EQL Solutions Limited

Further education and skills inspection report

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EQL Solutions Limited Independent learning provider

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate Adult learning programmes Good

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Apprenticeships Inadequate Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings

 Governance is inadequate.  Governors, leaders and managers have failed to eradicate the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection.  Strategic and operational management of subcontractors requires improvement.  Managers have not implemented the previous inspection’s recommendation to establish robust arrangements to monitor the quality of teaching, training, learning and assessment.  Performance management of staff at every level requires improvement.  The management of apprenticeships is inadequate.  Achievement rates for apprentices have declined significantly since the last inspection and were low in 2015/16.  Current apprentices in most areas are making inadequate progress from their starting points, and too few are acquiring new skills and knowledge.  Leaders do not ensure that apprenticeships meet the principles and requirements of an apprenticeship.  Teaching, learning and assessment are inadequate.

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Summary of key findings

 The development of apprentices’ skills in English and mathematics requires improvement.  Assessors do not involve employers routinely in planning or reviewing apprentices’ learning and progress.  Apprentices’ knowledge and awareness of fundamental British values and the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism are limited.

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Summary of key findings

The provider has the following strengths

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Summary of key findings

 Unemployed adult learners make good progress and develop the skills and confidence required to be successful and take up employment opportunities.  Apprentices’ achievement rates were high in rail engineering in 2015/16.

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Information about the provider

 EQL Solutions Limited (EQL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Caretech Holdings PLC, operating from a head office in Warrington, with assessors and tutors working throughout England. EQL provides apprenticeships for young people and adults up to and including higher apprenticeships at level 5 and classroom-based learning programmes for unemployed adults over 19 years old.  Apprenticeship programmes are by far the largest part of the provision. They take place at employers’ premises throughout England. The adult learners’ classroom-based training takes place at centres in towns and cities throughout England.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Define and establish governance arrangements and ensure that governors hold senior leaders and managers to account when performance is below acceptable standards.  Ensure robust performance management of staff at every level by: – using accurate information about staff performance – specifying clear targets for staff – using the results of performance management to inform staff appraisal.  Set out clear expectations and plans to meet fully the requirements of apprenticeships by ensuring that: – governors, leaders and managers specify and give clear direction to ensure that planning and implementation of high-quality teaching, learning and assessment becomes central to achieving high-quality apprenticeship provision – apprentices’ experiences and abilities are assessed at the start of their programme and assessors use the results to plan and provide suitably challenging learning – all apprentices receive good support to develop their English and mathematical skills

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

– apprentices’ entitlement to well-planned off-the-job learning is met so that they are able to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding and apply them at work and in future employment – employers contribute effectively to planning, providing and reviewing apprentices’ training.  Improve overall achievement rates for apprentices by: – increasing learning time and support for apprentices – ensuring that all assessors plan and use activities that meet apprentices’ needs and that they challenge them to make good progress – making sure that targets are more precise and that they relate to the development of skills as well as knowledge – improving the arrangements for assessing and reviewing apprentices’ progress so that they complete by their planned end date.  Improve the strategic and operational management of subcontractors by: – including clear expectations and targets in contracts relating to the delivery of the

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

provision and the proportions of apprentices who should complete by their planned end date – setting targets that relate to the recruitment of apprentices to ensure alignment with local and regional priorities in the areas where subcontractors operate – monitoring accurately the quality and standards of subcontracted provision – taking effective actions when subcontractors’ performance is below contractual requirements.  Ensure that all apprentices gain a good understanding of fundamental British values and the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism, and know how these relate to their everyday lives and in the workplace.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Governors, leaders and managers have failed to tackle and eradicate the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection. Consequently, the quality of the provision and learners’ achievements have declined significantly. Too few apprentices achieve and complete by their planned end date and a significant number make slow progress.  The very recently appointed managing director identified most of the weaknesses found during the inspection. However, insufficient time has elapsed to make changes to improve the provision.  Strategic and operational management of subcontractors require improvement. Since the previous inspection, leaders have doubled the number of apprentices who are trained by subcontractors; the proportion of apprentices who are successful has declined. Leaders do not include clear expectations and targets in contracts relating to the delivery of the provision and the proportions of apprentices who should complete on time. They do not

