The IT Skills Management Company Limited

The IT Skills Management Company Ltd. Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Maria Navarro HMI

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

Colmore Gate 2–6 Colmore Row Birmingham B3 2QD Monitoring visit: The IT skills management company ltd., 8–9 November 2018

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Context and focus of visit

From October 2018, Ofsted undertook to carry out monitoring visits to all newly directly funded providers of apprenticeship training provision which began to be funded from April 2017 or after by ESFA and/or the apprenticeship levy. This monitoring visit was undertaken as part of those arrangements and as outlined in the ‘Further education and skills inspection handbook’, especially the sections entitled ‘Providers newly directly funded to deliver apprenticeship training provision’ and ‘Monitoring visits’. The focus of these visits is on the three themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

The IT Skills Management Company Limited (ITSM), trading as Intequal, was established in 2009 and has been recruiting learners onto apprenticeship standards at levels 3 and 4 within the digital sector since 2016. The provider operates nationally; it has its head office in Birmingham and a further two offices in Portsmouth and Manchester. At the time of the inspection there were 143 apprentices enrolled across seven digital apprenticeship programmes. ITSM holds a direct contract for apprenticeship delivery and a contract for delivering apprenticeships to levy-paying employers. In 2013, ITSM began working with Microsoft to develop remotely delivered apprenticeships using interactive technology and it has been delivering their apprenticeships this way ever since.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a long and well-established relationship with information technology (IT) provider Microsoft, with ITSM becoming one of its few providers of choice to offer technical support to the businesses that purchased their products. Leaders decided to deliver apprenticeships in response to an identified common need among many small and medium-sized IT businesses that are not able to make a sizeable capital investment in developing their staff’s IT knowledge. ITSM, through apprenticeship programmes, is making a significant contribution to such businesses, supporting them to develop their workforce and enabling them to secure the companies’ future viability. Leaders and managers were early adopters of the apprenticeship standards and have now developed seven digital training programmes, including progression routes. Leaders and managers demonstrate a thorough understanding of how successful apprenticeship standards work. Furthermore, they have been able to support the

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Reasonable progress

development of elements within the standards, such as end-point assessment, with the relevant awarding bodies. Leaders and managers have a clear strategy that maps the future development of further apprenticeships. Monitoring visit: The IT skills management company ltd., 8–9 November 2018 Leaders and managers have focused well on setting up a training programme that meets the apprenticeship requirements. They have rightly trialled the length of the different apprenticeship programmes. As a consequence, each of the apprenticeships follows a detailed and realistic plan that enables apprentices to learn and achieve well. Managers prioritise the planning of the off-the-job training, which apprentices and tutors record and track well. Leaders and managers have demonstrated a high level of integrity in the way they recruit learners into the apprenticeships. All apprentices apply to join the programme before becoming employed, or within the first few months of obtaining a job, and all

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Reasonable progress

develop new skills very quickly. Leaders and managers have removed the requirement for specific academic achievement among apprenticeship applicants, which has widened the participation of learners in this industry sector. Leaders and managers have set up effective support arrangements for those learners who need to undertake English and/or mathematics qualifications in order to complete their apprenticeship. All teaching staff are very well qualified and have good, industrially relevant knowledge. Teaching staff benefit from frequent training that keeps their IT skills current. The equipment and learning resources that teachers and apprentices use are of high quality and represent the most advanced technology in the sector. Last year, some 10% of the relatively small cohort of learners who joined the training programmes left early without completing their apprenticeship. Leaders and managers have not analysed the available information sufficiently to identify any

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Reasonable progress

concerning trends with regards to the reasons why these learners left, and the issue of retention remains. This year, so far, 15% of the apprentices who joined the programme have left without completing. Leaders and managers do not measure sufficiently the development of all apprentices’ English and mathematics skills to ensure that those who have already achieved a high-level qualification in these areas continue improving and further developing these skills, from their starting points.

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Significant progress

Apprentices rapidly gain a very broad knowledge of the sector and develop new occupationally specific skills which they apply to their employers’ businesses successfully. For example, infrastructure technicians very quickly become competent in setting up digital networks, troubleshooting, and working with different internet protocol (IP) addresses. Digital marketing apprentices learn to use analytics to promote their companies’ services, generating buyers’ interest and completing sales. Apprentices are keen to become highly skilled professionals and lead on many projects. During their training phase, they become valuable employees of the Monitoring visit: The IT skills management company ltd., 8–9 November 2018 companies they work in. Almost all apprentices who stay on their programmes become permanent employees and improve their economic prospects. However, leaders and managers do not gather sufficiently comprehensive information on

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Significant progress

apprentices’ progression, other than for those who remain employed. Tutors thoughtfully plan learning and use information technology exceptionally well to provide learning that meets individual needs closely. For example, they use instant messages and ask nominated apprentices questions to which they respond through interactive technology, checking that all apprentices are progressing in the lessons as well as they can. Confident tutors set the most complex digital tasks successfully into a relevant context to put apprentices at ease. They effortlessly help apprentices to understand and simplify the logic patterns behind coding, for example. This enables apprentices to engage fully in lessons, often challenging each other to excel at their jobs. Tutors record the sessions and share them with apprentices, who find these materials beneficial when revising and consolidating their learning independently.

