Reed Specialist Recruitment Limited

Reed Specialist Recruitment Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Peter Nelson, HMI

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Address:

The Peak 5 Wilton Avenue London SW1V 1AN Monitoring visit: Reed Specialist Recruitment Ltd., 24 25 October 2018

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Context and focus of visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of a programme of monitoring visits to new apprenticeship training providers that are funded through the apprenticeship levy. Ofsted’s intention to carry out monitoring visits to these new providers was first announced by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector in November 2017. The focus of these visits is on the three themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

Reed Specialist Recruitment Limited (Reed) is one of a group consisting of three main operating companies under the Reed brand. The company provides recruitment services to a very broad cross-section of permanent and temporary job roles in sectors such as accountancy, business, care, education and technology.

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Context and focus of visit

Reed’s apprenticeship training programme covers apprentices who are employed in two main job roles. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 27 apprentices on level 2 recruitment resourcing and 193 employed on level 3 recruitment consulting.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers are strongly committed to embedding and implementing an effective apprenticeship programme as part of Reed’s workforce development strategy. They have introduced the programme to help address the sector-wide challenge of retaining recruitment consultants. Traditionally around half of consultants leave within the first 12 months in post, with a high proportion of these being headhunted by other companies. This strategy has been successful. Managers have substantially increased the proportion of newly recruited consultants who remain with the company. Managers recruit with integrity. Most apprentices are newly recruited to their roles, and they commence their programme within a few weeks of starting work with Reed. As part of the application process, all candidates undertake a detailed skills check, which maps their skills and competencies against the qualification requirements of

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Reasonable progress

the apprenticeship. Leaders and managers are good at evaluating the quality of the provision. They have a sound overview of the relative strengths and areas for improvement as they develop and continue to embed the systems and procedures for the apprenticeship programme. As a result, managers continue to enhance the quality of apprentices’ experience. Monitoring visit: Reed Specialist Recruitment Ltd., 24 25 October 2018 Leaders have a clear career development framework for all employees at Reed. This helps ensure that apprentices understand the opportunities they have within the organisation, and the expectations their line managers have that will enable them to progress to more senior roles. For the small number of apprentices who have not previously gained a level 2 qualification in English and/or mathematics, managers have put in place a suitable programme to enable apprentices to develop these skills and take the appropriate

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Reasonable progress

qualifications. The learners on this programme are at a comparatively early stage and, at the time of the inspection, none had taken the test. However, they were making reasonable progress towards developing the requisite skills. Managers are aware that they need to continue developing this programme to help ensure that learners successfully achieve this qualification. Data available to managers on the progress of learners generally indicates that they make reasonable progress towards full completion of their apprenticeship programme. Inspectors confirmed this to be the case. However, managers recognise that they need to improve the quality and timeliness of information to ensure that they have a sufficiently detailed and timely insight into the progress that apprentices make. Similarly, while the large majority of learners receive a suitable amount of time to take part in the off-the-job component of their apprenticeship, managers do

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Reasonable progress

not have sufficiently accurate oversight of this information to help ensure that they enforce this entitlement consistently.

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Reasonable progress

Trainers are knowledgeable. They have a good insight into the recruitment sector and deliver relevant training that helps motivate apprentices to learn. In lessons, apprentices are confident and clearly enjoy the taught element of the course. For example, they take accurate notes, engage in deep and relevant discussions and pose challenging questions to each other during group activities. These strategies help apprentices to deepen their understanding, to engage fully in lesson activities and to make good progress. Apprentices have very good opportunities to gain experience of their recruitment role in the workplace. They develop many of their skills and experience through shadowing and working alongside more experienced colleagues and from supportive mentoring from their line manager. For example, apprentices take part in ‘silent monitoring’, where they listen in to how experienced recruitment consultants conduct

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Reasonable progress

discussions with clients on the phone. While most line managers understand their responsibilities as coaches to apprentices, a small minority of managers are less clear or less enthusiastic about this part of their role. As a result, not all line managers provide the same quality of coaching to apprentices. A few managers do not fully understand the concept of Monitoring visit: Reed Specialist Recruitment Ltd., 24 25 October 2018 apprentices’ off-the-job entitlement, and others do not perceive themselves as being directly involved with apprentices’ skills development. As a result, a small minority of apprentices make slower progress on their programme. Most apprentices make good progress towards achieving their apprenticeship. They develop a suitable range of knowledge, skills and behaviours associated with working in the recruitment industry. Managers have appropriate assessment and internal quality assurance systems in

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Reasonable progress

place to help set targets and monitor the progress of apprentices. Assessors, apprentices and managers meet regularly for reviews, where they discuss and evaluate apprentices’ progress. At these meetings they also identify suitable work opportunities with the manager so that apprentices can develop new skills and acquire new knowledge and behaviours relevant to their programme. Learners who have been on the programme for several months have a clear understanding of the end-point assessment processes. After approximately nine months of the programme, assessors test apprentices to identify the grade that they are likely to achieve at the end-point assessment. They use this information well to help apprentices prepare fully for the assessment.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a strong commitment to help assure the health and welfare of all employees, including apprentices. Managers have suitable policies, procedures and practices around safeguarding, the ‘Prevent’ duty, equality and diversity in order to help assure the welfare of all. Apprentices feel safe both in the workplace and when attending training activities. They are familiar with Reed’s approach to safeguarding and ‘Prevent’. Apprentices understand who they can go to if they have concerns about their safety or well- being, including to their line manager, to the safeguarding helpline or to the designated safeguarding lead. Very few issues have been reported via these channels but, when issues have arisen, managers have taken thorough and timely action, and they have provided good support for apprentices to address any concerns. In addition, managers have used lessons learned from these reported incidents to help strengthen the training

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Reasonable progress

programme on safeguarding-related themes for apprentices. Staff receive thorough training around safeguarding and the ‘Prevent’ duty. They are familiar with indicators of extremism and radicalisation and know what action to take if they are concerned about anyone. They speak knowledgeably about these topics, and generally create suitable opportunities to explore these themes with apprentices as part of their face-to-face reviews. Monitoring visit: Reed Specialist Recruitment Ltd., 24 25 October 2018 the 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 . Learner View Learner View is a website where learners can tell Ofsted what they think about their college or

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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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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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the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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