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

set targets that relate to recruitment and meeting local and regional priorities in the areas where subcontractors operate. In a few cases, managers have taken effective actions when subcontractors’ performance is below the contractual requirements.  Managers have failed to implement the recommendation from the previous inspection relating to establishing robust arrangements to monitor the quality of teaching, training, learning and assessment. Managers conduct a wide range of activities to evaluate the quality of most aspects of the provision, including the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. However, the process does not provide them with a reliable evaluation of the impact of staff practices on apprentices’ learning. Consequently, managers are not able to ensure that staff improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.  The self-assessment report is inaccurate. It has underestimated the impact of weaknesses

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

in teaching, learning and assessment for apprentices. Consequently, leaders and managers have not set effective actions for improvement.  Performance management of staff at every level requires improvement. Since the previous inspection, governors have not held leaders and managers to account sufficiently to ensure that improvement strategies are successful. Consequently, the quality of the provision has declined.  Accurate information about staff performance is lacking and it does not inform appraisal. Staff performance targets are not sufficiently clear and managers focus too much on processes and pay little attention to the impact of their actions. For example, despite regular appraisals and meetings between staff and their managers, the pace of most improvements is too slow.  Leaders and managers have not developed robust and reliable arrangements to collect, analyse and use information to improve the provision. They do not have accurate

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

information about the number of hours that apprentices receive for on- and off-the-job training. Consequently, many apprentices receive insufficient training and many apprentices do not achieve their potential.  Senior managers do not regularly collect, analyse and report on all the key aspects of data. For example, the reasons for apprentices’ slow progress are not identified and, consequently, managers are not able to evaluate the effectiveness of the actions they have taken to improve apprentices’ progress. Managers do not have accurate information about the number of visits that apprentices receive from assessors. In addition, managers have not evaluated what happens to apprentices after they complete their training or leave early. As a result, managers do not know to what extent the provision meets apprentices’ needs or what changes to make when planning future provision.  The provision does not meet the needs and interests of most apprentices because

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

apprentices do not develop their job-specific skills. Managers have not set high aspirations for apprentices to develop their English and mathematical skills.  EQL and subcontractors work with many employers. However, managers have failed to develop effective policies to ensure that employers are sufficiently involved in planning and reviewing their apprentices’ training. Consequently, not all employers recognise the value of their apprentices’ training. Too many employers do not allocate enough time for apprentices to develop their skills and complete training in the workplace. The managing director has recognised this weakness and has initiated a review to ascertain how staff work with employers so that they understand their role if they recruit an apprentice.  Managers and assessors recognise the importance of preparing apprentices and learners for life in modern Britain. They have developed a good range of resources intended to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

improve learners’ and apprentices’ understanding of British values. However, managers have not ensured that assessors develop apprentices’ understanding of values such as democracy, individual liberty, the rule of law, mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.  Managers have not been successful in narrowing gaps in achievement between different groups of learners.

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The governance of the provider

 Governors have not challenged leaders and senior managers for the declining performance of apprentices and the weaknesses in the provision. They have not been successful in ensuring that EQL has consistently strong leadership. For example, four senior leaders, including one managing director, have joined the company and left since the previous inspection.  Governors have not had a robust oversight of apprentices’ progress or the quality of training to ensure that effective arrangements are in place to improve the quality of the provision.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Managers have developed a number of policies and procedures to ensure the well-being of all learners. Learners know how to report concerns, and staff responsible for keeping learners safe respond in the correct manner and record incidents accurately.  All staff, including subcontractors’ staff, have been trained on how to keep learners safe and how to enhance their understanding of radicalisation and extremism. However, managers have not ensured that assessors extend sufficiently apprentices’ understanding about the risks associated with extremism or radicalisation.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Assessors do not plan well enough to meet apprentices’ needs. They fail to ensure that programmes meet the principles and requirements for apprenticeships. Apprentices gain knowledge through the training delivered by their employers. For example, teaching assistants and care workers benefit from training in safeguarding practices specific to their roles at work.  Too many apprentices do not receive structured off-the-job learning as part of their apprenticeship. Apprentices’ development of new skills is very limited in the majority of cases as most receive little training to acquire them. Assessors frequently rely on apprentices completing assignments, often in their own time, without any teaching to facilitate learning. A significant proportion of apprentices, established in their work roles, have extensive experience; their experience on the apprenticeship does not improve their existing skills or broaden them.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Assessment planning and practices are weak. In many cases too much assessment is based on testing knowledge through judging written assignments and not enough on observing the application of skills, knowledge and understanding in the workplace.  Apprentices’ targets and action plans do not motivate them to make progress. Too often, assessors focus on the completion of qualification units, with insufficient focus on developing apprentices’ workplace or wider skills. Targets are too vague and do not challenge apprentices to extend their knowledge, skills and understanding, to make improvements to their work or to achieve a higher standard. Apprentices’ marked work frequently lacks helpful comments to help them to improve the standard of their work. Staff provide helpful oral feedback, but it is not always remembered by apprentices.  Staff concentrate too much on meeting minimum standards specified in the qualification

