Be Wiser Insurance Services

Further education and skills inspection report

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Be Wiser Insurance Services Employer provider

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Overall effectiveness Good Effectiveness of leadership and management Good Apprenticeships Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings

 Leaders have a strong learning and development vision and provide professional development programmes which link apprenticeships well with further study, qualifications and career development at higher levels.  Leaders have taken prompt and decisive action to improve the quality of apprenticeships and have successfully addressed the areas identified as requiring improvement at the previous inspection and through their self-assessment.  Potential apprentices start as full-time employees and benefit from excellent information, advice and guidance during a five- week ‘take the first steps towards a career’ period, before they make the decision to enrol on the apprenticeship programmes.  During their off-the-job training, apprentices benefit from good-quality teaching and learning supported by high-quality training resources.  Apprentices develop a very good range of financial skills that prepare them well for

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Summary of key findings

success in their insurance sales, customer service and technical roles.  Apprentices develop very good personal, social and business skills during their training. They are polite, respectful of fellow employees and their trainers, and quickly become valuable assets to the company.  Leaders and managers have worked closely with team leaders to develop apprenticeship provision that meets the skills, knowledge and behaviour requirements of the business very well.  During reviews, assessors do not consistently use targets effectively to support apprentices to improve their professional knowledge and skills and their basic understanding of the dangers of extremism and radicalisation and the promotion of well-being.  Leaders and managers need to continue their strong focus on improving the retention of apprentices as a key factor in supporting further improvement in achievement rates.

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Information about the provider

 Be Wiser Insurance Services is an independent insurance broker. It has approximately 700 employees who are based in Andover, Hampshire and in Swindon, Wiltshire.  Following its first inspection in September 2016, leaders have restructured the apprenticeship programmes and considerably reduced the scale of their provision. At the time of this inspection, there are 31 apprentices, 13 of whom are on framework apprenticeships in ‘providing financial services’ and 18 of whom are on ‘senior financial services customer advisor’ standards-based apprenticeships.

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What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Leaders and managers need to ensure that they sustain the improving trend in apprentice retention and achievement rates, through very close monitoring of apprentices’ retention and progress.  Managers should ensure that assessors receive training so that they set and use targets consistently well to identify precisely what apprentices need to learn to meet qualification requirements.  Leaders and managers should support trainers and assessors to improve their ability to help apprentices to: – broaden their understanding of the dangers of radicalisation and extremism – understand how to stay fit and healthy and look after their well-being – develop their English and mathematical skills more rapidly.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders and managers have taken effective action to make the required improvements identified at the previous inspection and through their self-assessment. A key area for improvement was apprentices’ achievement rates. There was a negative impact on these rates from the high proportion of apprentices who left their employment, either because they decided that call centre work was not for them or by gaining valuable qualifications early in the apprenticeship and moving to other insurance brokers. Managers now select employees for the apprenticeship programme once they have completed a period in employment, during which they ‘take the first steps towards a career’ and ensure that a career in insurance sales and related roles is what they want. Managers also restructured the qualification element of the programmes, so that apprentices gain the qualification close to the completion of their programme. These enhancements have significantly

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

improved the retention of apprentices and all current apprentices make at least the progress expected of them.  The chief executive officer and board of directors have a keen focus on continually improving the quality of group training sessions. Managers review all new training material rigorously and, as a key part of piloting activity, the trainer presents the training session to the board. This ensures that the training is of good quality and technically accurate and that the board is very aware of the quality of the provision.  Managers use quality assurance and performance management systems very effectively. They observe trainers’ teaching and assessment sessions frequently, identifying where they need to improve and where good practice exists. Managers link the findings of these observations well into performance appraisals and development plans to help improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. All trainers have, or are working toward,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

level 3 qualifications in teaching and learning.  Leaders and managers analyse data about achievement by different groups and regularly use the information to take action when achievement gaps start to emerge.  The provider has an inclusive culture which ensures that employees enjoy equality of opportunity and value diversity. All staff receive appropriate training. Trainers raise apprentices’ awareness of aspects such as bullying, harassment and discrimination through discussions during induction, as evident in the better progress reviews.  The director of training and development and the apprenticeship training team self-assess the quality of the provision and identify accurately its strengths and what needs to improve. The self-assessment process does not yet, however, formally involve apprentices’ views, those of the board or those of apprentices’ managers.

