GI Group

Further Education and Skills inspection report Date published: 24 February 2015 Inspection Number: 452631 URN: 59190 Gi Group

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Summary of key findings for learners

 until recently too many learners left the programme early; these learners did not achieve their apprenticeship qualification but they did gain other qualifications  the quality of teaching and assessment of English and mathematics is too variable and so learners make slow progress in developing literacy and numeracy skills  trainers and workplace supervisors do not plan and coordinate learning in the workplace and in the classroom effectively enough; learners fall behind in their work and do not make sufficient links between theory and practice  arrangements for improving training, learning and assessment are not sufficiently developed  insufficient specialist support is available for those learners who need it.

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Summary of key findings for learners

 learners improve their confidence, personal and social skills while they study; they learn to work independently and gain resilience  the majority of learners in the motor vehicle manufacturing industry gain permanent employment and acquire valuable technical and professional skills  managers secure excellent support and commitment to the apprenticeship programme from employers  trainers provide good help to learners, often at unsociable times; they are highly committed and flexible in the way they support learners. Inspection dates 13−16 January 2015

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This inspection: Requires improvement-3

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected 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?

 Help learners complete their apprenticeships by ensuring effective coordination between on- and off-the-job training, and through monitoring learners’ progress closely. Set specific and relevant targets to guide learners.  Improve the way English and mathematics are taught so that learners receive help to improve their literacy and numeracy skills throughout the programme.  Ensure trainers accurately assess learners’ skills and the work they produce.  Raise standards in learning and assessment by carrying out observations of practice that identify weaknesses and lead to successful actions for improvement.

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Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners Requires improvement  Gi Group has provided apprenticeships at intermediate level since July 2013. The vast majority of learners are on apprenticeship programmes in the manufacturing technologies sector subject area with smaller numbers on courses in warehousing. In addition a very small number of learners are on apprentices programmes in business administration. All learners are long-term employees of Gi Group; nearly all are over 19. They work as agency staff in the companies for whom Gi Group provides temporary and contingency staffing.  Over the first 18 months of the apprenticeship programmes, not enough learners have gained their qualifications and too many withdrew from the programme. More effective recruitment and induction arrangements for apprentices, and better study support, have led to more learners staying on the programme over the past few months. These learners are now making good

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Inspection judgements

progress through their frameworks.  The majority of learners do not improve their literacy and numeracy skills well enough during their apprenticeship programmes which hinder their achievement of functional skills qualifications. However, learners in manufacturing, working for two prestigious companies, improve their mathematical skills well. They demonstrate high levels of understanding and accuracy in applying mathematical formulae to ensure the most exacting precision in the manufacture of instruments for luxury marques.  Learners develop good personal and social skills through their participation in the apprenticeship programmes. They perform well in highly pressured environments and learn valuable new skills. Many learners acquire sophisticated information technology and technological skills.  Most learners, from a wide range of backgrounds, make good progress from low starting points. Many, for example, have low formal educational qualifications. Not enough younger learners

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Inspection judgements

aged 16 to 18 complete their apprenticeship within planned timescales. There are no other significant differences in the performance of learners.  In manufacturing, the majority of learners work to high industrial standards, developing, for example, good magazine packaging skills. Other learners have detailed food hygiene knowledge and have acquired precise organisational distribution skills.  The acquisition of qualifications, or even partial elements of the apprenticeship, gives learners an advantage in skills and knowledge over less-well qualified permanent co-workers. On all programmes, learners learn and practise highly effective team working skills.  A high proportion of learners who have achieved their qualification gain permanent employment with the companies where they have been employed on an agency basis. A few have moved quickly into supervisory roles. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Inspection judgements

 Not enough learners, with the exception of those in motor vehicle manufacturing, currently complete their qualifications within the planned timescales.  Learners do not develop their English and mathematical skills quickly enough. Trainers do not correct assessments frequently and quickly enough, or with sufficient attention to detail.  Too few trainers correct sentence structure and pronunciation sensitively; they often overlook mistakes in spelling, grammar and punctuation. However, a minority of trainers expertly help non-native English speaking learners to use dictionaries and understand the vagaries of the English language.  Not enough trainers use opportunities to improve understanding of mathematics in everyday situations. Learners who use highly complex coding equipment as part of their jobs do not learn underlying principles or simple tips and hints to improve their numeracy away from the