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

rather than building on the results of apprentices’ initial assessments. They often fail to ensure that apprentices receive appropriately focused and individualised training or support. In coaching and teaching sessions, staff do not create opportunities to check or consolidate learning; too much questioning lacks focus and fails to evaluate sufficiently either understanding or progress. More-capable apprentices do not receive appropriate levels of challenge. Much of the support given to apprentices is unplanned practical assistance to overcome immediate barriers to completing units of the qualification or functional skills.  The development of apprentices’ skills in English and mathematics requires improvement. Assessors do not develop further the skills of those apprentices who already hold their functional skills or equivalent awards at the required level for the apprenticeship. Apprentices are unaware of any spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes in their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

written work and so they continue to make the same errors. Support provided to help apprentices develop their English and mathematics skills is often too late and does not help them pass their tests, resulting in delays to progress and a very low proportion of apprentices in, for example, health and social care completing their programme.  Assessors do not routinely involve employers in planning or reviewing their apprentices’ learning. Planning for apprentices does not include skills development in the workplace. As a result, employers are often unaware or ignore apprentices’ support or development needs and cannot provide appropriate assistance.  Staff have the vocational knowledge and experience expected. Many of them engage and interest apprentices during training and coaching. Rail engineering apprentices, for example, engage enthusiastically in learning. They benefit from expert and experienced

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

railway engineering professionals who can set out best practice and high expectations based on up-to-date industry standards. Apprentices value the practical and realistic examples that staff use to illustrate the technical skills they need to succeed as engineers.  The relatively very small numbers of adult learners benefit from good teaching, learning and support during their four-week employability training courses. Tutors have a very good understanding of the barriers that many learners face in returning to learning and work, such as low levels of literacy, family problems and health issues. They motivate learners through using interesting activities and familiar scenarios. From these, learners are able to understand their own situations better, plan personal actions to improve and successfully achieve their learning goals. Tutors develop learners’ skills in English and mathematics skilfully. As a result, the majority of those who attempt functional skills

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

examinations gain the qualifications.  Adult learners demonstrate a good understanding of how to apply their skills, for example in calculating wages and tax, producing letters to a standard suitable for job applications and successfully using interview skills and being selected for jobs. Promotion of equality and diversity to adult learners is effective. Staff challenge stereotypical views sensitively. Learners demonstrate by the end of their four-week programme a good understanding of the behaviours and attitudes required to work safely and responsibly in diverse communities and workplaces. This includes a good awareness of the threats associated with extremism and radicalisation.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

 Too many apprentices do not make progress because of delayed support and weak teaching, learning and assessment. Far too many leave without completing their apprenticeship. Not enough apprentices develop skills to be effective in the workplace, particularly in English and mathematics, due to poor planning by assessors.  Assessors do not consistently ensure that all apprentices are able to use their English skills to produce high-quality written work. As a result, apprentices who already hold the required functional skills qualification in English continue to struggle with spelling and grammar and do not receive the necessary support to improve.  Apprentices lack sufficient knowledge and awareness of fundamental British values and the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism. Assessors do not routinely use apprentices’ personal and work experiences to encourage discussion or to extend their