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The governance of the provider

 Governance arrangements are strong. Senior leaders have challenged and supported the director of training and development and his apprentice training team to improve rapidly the quality of the provision and apprentices’ achievement rates. They embed these improvement activities in the ‘People and Talent’ strategy, the delivery of which is the responsibility of the director of training and development. A board-level director reviews his progress towards achieving the wide range of key performance indicators included in the strategy, during monthly one-to-one meetings. The support and challenge during and between these meetings have been key to the rapid improvement in the provision.  The apprentice manager assures the quality of new training material and courses thoroughly and board members check the quality. When the provider requires new training, the course designer, supported by the apprentice manager, produces accurate

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The governance of the provider

and engaging presentation and learning material. They present the first iteration of each course to the chief executive officer and board members to check that the content is relevant and interesting. As a result, inspectors observed high-quality teaching and learning sessions.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Managers have effective arrangements for ensuring that apprentices are safe and that they are aware of whom to contact if they have any concerns. Staff receive appropriate training and development in all aspects of safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. As a result, all apprentices have a basic awareness of safeguarding and the dangers presented by extremism and radicalisation.  Managers keep records of any concerns raised by all employees, including apprentices. This does not, however, allow the apprentice team to monitor easily any concerns raised by apprentices as a cohort of employees.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Managers plan apprenticeships well and both framework and standards-based programmes meet the principles and requirements of an apprenticeship. Apprentices working towards standards-based apprenticeships benefit from extensive planned off-the- job training in addition to accessing a broad range of additional internal training and e- learning courses during the working week.  Apprentices benefit from training and coaching from highly skilled assessors who have considerable experience of working and training in the insurance industry. Assessors use this experience very well to motivate, inspire and train apprentices to a high standard.  Managers have developed a strong team ethos that promotes high standards of professional behaviour and which strengthens career aspirations. Managers and assessors provide apprentices with good support to help them plan their careers and prepare them for promotion opportunities. For example, some apprentices have undertaken team

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

management responsibilities and others help meet high levels of customer demand or provide problem-solving support.  Apprentices benefit from high-quality e-learning and practical training resources. Apprentices use online materials at work, and at home if they choose to, to learn the underpinning knowledge and principles that enable them to progress rapidly in the workplace. Good quality e-learning modules include letter-writing skills, communication techniques that enable apprentices to adapt their approaches to meet customer needs, fraud prevention and data protection requirements.  Managers and trainers plan and deliver off-the-job training well. This allows apprentices to apply theory, such as the appropriate use of data, compliance with the Data Protection Act and the communication skills they have learned, and practical situations they encounter in their work. Apprentices value the opportunity that trainers provide to apply

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

this learning within a range of scenarios, prior to using it when dealing with customers in a pressured environment, when they must meet the appropriate financial conduct requirements.  Trainers support apprentices well to improve their mathematical and English skills. Assessors help apprentices learn how to apply their functional skills in preparing customer records and notes which are free from error. They help apprentices to navigate the company software systems skilfully and quickly to source records and generate quotes. Apprentices apply mathematical skills to their job role, such as in calculating discounts and monthly payments.  Trainers make good use of information about the starting points of their apprentices to individualise apprenticeship programmes so that they can challenge them according to their potential. Staff collect comprehensive diagnostic information about apprentices’ starting points, including their prior qualifications, mathematics and English levels and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

learning styles. Assessors use this information well to plan individualised programmes, which, as a result, focus on each apprentice’s specific development needs. They challenge the most capable apprentices to extend their skills and to undertake more demanding and complex tasks.  Trainers do not consistently focus well on the progress that apprentices make during their reviews of apprentices’ progress. This is not helped by the lack of sufficient detail in many of the targets that are linked to qualification completion, the improvement of English and mathematical skills or broader personal development. For example, a target refers to completing a certain module by the next review, rather than including the key details of what the apprentice needs to do and learn to complete that module.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