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Inspection judgements

workplace.  The training learners receive in their places of work is good. Trainers have up-to-date skills and knowledge that they use to enthuse learners who learn and practise skills to a high standard. In motor vehicle manufacturing, apprentices learn how to cut leather and wood with great precision, ensuring expensive car sections are made to the highest standards.  The promotion of equality and diversity by trainers requires improvement. When assessing or teaching learners, not enough trainers go into depth or detail about why equality of opportunity is important for society today. They do not use the different backgrounds and experiences of learners as a basis to explore relevant topics related to diversity.  The extent to which learners use the offsite or on-line resources to enhance their learning and supplement their wider knowledge varies greatly. Learners are not always able to use information and learning technology (ILT) in training because of restrictions in environments

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Inspection judgements

where they work.  Trainers’ marking of assessed work is not good enough. Trainers assess work accurately to ensure learners meet minimum assessment requirements, but feedback does not explain frequently enough how they can go further. Targets for improving their work are not specific enough. As a result, not enough learners raise the standards of their written work beyond minimum expectations.  Effective progress reviews greatly help learners, and the interaction with trainers at these reviews motivates them. They receive useful information about next steps. Trainers conduct training and progress reviews with minimum disruption to learners’ work and employers’ businesses.  The coordination of on- and off-the-job learning requires improvement. Learners do not have ready access to their completed written reviews frequently enough and workplace supervisors are often unaware of learners’ progress and what they need to do next.

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Inspection judgements

 Trainers provide good support to learners quickly when they are in difficulty; their care, readiness and willingness to provide extra help, beyond what they have to, encourage learners to persevere and make progress. Not enough specialist support is available for learners with specific needs such as dyslexia.  The advice and guidance learners receive motivate them and open their eyes to future possibilities. On starting their apprenticeships, many learners do not have high aspirations beyond being employed or retaining current hours of work. The apprenticeship helps them to appraise their own situations and make well-informed career plans.

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Apprenticeships

Requires improvement  Teaching, learning and assessment in manufacturing technologies require

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improvement because:

 not enough learners yet complete their apprenticeships in performing manufacturing operations  learners do not develop a sufficiently good understanding of theoretical aspects of manufacturing processes in the majority of lessons, for example how to continuously improve food manufacturing processes and procedures  learners do not develop their mathematics skills well enough in training away from the workplace or understand how they can apply these skills to where they work; they spend their time unproductively copying notes from the trainers’ presentations  trainers do not monitor learners’ progress closely enough or take prompt corrective action if learners fall behind  trainers have not planned sufficiently well to ensure coverage of the whole programme in reasonable timescales; as a result, learners following programmes in processing manufacturing hurry through their English functional skills units late in the programme and

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improvement because:

struggle to achieve the qualifications  too few learners in areas other than motor vehicle production received clear information about how the units of their apprenticeship programme fitted together before they started it; trainers did not make clear the importance of improving their English language skills within other elements such as sourcing, preparing and controlling of processes.

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improvement because:

 In manufacturing technologies the provider has the following strengths:  supervision of learners following apprenticeships in motor vehicle production is good: they have carefully planned and well-coordinated programmes in which their off-the-job learning is integrated well with what they do in the workplace  learners develop their English skills well in reading and speaking; they gain good understanding of important technical manufacturing and health and safety terminology relating to the production of motor vehicles  learners receive very good support from trainers and employers who provide them with valuable study time and training resources  learners in motor vehicle manufacture provision develop good mathematics skills in training classes and in the workplace; for example, those learners working in leather and wood trades areas of motor vehicle manufacture work with the extreme precision needed to

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Apprenticeships

 Teaching, learning and assessment in warehousing and distribution require

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improvement because:

 too many learners who joined the company at the start of the apprenticeships left early without completing components of their apprenticeship  learners are not developing English skills quickly enough to ensure they can complete all the requirements of the qualification; learners with good mathematics skills struggle to understand the instructions for functional skills tests in mathematics because of their poor understanding of English  until recently, the majority of learners made a slow start because they do not know enough about the different units of study when they began their programmes; they did not receive enough information about how the different elements fit together, such as process, storage and dispatch  assignments set for learners as part of their studies in English, mathematics and developing understanding of equality and diversity are unrelated to the workplace; they are not related

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improvement because:

to the practical skills such as loading and operating specialist machinery in compact storage spaces.