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

understanding during progress reviews. As a result, apprentices are not sufficiently aware of how to protect themselves from radicalisation and extremism.  Apprentices do not receive independent careers advice and guidance routinely to help them fulfil their career goals. Consequently, only a very small proportion of intermediate apprentices progress to an advanced apprenticeship.  In a few instances, apprentices improve their confidence and develop good vocationally relevant skills which they apply, making a valuable contribution to the workplace. In these cases, apprentices have positive attitudes towards their learning and careers. They are enthusiastic and display high levels of professional behaviour.  Apprentices have a good understanding of health and safety in the workplace, demonstrating safe working practices in their job roles. The knowledge and skills gained in work from the training employers provide ensure that they keep themselves and others

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

safe. For example, social care apprentices support service users with epilepsy confidently, carefully administering controlled medication and keeping them safe.  Adult learners are highly motivated and enjoy their learning. Many learners are enthusiastic about returning to learning. Many of them have had negative experiences in education previously but they quickly develop the confidence and motivation to learn new skills. Learners are very positive about their learning and optimistic about their employment prospects. For example, learners develop their information and communication technology (ICT) skills quickly. They update their curriculum vitae accurately and they write effective speculative letters, resulting in interview opportunities with employers.

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Outcomes for learners Inadequate

 Achievement rates have fallen significantly since the last inspection and are now low. Too many apprentices do not complete their programme and too many of those that achieve do not do so by their planned end date. Redundancies at two big employers have affected EQL’s recent performance, although the extent of this is relatively small when compared with the total number of apprentices enrolled by EQL.  Health and social care apprenticeship programmes have very low achievement rates and have declined considerably over three years, during which time the programme has expanded considerably. Higher-level apprenticeship programmes had extremely low achievement rates in 2015/16.  Nearly two thirds of EQL’s direct delivery apprentices failed to achieve in 2015/16. In the case of the subcontracted provision, around a third failed to achieve. A high proportion of apprentices on rail engineering programmes achieved in 2015/16. Most adult learners

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Outcomes for learners Inadequate

achieve their learning goals.  Too many current apprentices are progressing too slowly from their starting points. The proportion of apprentices who achieved by their planned end date during the first six months of 2016/17 is extremely low. Managers do not monitor the progress that apprentices make in employment and into further or higher levels of study. Adult learners make good progress and most achieve on time. The majority of adult learners enter employment or further training on completion of their programmes.  The gaps in achievement are increasing between different groups of apprentices. For example, 16- to 18-year-old apprentices achieve at a significantly higher rate than those over 24 years old, for whom the rate is very low. Female apprentices, Asian apprentices and apprentices who have special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve at lower rates than White male apprentices. Higher-level apprentices’ achievement rate is

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Outcomes for learners Inadequate

particularly low. Leaders and managers are not taking sufficient action to improve achievement rates and to close achievement gaps.  Many apprentices who complete their programme develop good technical and personal skills which employers value. This is particularly evident in engineering and ICT.  Most adult learners in classroom-based training develop good personal and employability skills. They develop good skills during their four-week programme in mathematics, ICT and vocational subjects which they use to gain employment. Most adult learners achieve their learning aims and a high proportion progressed to jobs in 2015/16.  The majority of apprentices who are required to gain functional skills qualifications pass at their first attempt. However, only a few apprentices develop their English and mathematics skills further. Of the small proportion of adult learners who enter for functional skills qualifications and vocational awards, the majority achieve them.

