ProVQ Ltd

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mr Julian Lloyd Managing Director ProVQ Ltd Atcham Business Park Atcham Shrewsbury SY4 4UG

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Short inspection of ProVQ Ltd

Following the short inspection on 13  14 February 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The inspection was the first short inspection carried out since the provider was judged to be good in June 2015.

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Short inspection of ProVQ Ltd

Since the previous inspection, you and your senior colleagues have maintained a high proportion of the strengths identified by inspectors and made very good progress in tackling the small number of recommendations made in the report. You have focused more intensely on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. This is now consistently good.

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Short inspection of ProVQ Ltd

You have significantly increased apprenticeship provision, due partly to the successful acquisition of a national vehicle manufacturer’s apprenticeship programme. In response to this, you have recruited sufficient new managers and staff to accommodate the growth. Trainers and assessors receive the appropriate high-quality teaching and technical skills training to provide effective support for apprentices both in training centres and in the workplace. For example, all trainers must achieve a teaching qualification in their first year, and they are able to access specialist skills in areas such as hybrid engine technologies. As a result, most apprentices receive effective training and support, and make at least the progress expected of them.

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Short inspection of ProVQ Ltd

Most apprentices value the opportunities to train and develop their practical and employability skills with prestigious and very high-quality employers in the light vehicle and land-based sectors. You have been proactive in developing these high- profile employer links to provide apprentices with job roles that match closely with their career ambitions. Additionally, through these strong links, you have improved apprentices’ training schedules by changing the duration of their off-the-job training blocks from two weeks to one week. As a result, they are able to link more closely theoretical concepts to practical tasks and employers are better able to align apprentices’ working roles with the demands of their business.

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Short inspection of ProVQ Ltd

With your senior team, you reflect carefully on the performance of the organisation and have a good understanding of the key strengths and areas for improvement. You have high expectations of your staff. Although trainers and assessors operate across the country, your managers communicate effectively with them to monitor progress and ensure that improvement actions are effective. However, although you have identified accurately appropriate improvements with one employer to reduce the proportion of apprentices leaving their business early, you have yet to ensure that actions will result in sustained and improved outcomes for these apprentices.

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Short inspection of ProVQ Ltd

Leaders have developed an effective online apprentice incident tracking system linking directly with apprentices’ hotels while they are on block release at the provider. As a result, managers are able to resolve quickly any issues to ensure that safeguarding arrangements for apprentices are strong. Consequently, apprentices describe feeling safe at all times and demonstrate confidence and maturity in their actions in the workplace, at the training centres and in residences while away from home.

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Short inspection of ProVQ Ltd

Leaders have benefited from regional and national training, helping them to risk assess accurately and plan a range of targeted training. This has resulted in staff ensuring that most apprentices understand well the risks associated with extremism and radicalisation. However, there remain a few apprentices who are not able to demonstrate confidently their understanding of these risks.

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Inspection findings

 Apprentices receive consistently good teaching and assessment that help them to make good progress. Trainers ensure that most apprentices develop the essential knowledge and practical skills to be a productive employee. For example, level 3 apprentices explain well complex engine management systems and the fault- finding techniques they use while servicing vehicles at work. Workplace mentors support and guide apprentices in the workplace to develop valuable employability skills, such as teamwork, communication and customer service skills. A minority of apprentices participate in sales activities to refine further their communication skills.  Apprentices benefit from assessors’ expertise and their good use of high-quality training centres, ensuring that they have access to a wide range of excellent resources that enhance their learning. For example, they use a variety of vehicle suspension systems, perform diagnostics and make repairs to hydraulics in

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Inspection findings

agricultural machinery, and most apprentices use employers’ online management systems to track progress and the parts used in their work. In addition to gaining their qualifications, most apprentices develop valuable industry-standard skills, such as using a variety of digital applications, and customer service skills. This skills development helps their future career prospects.  Most trainers and assessors provide apprentices with helpful feedback on the suitability of the evidence they gather in the workplace. This includes useful advice on the content of photographs and the level of detail in written records of work they have carried out. However, a small minority of apprentices’ feedback does not help them to understand what they have achieved and what they need to do next, therefore slowing their progress.  Trainers use information about apprentices’ starting points to plan practical sessions well, so that apprentices of all abilities work on sufficiently complex