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improvement because:

 In warehousing and distribution the provider has the following strengths:  learners very quickly learn how to work to high practical standards, for example how to deal with damaged product lines, line failure and blockages  learners benefit from informative reviews of their progress planned to fit their work patterns; trainers conduct round-the-clock training, assessment and progress reviews with the minimum disruption to learners’ and business needs  learners gain confidence from the positive encouragement and support of knowledgeable trainers and warehouse supervisors who monitor their work closely  learners routinely exceed performance targets and are motivated by taking part in the apprenticeship; some learners have outperformed the employees of the companies in which they work  learners improve their use and understanding of information and learning technology through everyday use in very highly automated warehousing centres of prestigious national

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improvement because:

The effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement  The planning and management of the apprenticeship programmes demonstrate the clear commitment of senior managers to meeting national priorities. By developing the skills and capabilities of trainers and learners, they are improving their employment prospects in a competitive workplace.  Senior managers value apprenticeships highly. Their clear commitment to supporting local and national economic priorities led to the decision to offer apprenticeships to its agency staff and take on their own apprentices in business administration. This arrangement is working well for the apprentices. Senior managers demonstrate strong support for the apprenticeship programmes, which make a positive contribution to helping longer-term unemployed people into the labour market.  Managers have a clear understanding of the overall strengths and the areas for improvement.

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improvement because:

For example, they frequently review the performance of learners and take prompt actions to improve the provision. However, formal quality improvement processes are under development and do not yet contribute effectively enough to improving the quality of training and assessment. Self-assessment arrangements do not currently drive improvements in training and assessment.  The system to improve teaching and assessment through observations of learning is not effective enough because observations do not always identify key areas for improvement. Observers give insufficient attention to assessing the impact of training and planning. Managers have not ensured all learners receive consistently good teaching. They have not analysed sufficiently the key strengths and areas for improvement in training and assessment.  Continuing professional development is good and is closely linked to improving trainers’ performance. Trainers benefit from the training and from undertaking personal projects that will

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improvement because:

make them more effective in their work. Managers give good support and encouragement and help trainers and other staff gain appropriate teaching qualifications. Arrangements for appraising staff performance are effective. Appraisals are well planned, frequent, and lead to trainers and support staff improving their skills as assessors.  The planning and teaching of functional skills in both English and mathematics have not been successful enough. Coordination between trainers, supervisors in the workplace, and learners is insufficient. Learners therefore lack opportunities at the right time to reinforce theoretical knowledge gained with practical skills.  Managers successfully promote respect among the workforce and take suitable actions to reinforce expectations and commitment to equality of opportunity. This is a tangible outcome of the company’s corporate social responsibility strategy.  The attention of managers and staff to health and safety is excellent, especially in the varied

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improvement because:

manufacturing and warehousing environments where learners work. Learners and trainers adopt very high standards of health and safety. Arrangements for safeguarding are good; managers keep robust and up-to-date records. Trainers and managers receive effective updated training. Learners feel safe.

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Gi Group

Inspection grades are based on a provider’s performance:

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Gi Group

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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Gi Group

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment 3 - - - - - 3 - -

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Gi Group

The effectiveness of leadership and management 3 - - - - - 3 - -

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Provider details

Type of provider Independent learning provider

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full contract year

Principal/CEO Mr Adam Gibbons Date of previous inspection Not applicable Website address www.gigroupuk.com

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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+ 36 532 - - - - Number of traineeships 16-19 19+ Total - - -

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Number of learners aged 14-16

Full-time N/A Part-time 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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Contextual information

Gi Group is an employment business in its second year of funding from the Skills Funding Agency, and currently has approximately 500 apprentices. It provides short- and long-term temporary staff to several very large companies. The apprentices are employed by Gi Group and work in the companies. The apprenticeship programme is an essential element of the corporate social responsibility strategy of Gi Group. Programmes include pre-employment training for learners not in employment, and apprenticeships for learners aged 16+. Apprentices receive training in performing manufacturing operations, warehouse and storage, and business administration. These programmes take place across the manufacturing, logistics and recruitment industries.

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Information about this inspection

Lead inspector Peter Green HMI One of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and four additional inspectors, assisted by the Programme and Account 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. Inspectors also used the most recent data on learners 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

www.gov.uk/government/publications/handbook-for-the-inspection-of-further-education-and-skills- from-september-2012

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Grade Judgement

guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. 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 and 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

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and provider inspection reports, please visit https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/user.

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Grade Judgement

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

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