 Apprentices are highly motivated to learn and make progress in their careers. They are aware of, and inspired by, the extensive training and development opportunities available to them.  Apprentices’ attendance at work and off-the-job training is excellent. They become very confident in their learning and job roles, take pride in their work and adopt a consistently positive attitude to their learning and work tasks. For example, apprentices work through extensive, high-quality online training materials that support their development of insurance services knowledge, including understanding and application of financial legislative practices. Apprentices value these highly and link their learning to improving their personal performance and achievement of individual and team goals.  Apprentices work to a high standard in the workplace as valued members of the workforce. They receive increasingly challenging but achievable targets for sales and

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

compliance. Training ensures that apprentices can apply knowledge to workplace tasks, such as developing their understanding of the changes to the Data Protection Act and its adoption to ensure that practice and procedures are compliant.  Apprentices attend training sessions enthusiastically and develop skills to support independent learning for professional qualifications, often accelerating their progress and enhancing their knowledge of the sector.  Apprentices benefit from excellent information, advice and guidance. They are well aware of both the demands and the benefits of the apprenticeship programmes. They are, as a result, able to make very well-informed choices about their future careers in the company or broader insurance sector.  Apprentices have a good understanding of the importance of equality of opportunity and valuing diversity. All staff demonstrate these attributes. Apprentices are also aware of

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

safeguarding and the dangers of extremism and radicalisation through training during induction and a range of e-learning materials. However, assessors, during their progress reviews with apprentices, do not sufficiently support them to develop their knowledge and understanding of these important topics.  Apprentices’ development and understanding of well-being are areas for development. Managers have started to implement well-being programmes. The impact of these, however, is yet to ensure that apprentices understand the positive health benefits and develop healthy practices or behavioural changes. These include reducing energy drinks, increasing exercise, improving diet and strategies for dealing with stress in the workplace.

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Outcomes for learners Good

 Current apprentices make at least the progress expected of them. The provider’s own data shows that significant improvements in retention resulted in overall achievement rates increasing to levels achieved by similar providers and nationally in 2016/17.  A high proportion of apprentices progress from intermediate to advanced apprenticeships and then to higher-level training. All apprentices who complete their apprenticeships remain in employment and the large majority gain promotion and/or additional responsibility soon after completing their programmes.  Apprentices enjoy and take pride in their learning and gain new skills, knowledge and good workplace behaviours. They develop a wide range of technical skills and knowledge that prepare them well for working in insurance sales, customer service and technical roles.  The new skills and knowledge that apprentices rapidly develop help them to improve their

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Outcomes for learners Good

performance at work. They also develop good personal, social and business skills during their training and quickly become valued assets in the company.  All apprentices take diagnostic tests to determine their existing skills levels in English and mathematics, irrespective of their GCSE grades. Those who are exempt from functional skills examinations, but whose skills have declined to below level 2, receive encouragement and good support from their assessors, to improve their skills. The large majority of those who need to take functional skills examinations pass on their first attempt, except at level 2 in mathematics, where the first-time pass rate requires improvement.  There are no significant achievement gaps between different groups of learners.

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Provider details

Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year Principal/CEO Mr Crescens George, director of training and development

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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

– – – – – – – - 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+ – 6 3 22 – – 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

Number of learners for which the provider receives high- needs funding –

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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: –

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the director of training and development, as nominee. 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 apprentices and team leaders; these views are reflected within the report. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the provider.

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Inspection team

Mark Shackleton, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Carolyn Brownsea 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

Learner View 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. To find out more go to www.learnerview.ofsted.gov.uk .

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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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