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Adult learning programmes Good

 At the time of the inspection, 48 adults took part in education and training programmes, with the majority studying for certificates in personal development and work skills. A few take English and mathematics functional skills qualifications.  Managers work closely with local agencies and partners to plan provision that has a clear focus on developing learners’ employment and personal skills. Tutors put a strong emphasis on preparing learners to return to work. Learners undertake activities enthusiastically to build and develop skills and attitudes required by employers. The provider collaborates particularly successfully with Jobcentre Plus, Remploy and other agencies to ensure that learners have the opportunity to achieve and progress to employment or further learning.  Learners enjoy their programmes and understand how training can provide them with skills which can lead to sustained employment. They value the programme, developing

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Adult learning programmes Good

their confidence, self-worth and self-esteem which provide them with a belief in themselves and confidence to apply for work.  The majority of learners produce work of a high standard. They make good progress and develop the skills, attitudes and confidence required to be successful and take up employment opportunities. Staff ensure that all learning activities help learners to develop good employability skills, including the effective use of English and mathematics. Learners evaluate their own skills accurately in relation to their readiness for work and set actions to support areas for development, for example confidence-building, team-working and applying English and mathematical skills.  The constructive and motivational learning that adult learners experience helps them to improve their skills, and their attitudes to seeking and gaining work. They participate enthusiastically in a range of interesting and relevant tasks that support the acquisition of

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Adult learning programmes Good

skills used in work, such as giving presentations and communicating effectively to put across an argument.  Learners develop skills to help them to work together as a team. They generate good ideas about enterprising activities using effective problem-solving techniques, communication and mathematics skills, and time-management competencies. Staff give detailed feedback to help learners improve the quality of their work and reach a high standard. Learners master and practise ICT skills, constructing email addresses and ensuring that all information produced is presented accurately and error-free.  Learners feel welcome and develop an understanding of how to stay safe personally and when using the internet. They have good understanding of the dangers of cyber bullying. Learners are respectful and cooperate fully with their peers and tutors. The atmosphere in training is friendly, calm and purposeful. This provides a learning environment that is

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Adult learning programmes Good

supportive of the learners and encourages good progress, with staff setting high expectations for success.  Learners have a good knowledge and understanding of equality, diversity and British values. For example, they show a depth of understanding of how age discrimination may prevent access to some job roles. Learners understand the risks associated with radicalisation, extremism and terrorism, but specific knowledge of how they might apply to them in their communities and potential workplaces is limited.  Tutors provide learners with good support to develop their English and mathematical skills. Most learners demonstrate what they learn by using English correctly in their written work and when completing job applications. In a few cases tutors do not identify errors in learners’ written work and learners continue to make the same mistakes. As a result, a small minority of learners continue to spell words incorrectly.

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Adult learning programmes Good

 Learners use their mathematical skills accurately to calculate gross and net wages, including tax deductions. Learners create clear and correctly structured cover letters that are sent to potential employers. Learners on the sports fitness programmes carefully plan and record clients’ fitness schedules to aid and support assessment activities and body- mass calculations.  Tutors use their skills very effectively to assess learning. Most of their oral questions are probing and help learners to expand their existing knowledge. Tutors question learners carefully to check their new knowledge and understanding. For example, learners on sports-fitness programmes demonstrate good knowledge relating to activities that are more suitable for particular client groups, including cardiovascular activities and how they affect different muscle groups.  Support for learners is effective and, as a result, learners make good progress and are

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Adult learning programmes Good

prepared appropriately to apply for and obtain employment. Tutors provide regular individual support, including good opportunities for learners to access support following completion of their programmes when preparing for interviews. Learners receive good financial support to enable them to attend learning programmes and interviews. Assistant tutors provide good additional support to learners in sessions, which enables them to make significant progress. Learning is not sufficiently challenging for a small minority of learners. The most able learners do not make the progress they could and they do not complete tasks quickly enough.

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Apprenticeships Inadequate

 Apprenticeship programmes offered cover a large number of sectors. Health and social care account for over a third of the provision. Business administration and rail engineering are the next two largest sectors, accounting for about a fifth of the provision. At the time of the inspection, 2,566 apprentices participated in training, of which 1,960 were with subcontractors.  Many apprenticeship programmes do not meet fully the principles and requirements of an apprenticeship. Specifically, the majority of apprentices do not have sufficient time allocated to learning and in too many cases employers are not involved in planning, providing or reviewing training. As a result, many apprentices make slow progress and leave before they complete their programme.  Employers are not involved sufficiently in the planning, training or reviewing of apprentices’ programmes. As a result, very few employers understand the standards that

