ensuring learners are aware of the benefits and dangers of online learning and communication keep learners safe. Managers have also developed good links with local support agencies. CTG meets its statutory requirements for safeguarding learners.

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Capital Engineering Group Holdings Ltd

Inspection grades are based on a provider’s performance:

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Capital Engineering Group Holdings Ltd

1: Outstanding 2: Good 3: Requires improvement 4: Inadequate Overall 14-16 part-time provision 14-16 full-time provision 16-19 study programmes Traineeships 19+ learning programmes Apprenticeships Employability Community learning

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Capital Engineering Group Holdings Ltd

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment 2 - - - - 2 2 - -

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Capital Engineering Group Holdings Ltd

The effectiveness of leadership and management 2 - - - - 2 2 - -

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Provider details

Type of provider Independent learning provider

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full contract year

Principal/CEO Mr David Galway Date of previous inspection December 2012 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+ 42 23 20 32 Number of traineeships 16-19 19+ Total N/A N/A N/A 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:

 Future Un-Ltd.  Fusion People Ltd.  Hands on Skills Training Ltd.  Industrial Training Services Ltd.  J&K Training Ltd.  Able Skills Ltd.

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Contextual information

Capital Engineering Group Holdings Limited (CEGH) is a recruitment agency which has a contract with the Skills Funding Agency to provide workplace learning programmes in construction and apprenticeships across a range of areas of learning through its training division, Capital Training Group. Most learners are employed in London, Essex and Kent, with a few learners based in the North East. The impact of socio-economic factors affects learners differently according to employers’ location and seasonal fluctuations. The company provides training through a team of subcontractors, of which a minority are subsidiaries of CEGH. Government-funded programmes represent 4% of CEGH’s business.

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Information about this inspection

Lead inspector Maria Navarro HMI 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 relevant 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 ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, 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 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

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Grade Judgement

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

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Grade Judgement

To find out more go to www.employerview.ofsted.gov.uk 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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