Vision Training (North East) Limited

Vision Training (North East) Limited Monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Rachel Angus, Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection date(s): 22 to 23 August 2019

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Type of provider: Independent learning provider

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Address:

12 Yarm Road Stockton-on-Tees TS18 3NA Monitoring visit: Vision Training (North East) Limited, 22 to 23 August 2019

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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 themes set out below.

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Context and focus of visit

Vision Training (North East) Limited provides apprenticeship training in the adult social care sector. Leaders secured a contract to deliver apprenticeships to levy paying employers in November 2017. They currently have 102 apprentices of whom almost half are following adult care programmes at level 2 and just under half are on adult care programmes at level 3. A small number of apprentices are on programmes in leadership and management in health and social care at level 5 and team leading at level 2. Most apprentices are on standards-based programmes. The large majority of apprentices are aged 24 years and over.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders are implementing a well-considered strategy to specialise in providing apprenticeship training in adult social care. Leaders and managers have significant experience in this occupational area that they use very effectively to develop the curriculum offer.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have a strategic plan that is ambitious and clearly outlines the responsibilities of each manager in ensuring that high standards of training are reached. All staff are held to account for their role in achieving the stretching targets contained in the plan.

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Reasonable progress

Staff work very closely with employers to tailor the curriculum to their needs. For example, the training in administering medication is carefully matched to the requirements of the local authority in which the employer is based.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers have an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses of the training that they provide. They recognise that they need to increase the proportion of apprentices who stay to the end of their programme and achieve their qualification. Managers are implementing sensible changes to the way in which Monitoring visit: Vision Training (North East) Limited, 22 to 23 August 2019 apprentices are recruited, but it is too early to measure the impact of these new arrangements.

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Reasonable progress

Managers have appointed tutors who are well qualified and occupationally experienced. They provide helpful mentoring and training for staff so that all tutors develop their skills in delivering standards-based apprenticeships. Tutors complete regular professional development that includes shadowing experienced staff in care settings to update their occupational knowledge and skills.

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Reasonable progress

Managers have developed clear and effective plans to ensure that almost all apprentices receive their entitlement to off-the-job training. Tutors prepare apprentices well for their end-point assessment. They also provide useful advice to employers about how to support their apprentices to be successful in these assessments.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and managers are using management information increasingly effectively to ensure that apprentices make the expected progress. Tutors’ interventions with apprentices who fall behind are effective at enabling them to catch up.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors make effective use of a range of assessment information to determine apprentices’ starting points. They use their experience well to provide off-the-job learning activities that develop the new knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices need to be successful in the workplace. For example, apprentices quickly develop their knowledge and skills in administering medication to service users with a range of medical needs.

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Reasonable progress

Employers and tutors choose units of the apprenticeship which match the work that apprentices will undertake in their work place. Apprentices gain in confidence as a result of their training and employers rightly recognise the positive impact that this has on their work. For example, tutors ensure that apprentices on the level 3 lead adult care programme develop the skills and confidence to undertake staff appraisals to a high standard.

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Reasonable progress

Apprentices develop their skills in English and mathematics well as result of the training provided by tutors. The quality of the shift handover notes that apprentices produce improves considerably as apprentices gain understanding of the significance of these documents and improve the quality of their completion.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors provide helpful feedback to apprentices on the work that they complete. Consequently, apprentices deepen their knowledge and understanding of important concepts. Most apprentices use the feedback that tutors provide to improve their work. Monitoring visit: Vision Training (North East) Limited, 22 to 23 August 2019 Tutors provide a range of high-quality online resources for apprentices to use to help with the completion of written work. The apprentices who make effective use of these helpful resources produce written work of a higher standard than the apprentices who do not.

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Reasonable progress

Staff provide apprentices with helpful careers information early in their programme. However, apprentices do not receive sufficient individual advice and guidance, based on their career aspirations. Consequently, a small minority are not clear about how to achieve their next steps in their career.

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Reasonable progress

Managers carry out appropriate pre-employment checks when they recruit staff, and they record this information accurately. They also take effective steps to ensure that apprentices’ workplaces are safe.

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Reasonable progress

The designated safeguarding lead and the deputy safeguarding lead have received relevant training. They provide helpful guidance to tutors about their role in ensuring that apprentices are safe. Managers have ensured that all tutors have recently updated their safeguarding knowledge as it relates to the care sector. Managers have appointed a welfare officer, who is also a mental health first aider, to provide support to apprentices who need it.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors ensure that apprentices have a comprehensive understanding of safeguarding both in terms of their own safety and also in respect of their role as care workers with responsibility for the safeguarding of vulnerable adults.

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Reasonable progress

Tutors have not ensured that apprentices have a clear understanding of the risks of radicalisation and extremism. Monitoring visit: Vision Training (North East) Limited, 22 to 23 August 2019 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 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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Reasonable progress

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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Reasonable progress

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 looked after children, 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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Reasonable progress

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