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Apprenticeships Inadequate

apprentices are required to achieve. Many employers lack awareness of the requirements of apprenticeships and do not know enough about the progress made by apprentices to make a meaningful contribution to the programme. Consequently, they do not plan on- the-job training or contribute to assessments.  In a large majority of cases, visits by assessors to apprentices at work are not sufficiently effective in promoting good progress. Typically assessors visit apprentices for training, support and assessment monthly for around two hours. Too many visits do not take place or are postponed. Managers’ control of the frequency and quality of these visits is weak. Apprentices who require additional support, for example to achieve functional skills, often receive insufficient support that is too late.  Assessors’ reviews of apprentices’ progress are weak. Review visits are frequently cancelled or postponed and, as a result, too many apprentices make slow progress or

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Apprenticeships Inadequate

leave early. Records of reviews reflect an overconcentration on planning and reviewing minimum standards as prescribed in the units, with insufficient focus on developing a broader range of skills. Apprentices’ targets and timescales for completion, if recorded, are often too vague; many records simply state the qualification units to be completed by the next visit.  Apprentices’ training plans do not focus on skills or learning opportunities to develop them. Targets set, especially at level 3 and above, do not support apprentices sufficiently to improve their work and challenge them to achieve a high standard.  Apprentices do not benefit, in many cases, from sufficient teaching and learning. In health and social care, assessors rely too much on providing apprentices with question packs which they use to research subject knowledge in their own time. Many apprentices are over 24 years old and have significant prior knowledge and experience in the

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Apprenticeships Inadequate

workplace. They have often already developed work skills and knowledge to a good standard. Assessors frequently do not build on apprentices’ experience to ensure that they continue to develop their skills further.  Assessors’ weak planning and assessment practice means that apprentices fail to develop their skills appropriately or make the progress of which they are capable. In many cases, the limited range of assessment methods used results in apprentices not receiving effective observation and assessment of their practical skills. Too often the assessment process concentrates purely on assignments and written evidence. In many cases, apprentices do not take ownership of their electronic portfolio and rarely log on to the system to check their progress or access or upload work between assessors’ visits.  Assessors’ feedback on apprentices’ work lacks constructive comments as to how to improve it. Written feedback is too brief, with few suggestions to encourage apprentices

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Apprenticeships Inadequate

to develop their knowledge and understanding further. Spelling and grammatical errors too often remain uncorrected.  Apprentices make very slow progress in developing their skills in English, mathematics, and ICT, especially those who need additional support. Too many apprentices do not receive teaching or learning support until late in their training programme. Other apprentices take the tests without adequate preparation, including apprentices who are resitting tests. This impedes apprentices’ progress further.  Frequently apprentices’ recall of knowledge from a previous session is poor. For example, apprentices about to participate in a functional skills mathematics examination at level 2 could not remember how to calculate averages or percentages.  The small proportion of railway-engineering apprentices make good progress. The tutors have good vocational knowledge which they use very effectively to interest and motivate

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Apprenticeships Inadequate

apprentices. Apprentices on this programme demonstrate a very good understanding of their responsibilities for keeping safe and for the safety of others.

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Provider details

Type of provider Independent learning provider

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Provider details

Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year 4,903

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

Main course or learning programme level Level 1 or below Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 or above Total number of learners (excluding apprenticeships) 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

– 48 – – – – – – Number of apprentices by apprenticeship level and age Intermediate Advanced Higher

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 424 711 76 1,439 1 331 Number of traineeships 16–19 19+ Total – – – Number of learners aged 14 to –

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

Funding received from: Skills Funding Agency

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Provider information at the time of the inspection

At the time of inspection, the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors: A14 Training Services Arc Academy Aspire Training Solutions Essential learning JTDT KYP PDS Recalvi Enterprises Limited W Academy City Academy Liverpool Elect Training Millwood Training

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Information about this inspection

The director of quality, as nominee, assisted the inspection team. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. Inspectors used group and individual interviews and telephone calls to gather the views of learners and employers; the report reflects these views. They observed learning sessions, assessments, progress reviews and scrutinised learners’ work and progress records. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the provider.

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Inspection team

Derrick Spragg, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Maggie Fobister Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

Employer View Employer View is a 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. To find out more go to www.employerview.ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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