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Significant progress

The few apprentices identified in need of additional support receive excellent help towards passing their theory tests, developing a thorough understanding of their chosen field and how to apply this knowledge. The model of delivering training remotely meets the needs of the apprentices and employers perfectly. Apprentices enjoy learning remotely in small groups, saving them travelling time and unnecessary costs to their employers. Pathway planners are a conduit between the apprentices and the employers, linking theory to practice extremely well. Employers spoken to by inspectors during the monitoring visit regard the training as of consistently good quality. Apprentices make good progress in the various components of their learning programme. In addition to this, leaders and managers provide additional qualifications in various highly regarded IT standards, such as Microsoft, cloud, CompTIA and Google, at a substantial cost to the company. Once qualified, these

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Significant progress

apprentices become highly desirable candidates for a range of specialist roles in the IT industry, being able to command higher salaries and rapid promotion. The large majority of apprentices already have the required, or higher, qualifications in English and mathematics before the start of their training. The few apprentices who need these qualifications pass these at the first attempt. Apprentices develop their mathematics skills further through the coding exercises that are applicable to their apprenticeship standards. In addition, they enhance their skills in English by writing emails and by accessing specific learning packages. However, teaching staff do not actively ensure that all apprentices develop their English and mathematics skills far enough, considering their prior achievement in these subjects. Apprentices receive very good information with regards to the assessment milestones in the training programme and are fully aware of what is required to pass

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Significant progress

their tests. Staff support them very well to help them pass the examinations. Several apprentices have already passed their end-point assessment with distinction, and most apprentices that inspectors met during the monitoring visit aspired to be equally successful. Monitoring visit: The IT skills management company ltd., 8–9 November 2018 The quality assurance processes focus relentlessly on ensuring that the standard of apprentices’ work is of high quality. Tutors receive appropriate feedback on how they can improve and maintain good standards in their teaching practice. They review apprentices’ progress regularly, and this ensures that apprentices stay on track to achieve in time. Managers collate and monitor the outcomes of these processes and identify the relevant risks that, in turn, inform the quality improvement plan. However, their observations of the quality of teaching do not place sufficient focus

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Significant progress

on the impact of training on the apprentices. Observers do not identify ways in which the pathway planners could excel at their tutoring skills.

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Reasonable progress

The provider has made the necessary arrangements to ensure that a senior manager in the organisation holds the role of safeguarding lead, with the support of an operational safeguarding officer. However, they have not undertaken safeguarding training that is commensurate with the role they deliver; leaders rectified this during the monitoring visit. Teaching staff have undertaken the appropriate safeguarding training to support them with identifying any risks that may jeopardise apprentices’ safety. Leaders have ensured that a wide range of policies are in place in the organisation designed to safeguard apprentices. Many of these are mostly current and relevant such as the e-safety policy, which is particularly relevant considering that learners work and learn in the IT sector. Others, such as the guest speaker policy, are less relevant to ITSM apprentices, as they are not exposed to this type of activity.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers receive frequent information on safeguarding concerns affecting apprentices and they follow these up to a successful resolution. They demonstrate a keen interest to learn from safeguarding incidents, thus developing their knowledge and adapting procedures. For example, leaders and managers have made a considerable investment in systems that proactively assess and identify the early signs of stress among apprentices. This resulted from a number of reported safeguarding incidents in relation to mental health last year. Leaders and managers have developed good collaborative relations with the employers they work with to ensure that they promptly address any identified health and safety risks in the workplace. Leaders and managers openly share their safeguarding policies with any employers, as necessary. Through the technical learning undertaken as part of their qualification, apprentices

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Reasonable progress

demonstrate an understanding of the importance of cyber security and how IT systems may be targeted by extremists or terrorists. In addition, at their progress reviews they develop a basic awareness of the dangers posed by radicalisation and extremism. However, they are not sufficiently knowledgeable about the full variety of threats posed by radical and extremist views, and how they can identify these risks in the communities where they live. Monitoring visit: The IT skills management company ltd., 8–9 November 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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regulates and inspects to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to

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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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