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Inspection findings

tasks and make good progress. For example, where apprentices are beginning to learn how to use basic hand tools safely, trainers constantly reinforce the safety aspects of their activities and how to work accurately and efficiently when using measuring and cutting equipment. They move apprentices on to more complex tasks once they are ready. However, during theory sessions, trainers too often do not set work that is sufficiently challenging for the most able.  Apprentices with identified learning needs benefit from effective additional support that helps them to make at least the progress of their peers. For example, these apprentices attend additional sessions either at their training centres or during evening sessions while on residential block placement to improve their English and mathematics functional skills.  Apprentices develop further their skills in mathematics, both in their workplaces and as part of their ongoing training and development. However, too few trainers

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Inspection findings

help apprentices develop their English skills well enough. For example, too many apprentices continue to make basic mistakes in their writing – such as using capital letters and spelling ‘engine’ incorrectly. Trainers do not routinely work with apprentices to identify key mistakes and strategies to secure improvements. A minority of trainers make mistakes in spelling on their presentation slides, which does not model best practice for apprentices.  Apprentices who are exempt from functional skills may continue to attend the training sessions, but do not always have sufficient opportunities to extend their individual English skills further.  The achievement overall of motor vehicle apprentices remains above that of other similar providers. The proportion of apprentices achieving their qualification in the time allocated has increased and is above that of most other providers. The achievement of intermediate and advanced apprentices is broadly similar and

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Inspection findings

above that of their peers, and, for the small minority of apprentices studying land-based motor vehicle qualifications, achievement is very high. Apprentices’ achievement of English and mathematics functional skills is high.  The majority of apprentices who are aged 16 to 18 do not achieve as well as those aged 19 to 23. For the few apprentices following parts qualifications, too few complete their studies and remain in their job roles. As a result of managers’ effective actions, in the current year, the proportion of apprentices achieving their qualifications in the time allocated has significantly increased compared with the same point in the previous year – and is high.  Apprentices benefit from qualifications in addition to their framework to enhance their future employment prospects, for example in first aid, air conditioning systems, and gas and hybrid technology.  Most apprentices who complete their qualifications remain with their employer

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Inspection findings

and progress to the next level of learning. However, managers do not analyse the destination information of their apprentices well enough to identify opportunities to increase further the proportion of apprentices progressing to their intended destinations.  Apprentices benefit from the careers advice they receive from very well-qualified and experienced trainers and assessors so that they can make informed decisions about their future career options. Trainers are skilled and experienced technicians who can advise and support apprentices in making decisions about their future. Before starting their apprenticeship, applicants can access taster days, work experience and internships to help them decide if the motor vehicle industry is the right choice for them. Towards the end of their programme, apprentices learn about additional in-house training that will help them to progress to the higher master-technician level, and access the most prestigious career opportunities in

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Next steps for the provider

 managers, trainers and assessors monitor closely the progress of apprentices aged 16 to 18 so that they complete their qualifications and progress to their intended destination  trainers and assessors identify and correct apprentices’ spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes, so that they become confident and improve the accuracy of their work  all trainers and assessors develop further the mathematics and English skills of apprentices who have achieved functional skills, so that they can use them confidently in their future careers  trainers share good practice and develop effective teaching, learning and assessment strategies, including providing effective feedback, to challenge all apprentices to achieve their best, given their starting points  managers analyse sufficiently the destination information of apprentices to improve the provision, including recruitment methods, and increase the proportion of apprentices progressing to their intended careers

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Next steps for the provider

 trainers, assessors and mentors enable all apprentices to confidently articulate their understanding of how to keep themselves safe from the threat of radicalisation and extremism.

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Next steps for the provider

I am copying this letter to the Education and Skills Funding Agency. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely

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Information about the inspection

Inspectors were assisted by the vice-principal as nominee. They held meetings with a range of managers, teachers, learners and support staff. Inspectors carried out observations of teaching, learning and assessment, and conducted walk-through observations of courses to explore particular themes. They scrutinised learners’ work and assessment records and key documents relating to the provider’s strategy and implementation plans, self-assessment and improvement plans, and safeguarding records. Inspectors considered the views of learners through discussions during learning sessions visited.

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